Motion to reconsider fluoride decision coming to city council

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One Regina city councillor is looking to revisit a previous decision to add fluoride to Regina’s water.

If successful, it would reopen a decades-long debate over the potential health impacts of the mineral.

Ward 10 councillor Clark Bezo has put forward a motion to reconsider city council’s 2021 decision to adopt a fluoridation program once a multi-year upgrade to the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant is complete.

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The plant upgrades are currently targeted for completion in spring 2026, putting fluoridation on the calendar for the end of next year.

Bezo’s motion specifies his desire to “postpone” implementing the program until council can be provided “conclusive evidence there are no significant neurotoxic effects or other bodily harms” as a result of fluoridation.

City council approved adding fluoride to Regina’s water treatment process under endorsement from 90 health organizations, including the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Public Health Association, Canadian Paediatric Society and World Health Organization.

Health experts attended council’s 2021 meeting to advocate for the addition of fluoride as a preventative measure to help protect residents, especially children, from the risks of dental decay.

By approving the program, Regina joined a number of other Canadian cities that fluoridate their water, including Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London and Vancouver.

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It also aligns with a standing recommendation from Health Canada, which advises communities to fluoridate their water at 0.7 milligrams per litre for optimal health benefits.

The City of Regina has held four referendums on the subject — in 1954, 1958, 1965 and 1985 — during which the majority of residents voted no. An attempt at a plebiscite in 1997 failed on a procedural hang-up, and a bid to hold another referendum in 2021 was voted down by city council.

Bezo is calling for city council to debate the reconsideration motion. Mayor Chad Bachynski said Wednesday it would happen “at a time determined by the city clerk” — likely after budget meetings scheduled for March 17-21.

— with files from Jennifer Ackerman, Lynn Geisbrecht

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