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Despite an “antiquated” policy likened to the movie Footloose that bans food and dancing on the legislature grounds, Alberta’s infrastructure minister said Monday he had approved a request from Taste of Edmonton to move the festival to the site.

“I’ve told the department we need to fix this, because if you can’t dance, you’re no legislator of mine,” said Brian Mason.

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“I approved the event on Friday morning, but we have not had time to communicate that to Taste of Edmonton,” Mason added. “We want a legislature that’s accessible to the public and you can enjoy yourself, and you can get down when you need to get down.”

Mason was responding to a City of Edmonton committee debate Monday morning where Taste of Edmonton officials said they were struggling to find a temporary location to operate because of an Alberta legislature policy that bans eating or drinking on the grounds.

Councillors voted to help with a lobby effort.