By George Lee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Macleod Gazette
Provincial government influence could play a role in the future of municipal water fluoridation, Alberta Primary and Preventative Health Minister Adriana LaGrange told the legislature last Wednesday.
"We would like input into that decision-making, but it is a municipal decision at this point in time," LaGrange said in response to opposition questioning.
David Shepherd, the Opposition deputy house leader, asked her, "Should we be expecting legislation soon to protect Albertans' rights to rot their teeth?"
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
The quip was part of a series of questions from Shepherd to three ministers about the role of fringe actors in setting the UCP agenda.
Shepherd, the member for Edmonton-City Centre, suggested that any move by the UCP against fluoridation wouldn't be surprising. Alberta laws addressing supposed chem trails and unproven electromagnetics allergies also lie within the realm of possibility for a government tethered to fringe beliefs, he implied.
Fluoride is added to drinking water in much of North America to reduce cavities and related hospitalization, although percentages of people getting fluoridated water from their taps vary dramatically from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
A measure that the public health community widely considers safe and effective, fluoridation at the level recommended for municipal systems has been shown to strengthen enamel and help prevent decay. Fluoride also occurs naturally and is found in many foods and other products.
At concentrations much higher than those from a typical fluoridation plant, it weakens bones and damages teeth if ingested repeatedly. Toxic reactions to extreme, single ingestions of fluoride can also occur.
Studies comparing the teeth of children in Calgary and Edmonton strongly point to the effectiveness of fluoride in water supplies in reducing tooth decay. Calgary reintroduced fluoride this year for the city and regional customers, acting on an October 2021 city plebiscite that found 62 per cent of those who voted were in favour of the move.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Calgary went about 14 years without fluoridation, making studies comparing dental health outcomes there with those of fluoridated Edmonton a near-perfect opportunity for scientists. Findings from the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine and others strongly suggested that fluoridation does what the experts say it does.
Differences among seven-year-olds in the two cities, especially for their primary or baby teeth, were "consistent and robust," showing better dental health in Edmonton, the U of C study's abstract says. The findings persisted after confounding factors were adjusted for.
The UCP, according to Shepherd, is under the influence of conspiracy-mongering Albertans who deny science, established medicine and data.
"There is good reason to suspect that there's a direct pipeline from the far fringes of the UCP's MLAs and members to this government's cabinet table."
Continued Shepherd, the NDP's critic for public safety and emergency services: "After all, it only took the lobbying of a handful of antivax conspiracists to convince the health minister to make COVID and flu vaccines much harder to get, despite the fact it will almost certainly cost lives."
Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz didn't answer a question from Shepherd about whether Albertans can expect chem trail legislation in the spring. Programs for hail suppression have been in place for years, she noted.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Hail suppression involves small planes seeding storm clouds with particles that prompt a reduction in the size of hailstones, the idea being that the smaller stones will do less damage or melt before hitting the ground.
Chem trail conspiracies, widely debunked, revolve around jets supposedly dispersing chemicals to modify the weather, control the population through sterilization, spread illnesses or control minds. Who believes what depends on who's making the claim but not on evidence.
Shepherd also made a dig at the Alberta Next panel, prompting Schulz to say that touring Alberta with the panel was "a great experience."
Changes in how municipalities are allowed to run their elections were criticized by Shepherd, who said the province reacted to influencers "drunk on Fox News fallacies" about voting machines and other election procedures.
But Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams defended changes in the way municipal elections are run, saying experts told the UCP that the hand-counting of ballots is "the gold standard for us to have confidence in our elections going forward."
Williams, the member for Peace River, continued: "It's exactly what the federal government has done for its entire history. It's what Alberta does. It's what over 300 municipalities do every single cycle of election."
As for conspiracy theories, they're "thick on the other side of the aisle," Williams said. "The truth is the best evidence."
ONTARIO NOW NEWSLETTER Get our free new weekly newsletter
Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request.
There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again.
Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up This newsletter is only available for subscribers. If you are already a subscriber, please login now. If you want to become subscriber, please click here Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from thespec.com.
You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply.
ONTARIO NOW NEWSLETTER You're signed up! You'll start getting Ontario Now in your inbox soon.
Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.