The National Post reports in its Thursday edition that Toronto City Council recently approved a four-grocery-store "pilot project" by a 21-3 vote. The Post's Chris Selley writes that the Canadian left imitating Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City. Recent news from New York, however, calls the entire project into question. On Monday, the city announced the second planned location in the South Bronx. One of the chief arguments for government grocery is to irrigate "food deserts" -- areas where residents have little access to affordable, healthy food. In some parts of the United States, the situation is truly dire, certainly if you insist on fresh produce. There's something about the lack of "fresh" Peruvian asparagus and Mexican broccoli that really upsets left-leaning people who have plenty of money for groceries. The improbably named town of Cairo, one of the poorest places in Illinois, had a publicly owned co-op and it was a flop. Toronto's "food deserts" are surprisingly fertile. Majora Carter, an advocate for South Bronx redevelopment, offered an interesting observation: Why not just subsidize existing food-sellers in targeted neighbourhoods? Cheaper groceries isn't the point. The point is bigger government.