UPDATE: Safe Water Calgary’s attempt to seek an injunction will be back on the court’s docket August 1, as the anti-fluoridation organization regroups to follow procedural processes.
The City of Calgary reintroduced fluoride into the drinking water system on June 30, nearly 15 years after local officials ceased fluoridation, and almost four years after local residents voted to resume the dental health process.
The process to resume fluoridation hit roadblocks, as project costs tripled due to inflation and the need for infrastructure upgrades outside the initial scope of the project. The initial cost of the fluoride reintroduction project was pegged at $10.1 million, but wound up at $28.1 million, primarily due to the need for a new building at the Bearspaw Water Treatment Plant.
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“To protect public health, The City will be adding fluoride to achieve the 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) as recommended by Health Canada to enhance oral health,” city officials announced in a statement on June 30.
The mineral additive will have ongoing annual costs of about $1 million for operation and maintenance at Calgary’s plants.
But as fluoride returns to Calgary — joining other Alberta municipalities including Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer that already fluoridate their water — controversy still follows the decision. On July 9, a court will hear an injunction argument from Safe Water Calgary, a group trying to put a stop to fluoridation, claiming it has “new science” that shows fluoride’s risk to public health is not worth the dental benefit.
Safe Water Calgary has also stated that there are better alternatives for children to access fluoride, and has recommended stronger focus on dental access and care programs.
On its website, the group links to research such as the January 2025 report from JAMA Pediatrics, which examines correlation between fluoride exposure and children’s IQ. Some U.S. entities, such as the American Dental Association, have questioned the report’s methodologies, as it focuses on countries with high levels of naturally-occurring fluoride — more than double the amount recommended in the U.S.
After hearing concerns about the city’s reintroduction of fluoride affecting residents in surrounding areas, Premier Danielle Smith suggested in recent media appearances that the still controversial subject could be a topic for the Alberta Next panel.
Fluoridation was the first “safe and effective” public health lie narrative of the 20th century, as was smoking and thalidomide. Sadly then, dental practitioners were made useful idiots for promoting something they did not understand in drinking water.
Nothing about Arthur C. Ford’s (NYC first Black Water Commissioner) comments about the practice has changed since 1954 where he stated, “The water supply system of this city is not a gigantic medicine bottle into which one may combine ingredients and shake well before using…” When administering a one dose for all concentration of superphosphate waste byproducts (fluorosilicates, radionuclides, lead, and arsenic) into high quality drinking water, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Since 2015, Dr. Christine Till’s work on the harm of fluoride ingestion to unborn and infant populations and their decreased IQ function, has motivated many municipalities to ceased fluoridating.
A 2024 California ruling that fluoride levels in drinking water were too high to be protective for infants and the unborn has directed the USEPA to reevaluate the contaminant.
Calgary had it wrong in 2006, corrected it, then new politicians got it wrong again. Politicians and dental practitioners are not certified drinking water professionals.
When narratives are scripted to include statements like “Safe and Effective” to assuage discussion or dissent, then you know it’s wrongthink.
Peter Van Caulart,
A CDC trained fluoridation engineer
Environmental Training Institute
Kelvin Grove, PEI