Regina city council stands firm on plan to fluoridate city’s water

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Regina city council shot down an attempt to walk back its plan to fluoridate the city’s drinking water, after a long special meeting that stretched into the evening on Friday.

The city is poised to add fluoride to its water treatment process at Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant as early as next spring, after approval by city council in 2021.

But council spent the entirety of Friday in a special meeting rediscussing the issue due to a motion to reconsider from Coun. Clark Bezo (Ward 10), in the interest of walking back the decision before the program goes online as planned later this year.

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After another eight hours of hearing from concerned delegates, city council voted 7-3 against repealing the decision and cancelling fluoride. Couns. Dan Rashovich (Ward 1), Shobna Radons (Ward 7) and Bezo were in favour of reconsidering. Coun. Shanon Zachidniak (Ward 8) was absent.

Coun. David Froh (Ward 2) blasted the day’s purpose, questioning if it was worth spending “thousands of public dollars” to rehash a decision already made once.

“Debating science at city hall is absolute lunacy,” said Froh. “This motion, and what we’re doing here, erodes public trust in our institutions.”

Familiar arguments made four years later

Much of the opinion expressed Friday echoed that heard in 2021 by past city councillors, during the original debate on this issue.

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Twenty-five people spoke during the meeting, and more than 80 people submitted more than 900 pages of comments and information to councillors to consider. Nearly half of those submissions came from people outside Regina: from places like Calgary, Ontario, Florida, Massachusetts, Washington and New Hampshire.

“The practice of fluoridation is immoral and violates the principles of informed consent,” said delegate Janelle Gerard, midway through the meeting.

Nearly all of the speakers who were anti-fluoride suggested scientific conclusions since 2021 have linked fluoride consumption to reduced IQ levels in children and other health risks.

“It doesn’t matter what medical experts think about fluoride. There is overwhelming evidence on both sides,” said Regina resident Malia Carson, who was opposed.

On the counterpoint, council also heard support for fluoride from the Canadian Fluoridation Society, the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan, including a letter signed by 75 dentists in the province backing fluoride as an effective protection against dental cavities.

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“Fluoridation works quietly in the background,” said Regina paediatrician Susan Petryk. “It’s not about politics, it’s not about ideology. It’s about caring for our citizens, about improving everyone’s health.”

Of the four medically trained doctors who spoke Friday, three said consensus among the scientific community on the studies referenced by delegates and in Bezo’s motion is that there are flaws in that research’s methodology and data.

“It’s cherry-picked,” said Petryk of the data and studies brought up Friday.

Council divided during debate

A large chunk of time was spent on questions about regulation and how fluoride dosage is controlled, spurred by anxieties expressed by delegates, Bezo and Ward 1 Coun. Dan Rashovich.

“If I wanted to kill myself by drinking fluoridated water, what would kill me first, the water or fluoride?” asked Coun. Jason Mancinelli (Ward 9), who was one of 10 councillors who signed the original motion to approve fluoridation in 2021.

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“The water would,” answered James Dickinson, a family doctor and professor of family medicine and community health sciences at the University of Calgary, to council. “You’d have to drink a swimming pool of water to reach a toxicity level for fluoride.”

Kurtis Doney, deputy city manager of city operations, added later that drinking water standards are regulated in Saskatchewan by the provincial Water Security Agency.

Coun. Shobna Radons (Ward 7) said that the decision in 2021 “dismissed” the public’s input by not doing any consultation.

“I’m not disputing science. What I’m disputing is the process of how we got to this day,” she said.

Regina has held four referendums on adding fluoride since 1954, all of which received majority votes against.

A recent poll from Spadina Strategies in Saskatoon surveyed a cross-section of 458 Regina residents by phone on April 20 and 21, and found that 52 per cent of respondents were in favour of and 31 per cent against fluoride in Regina’s water.

The poll’s margins or error is plus or minus 5.20 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

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