Aldermen decided not to go to a public plebiscite or request an expert panel review before voting 10–3 in favour of removing fluoride from the city’s water supply.
The vote means the compound, which has been added to drinking water since 1991 at a current cost of around $750,000 annually, will now only be found in natural levels of 0.1 to 0.4 mg/L from the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Calgary previously maintained a level of 0.7 mg/L in all drinking water.
The city will now allow apply to Alberta Environment to change the city’s license for its water treatment before the chemical disappears completely.
Other major Canadian municipalities have also removed the additive, such as Waterloo in 2010 and Quebec City in 2009.