Calgarians vote yes to fluoride in city water supply
Calgarian have voted to add fluoride back to the city's water supply.
"I’m thrilled," said Juliet Guichon, a University of Calgary medical bioethicist and the campaign manager with Fluoride Yes!
"And I'm sure I speak on behalf of the small but mighty team in saying we're delighted that Calgarians will benefit now from fluoridation again."
Calgary stopped adding fluoride to its drinking water in 2011 as directed by city council.
Plebiscites on the fluoridation of Calgary's drinking water have been held six times: in 1999, 1989, 1971, 1966, 1961 and 1957.
"I think Calgarians had already voted twice for fluoridation in two plebiscites and they were dismayed that city council acted against their wishes and medical advice in removing fluoridation, and they had decades of fluoridation, they knew how valuable it was," said Guichon.
"Then they had a decade of decay, they'd seen their dental bills rise and they suffered, so it wasn't too hard a sell from our perspective, we just had to remind them of what had happened.
"And I think the pandemic has caused people to appreciate public health all the more."
Monday's vote is non-binding, meaning the issue must now go before city council once again and Guichon says she plans to continue their pressure.
"We're asking all our supporters to keep all their signs on their lawns or in their windows until city council has instructed water engineering to go ahead and purchase the necessary equipment," she said.
"And we will continue to remind the new (councillors) that we're here, and we're watching, because we care a lot about what's happened, particularly to children as a result of the loss of fluoridation."
The city says the estimated cost to reintroduce fluoride is approximately $6 million to upgrade the dormant fluoridation system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Golf season a summer tourism driver in Canada
Golf is a sign of spring and summer and a major driver for seasonal tourism, experts say.