Sudbury doctor frustrated by food offerings at Science North restaurant

Dr. Julie Connolly has been a family physician in Sudbury for two decades. Like many doctors, she is feeling burnt out especially when it comes to trying to promote a healthy lifestyle to her patients.

Connolly said seeing french fries and burgers on the menu at Science North is frustrating.

“I spend my days trying to deliver (the eat-healthy) message one-on-one to patient after patient and the visits end by me giving them a prescription for … blood pressure medications for diabetes and I’m sick of it,” she said.

The science centre should be a "beacon" of healthy living, she said.

“Instead we’re normalizing french fries and doughnuts.”

Connolly said she knows this isn’t just an issue at Science North, but wonders why the menu at the science centre isn't based on the Canada Food Guide.

On top of that, she said there is the question of the plastic bottles of water and pop that contributes to a lot of waste per day.

In response, interim Science North CEO Jennifer Booth sent CTV News a statement that said changes are coming to the restaurant in the next few years.

“This renewal project focuses on reviewing our food options, planning for environmental sustainability, updating the design of our restaurant and optimizing the overall visitor experience," Booth said.

"Earlier this year we launched a community survey that will help us with our restaurant model and to reimagine what a new dining experience at Science North could look like."

The survey can be found here. 

But Connolly said the survey isn’t research, it's marketing.

“I should not be needing to hold the weight on my shoulders in exam room after exam room telling people what should be a very, very widely held public message,” she said.