Council votes to hold plebiscite on reintroducing fluoride in water
Posted Feb 1, 2021 7:41 pm.
Last Updated Feb 2, 2021 6:47 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – Calgary City Council has voted to ask the Calgarians whether or not there should be fluoride in the water.
Council voted 10-4 in favour of the plebiscite to be held during the municipal election in October.
RELATED: Councillors to review costs of reintroducing fluoride in drinking water
This will be the sixth time water fluoridation goes to a plebiscite.
Calgarians have voted no on the issue, except in 1989 where they voted yes, a decision that was unchanged before council voted to remove fluoride in 2011.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi said council should’ve never removed fluoride without a plebiscite since it was brought in through one.
“I also believe that the only path that I can see to getting fluoride put back in is by asking the voters their opinion. There are some who say let’s just toss this to the province because it’s a health issue, that guarantees that we’ll never put fluoride back in because they won’t do anything.”
Reintroducing fluoride into the water supply would cost around $30 million dollars over 20 years.
The city said it saves $750,000 dollars a year by not adding fluoride to the water.
