Panel presentation

The costly issue of a sugar tax | Who wins?

Consuming too much sugar is associated with chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes and cancer. One culprit is sugar-sweetened beverages, the single largest contributor of sugar in diets.

Taxation of certain products, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, is recommended by some as a solution with both economic and health benefits.

Our panel discussion was held on Monday, November 4. Thank you to all who attended.


Panellists:

Mike Paulden

Mike Paulden
Assistant Professor, School of Public Health

Mike Paulden is an assistant professor with the School of Public Health, University of Alberta. He is a health economist with an interest in health technology assessment. His research is focused upon developing appropriate methods for the economic evaluation of health technologies.

Kayla Atkey

Kayla Atkey
Policy Analyst, Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention

Kayla Atkey is the policy analyst for the Alberta Policy Coalition for Chronic Disease Prevention, located at the University of Alberta School of Public Health. In this role, she helps to coordinate the activities of the coalition and synthesizes evidence on policy to reduce chronic disease in Alberta. Kayla is passionate about health promotion from an ecological lens and the use of evidence-based, collaborative advocacy to facilitate healthy policy change.


Kristyn Berry
Senior Specialist, Government Relationsand Public Engagement, Alberta & NWT | Heart and Stroke Foundation

Kristyn Berry is a public health professional with experience in health policy, health promotion and community engagement. Her passion for public health informs her work at Heart and Stroke, where she leads the development and execution of health policy initiatives for Alberta and the Northwest Territories. With a background in chronic disease prevention, Kristyn is actively involved with a number of health coalitions, where she works to achieve meaningful and sustainable change. She also volunteers as the Treasurer for the Alberta Public Health Association, collaborating with organizations and communities to develop province-wide advocacy positions and strategies.