Fluoridation officially ended in Welland, Pelham and parts of Thorold

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Fluoridation officially ended in Welland, Pelham and parts of Thorold

 

_http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3414.html_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3414.html)

 

Welland Tribune

Friday 22 February 2008

 

Fluoride debate over

 

By MAGGIE RIOPELLE

 

(See original article

_http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=912349_

(http://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=912349) )

 

Fluoride will not be flowing through the pipes as regional council defeated

a motion to have it reinstated at the Welland water treatment facility.

 

Welland Regional Coun. George Marshall had hoped to gain enough support

around the table for his motion for what he said was the " legal and moral

obligation " of the region.

 

The local treatment facility, which serves Welland, Pelham and parts of

Thorold hasn't had fluoride in its system since 1999, but council was not aware

of that fact until 2006. Council was informed by legal counsel in order to

formally cease or reinstate fluoride, a bylaw would need to be passed.

 

" I'm not going to point fingers, I want a remedy, " said Marshall.

" Information came out in crumbs and we didn't have the bulk of information when

we

needed to make a decision (at the last meeting on fluoride). ... We made it

into

the monster it is. "

 

Pelham Regional Coun. Brian Baty said the fact that the fluoride was stopped

and no one noticed, was " an embarrassment " and supported the motion. Pelham

Mayor Dave Augustyn also supported the move.

 

Either way, Welland Regional Coun. Cindy Forster, who seconded Marshall's

motion, said she supported the region re-establishing fluoride but if it wasn't

supported by council she suggested a future referendum. The referendum, she

said, would allow residents of Niagara to voice their opinion.

 

Regional staff told council that the reason an " all in or all out " approach

to fluoride was recommended at the fluoride meeting in January was to avoid

problems when the Welland facility is connected to Niagara Falls and Port

Colborne in the future, which could be anywhere from three to 10 years,

depending on growth.

 

By connecting the systems, fluoride would migrate into into other

communities, said public works commissioner Ken Brothers, which in itself

creates a

slew of issues.

 

Niagara Falls Regional Coun. Bill Smeaton said to go ahead with fluoride in

Welland would eventually " be a nightmare to control " as far as stopping the

fluoride from mixing into the water systems in Niagara Falls, a city that

doesn't support fluoride, he said.

 

To reinstate Welland's facility, would cost $200,000 for capital work and

$60,000 annual operating costs that would've been borne by the region.

 

At past meetings, Marshall said council was provided numbers from $115

million to $17 million then to the $200,000 figure to put fluoride back in

Welland.

 

Port Colborne Mayor Vance Badawey said before he could vote on the matter,

he wanted to hear from Mayor Damian Goulbourne on whether or not city council

was supportive of reinstating fluoride.

 

" My council has not passed a motion asking for this ... I've been given no

direction to support this, " said Goulbourne, adding that he had remained

silent on the topic because he didn't want to disagree with Marshall.

 

Thorold Regional Coun. Robert Gabriel said supporting fluoride for the

Welland facility would be giving the wrong message to the public since only two

weeks ago they voted down regionwide fluoride.

 

" We need to look forward not back, " said Gabriel.

 

The motion was defeated and a bylaw officially ceasing fluoride from the

water system was passed.

 

 

See also:

_Communities which have Rejected Fluoridation Since 1990_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm)

 

_http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm)

 

Compiled by _Maureen Jones_ (maureenj) & _Fluoride

Action Network_ (info)

" n recent years, when towns and cities across the country have held voter

referenda on fluoridation, its use has been rejected about half the time. " -

_Chemical & Engineering News_

(http://pubs.acs.org/cen/government/84/8436gov1.html) , September 4, 2006

“While city councils and water boards tend to fluoridate when they have the

power, the electorate is far more divided. Over the past five years, the

practice was voted down in 38 of 79 referendums, from Modesto, Calif., to

Worcester, Mass.†- _TIME Magazine_

(http://www.ewg.org/news/story.php?id=4517) ,

October 24, 2005

" In about 60% of 2000 referenda held in the U.S. since 1950, fluoridation

has been voted down. " - _Chemical & Engineering News_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/hileman.htm) August 1, 1988

" The big cities in the United States were mostly fluoridated by executive

action in such a way as to avoid public referenda. " - James M. Dunning, Harvard

School of Dental Medicine, 1984. (Quote from: Social Science & Medicine

1984, vol. 19, page 1245.)

" The fact that nearly 3 out of every 5 communities which vote on the issue

have rejected fluoridation, year after year, does in all likelihood represent

a collective judgment on the part of the public that, when all things are

considered, fluoridation is not an acceptable public health measure. " - Edward

Groth III, PhD Dissertation, Stanford University, May 1973

" Avoid a referendum. The statistics are that 3 out of 4 fluoridation

referenda fail. " - Susan Allen, RDH, BS Fluoridation Coordinator, Public Health

Dental Program, State Health Office, Florida. May 7, 1990. _(_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/low-profile.htm) _See photocopy of letter_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/images/letters/susan-allen.gif) )

for list go to _http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm)

AND MORE !!!!!!

Latest News from Ontario

_Dryden to go to polls on fluoridation_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3457.html) _Fluoridation officially ended

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Thorold_ (http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3414.html) _Province looks into

inorganic fluoride_ (http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3416.html) _Pelham's

representaives will vote on fluoride question Thursday_

(http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3368.html) _Group opposes Gatineau's plan

to add fluoride to

water_ (http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/3344.html)

_Read more news from Ontario_ (http://www.fluoridealert.org/news/1518.html)

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