Fluoride, Youth At Risk, Tour of Alberta & Signs

September 7th, 2013 in 2013 Campaign, A fair city

Some questions that come in on social media really can’t be answered properly via those channels, so (based on part on the popularity of this previous post in the same vein) I’m going to do this regularly.

I know it’s a cheeky question, but on fluoride, I have to go with science. I’ve asked many dentists operating in Edmonton about fluoridation and every single one of them said that it is beneficial. If that’s not good enough, I defer to the expert advice of the provincial Medical Officer of Health and Health Canada that low-levels of fluoridation are safe and of net benefit. Meanwhile, dentists in Calgary have reported increased cavities in children since fluoridation was discontinued there. So, absent a plebiscite result directing Council to end fluoridation, I do not see the City’s position on this matter changing. It’s true that too much of a good thing is a bad thing, which is why the recommended level is set quite low. Most of the studies I’ve been presented by anti-fluoridation advocates describe consequences of high exposure to fluoride. So, until the public health scientists are persuaded otherwise, I’ll keep on drinking the tap water and be thankful for its contribution to my family’s oral health.

When we can get at-risk youth off the street and connected with support, we can improve lives and reduce short term social disorder; this, in turn, reduces longer term trends in chronic addiction and homelessness. I believe in this model. As such, I’ve been strong supporter (both politically and personally) of Youth Empowerment Support Services [donate here] and iHuman [support their All-In campaign here], and I have supported investment in community safety initiatives focused on youth through organizations like REACH Edmonton. I’ve also diverted over $12,000 from my City compensation over the last three years to Donate-a-Ride, which affords mobility to marginalized Edmontonians, including youth using ETS to access services and education. I have also stressed the need to invest Family and Child Support Services resources in programs that empower at-risk young people for maximum social return on investment. But let’s put a human face to it: I’ve met with many of the young people who are benefitting from these programs and the impact is enormous: Jamie here is but one inspiring success story from iHuman. Working together with these agencies and others, we can create many more success stories like Jamie’s.

First and foremost, I have to hand it to the Tour of Alberta organizers for running a top-notch event. The Edmonton ‘prologue’ kick-off was a great sporting spectacle, and thousands of Edmontonians flocked downtown to watch. The CASA family ride the day prior was a wonderful way for more than 500 Edmontonians of all ages and abilities to test out some of the course. I think they’ve got a recipe for continued success here. Cities are keen to attract events like these for good reason: they showcase our city, often provide significant economic impact by filling up hotel rooms and restaurant tables, and they instil pride. Anyone who was around for the 2010 Grey Cup celebrations in Edmonton will tell you that even people who aren’t fans of the sport or celebration in question can still find ways to have a great time. That said, cities need to be careful that they don’t lose their shirt (as we did with Indy) when trying to attract these events, ensuring that the net-benefit argument remains rational.

I have to agree. Campaigns are difficult enough without people destroying and stealing signs or other material. It’s a waste of resources, of volunteer time and it can shift your focus away from where it should be: talking to Edmontonians about what’s important to them. In this election and the two previous, we have always prided ourselves on running positive campaigns free of tricks and hijinx – and just to be on the safe side, we’ve always been clear with our volunteers that other campaigns are to be treated as we would like to be treated. Simple as that.

28 thoughts on “Fluoride, Youth At Risk, Tour of Alberta & Signs”

  1. Best line of the post:

    “I know it’s a cheeky question, but on fluoride, I have to go with science.”

    As a science teacher and generally inquisitive person, I appreciate informed decisions. Don’s right in that the fluoride debate is cheeky but this post alone references important policies that can (and must be) informed by date.

    I’ll take a well informed mayor who changes his/her mind as new information presents itself, over any ideologue who cries flip-flopper.

  2. Don I believe you’re wrong, you really need to pull away from the old paradigm, we need a mayor who cares about all Edmontonians. I have dental insurance but nothing insures that my kids won’t get cancer from dumping industrial waste into our waters, if you feel it helps you and your kids with cavities of all things then by all means take water and dump as much as you want of this poison into it, but at least let me make my own decision on what’s best for my kids, you and this city council have no right to medicate us, I will not vote for anyone that believes mass medication is beneficial. You obviously don’t want a debate on this issue it may hurt your chances of being elected, this issue will be of big importance as the science of fluoride and how bad it is comes to the forefront, you might feel that your on the wrong side of the old idea that somehow ingesting fluoride is good for humans especially hydrofluorosilisic acid.

  3. Don, I agree with George. In a time where so many different chemicals are being added to our foods and water, we as concerned citizens need to stand up for our rights and demand them where we have the slightest chance of being heard (the municipal level is our best shot). The fluoridation of our municipal water is a much bigger issue than simply “is it beneficial or harmful?” The issue is the fact that we, the citizens, are being mass medicated without our informed consent. This is a huge ethical issue. It trumps our rights. This is supposed to be a democracy. Let the people choose!

  4. Regarding the fluoride non-issue, Don Iveson is correct to defer to the experts and the actual scientific data of the matter. There are many jurisdictions, I believe Wetaskiwin is one, where the natural levels of fluoride in the water are about the same as what is added here in Edmonton. We want a mayor who makes reasoned decisions based on the available data, not one who creates policy according to gut feelings or the psuedo-science of special interest groups.

  5. It would be nice if Mr. Iveson would support allowing Edmonton & Metro area’s residents to make their own choice regarding additives in OUR water supply. Please spend time thinking about your stance on this position.

    Kind Regards,

  6. Just look up any academic research and you will find that fluoride is dangerous! Please look at the research and don’t just reply on the what people say… Of course fluoride is good for your teeth… but that doesn’t mean its not harmful in other ways! If you really want fluoride, go to the dentist and get it… It should be a choice. We should follow Calgary’s footsteps and remove the poison from our water supply.

  8. Water is a need you need it to make food and drink and to bathe. There is no safe ingestion to the amount of fluoride or clhuoride in our drinking water. It calsifies the pineal gland and dumbs down a population. Fluoride does not work on our teeth and if I wanted to take medicines I would take them as needed why am I forced to pay twice for it. I have to buy filters to filter that crap out of my water its not fair. Poor diet and teeth brushing skills lead to rotten teeth not lack of fluoride. Calgary deflurinates their water. They are steps ahead of us.

  9. Hi there,
    I would love to see the end of fluoridation as one of your top priorities in our city. We chose you out of all those candidates, please don’t let us down! Stop adding this poison to our water supply! Let us choose whether we wish to be medicated. The facts and UNBIASED studies are all over the place if you wish to educate yourself. I shouldn’t have had to spend over $300 on a filtering system just to live here without poisoned water. As a personal experience, I grew up in an unfluoridated part of our country, I never had any teeth issues. Perhaps with the money you’ll save from no longer paying the phosphoric acid and aluminum industries for their toxic waste, (aka fluoride), you could introduce a new program on teaching people how to properly care for their teeth.

    Thank you for your attention in this matter.
    ~Brittany

  10. Alberta Health just stated that it would not force healthcare workers to receive flu vaccinations citing that it is unethical to medicate someone without their consent. So how then is it ethical to fluoridate water? There is a plethora of biased science on both sides of the debate. But what can’t be ignored is the ethical side to this debate regardless of the benefits or lack thereof. Fluoride can be administered in a variety of other ways should you choose to do so. Imagine the uproar if all vaccinations were mandatory for everyone. Or how about banning smoking? Drinking? Does the government have the right to tell its citizens what they can and cannot put into their bodies? And if so, where do you draw the line and why?

  11. First of all i would like to say that I find it irrational with all these older folks who make all the decisions in the beginning to allow fluoride in our waters. As a young adult finding out that most of my food i eat has been genetically modified without long term testing not knowing if there is long term damage. Our waters have been chemical seduced. If you look at your tooth paste in the back, If a small size is swalled, you are to contact a doctor but many don’t know that small amount of fluoride is in 1 glass of water. Floride is harmful to the pineal gland, and many other arteries aswell as it disables the function of thought. Many people wonder why today we have more dropouts rather than smart individuals. It’s not them doing something wrong. IT’s you! From the moment they are born they are put in false mental labels to quickly place them on medication that the same medication is genetically modified and is ment to do what your body does but not as efficient, So by introducing these chemicals via pill your body will soon no longer produce the chemicals and you will be reliant on these medications. As well as the media they are being fed in music, schools. I choose not to be an experiment by force! All I demand is awaking everyone the harms of GMO and Floride. We don’t need a Mayor or government that tries to continue forward while walking on a wabbly bridge! We need one that can FIX the problems are already have and from there EVERYTHING will change. Any questions, comments and concerns just email wizdom@hush.com

  12. $750,000 we could be using for other more important matters…that’s the fluoride cost. If you should want to apply or ingest fluoride it’s easy to do…drops, toothpaste, mouthwash. It’s cheap and you can administer a measured dose.
    If you put it in the water…100% of the water gets hydrofluorosilic acid it in, and at least 98% of that water gets flushed into the environment, or down the drains. How can this be sensible? My carrots sure do not need it, nor my lawn, nor my cat, nor my friend’s horse, not the frogs nor the coyotes…
    Chemicals are also absorbed through the skin. The maximum”dosage” does not take this into account. That long hot shower, hot tub, or bath expose you to high levels of fluoride and chlorine. Well the chlorine is mandated for safety, but the hydrofluorosilic acid is just….added.
    Fluoride was introduced in the 50’s when doctors thought it was healthy to smoke cigarettes, builders put asbestos into drywall and mud for the tape because it was a dandy hardener, and ddt was sprayed with abandon all over the prairies. We have since discovered that all these things led to health issues, and they have been banned or regulated.
    Fluoride is another chemical that was seen as a universal panacea. It is not. Please read the information and make a decision based on the truth and not on the status quo.
    I understand that you are interested in protecting the environment. This is a chemical that we can remove at the turn of a switch. Think about it. If you spilled a year’s worth of barrels of hydrofluorosilic acid into the river…you would have a massive toxic spill and an expensive clean up, because, before it is diluted, it is HAZARDOUS WASTE. It might be diluted, but it is still there…can’t be a good thing.

  13. I agree totally with the above posts. There is so much information out there on the subject of fluoridation of our water. When the plebiscite was done in 1966 people were told that Fluoride would be put into the water and at that time people did not know the effects. They believed what the dentist said that it would prevent cavities. They didn’t know that a toxic waste was going to be added to their water. Hydrofluorosilicic acid is a toxic waste. It is unethical. Unnecessary. Ineffective when delivered by means of water if at all for your teeth. We are illegally being medicated against our will and we want it to stop….. When in Doubt Take it Out !!! We ask that the City of Edmonton remove this toxic waste Hydrofluorosilicic acid AKA Fluoride on a moratorium yesterday. Tell the truth about what it is, how bad it is for you and NO sane person will want it !!! I am sure once you do your research you will also agree you don’t want to harm your family with this deadly stuff !!! For your safety and ours Just Take It Out !!!

  14. Don Iveson.. get that crap out of our water supply!!! There are 800 PhD review studies showing that hydrofluosilicic acid causes harm….from kidney to thyroid to brain!!! our Alberta Health CANNOT be relied upon.. They use some science data but pick and choose… They choose to stand by ‘status quo’ from 1966…. go find out why!!!! Que bono!!!! The City of Edmonton need look at those 800 reports!!! and YOU REPRESENT the PEOPLE OF EDMONTON. We don’t want this in our water.. Look at the 800 reports. If any doubt (and there appears to be LOTS of scientific data to support there is harm to all your organs) get it out of Edmonton!!!!!!!!

  15. Please come out and listen to Dr. Jim Beck MD PhD speak in Edmonton about artificial fluoride (hydrofluosilicic acid).

    Is it Safe? Is it Effective? Is it Ethical? Learn the truth about Tap Water and Fluoridation in Edmonton.

    SPEAKING EVENT: Thursday, November 21, 2013 7pm

    why I changed my mind about it!
    ARTIFICIAL FLUORIDATION
    “Medication” or “Poison” ?

    University of Alberta
    Edmonton Clinic Health Academy
    Room 2-190
    11405-87 Avenue
    Edmonton, AB

  16. I’ll make this short and sweet. Stop paying the phosphoric acid and aluminum industries for their waste and dumping it into our water supply. The claims that it’s good for our teeth are false. Please give us are right to choose back, this is force medication.

  17. What is wrong with you mr. iveson? Why ask a dentist about my bone health?? I have plans to SUE if you don’t get rid of this POISON IN MY EDMONTON WATER by JANUARY 2014.

  18. Water fluoridation is not safe, ethical or effective. We had it removed from our Calgary water on these grounds. As a recent Nobel Laureate in Medicine said, water fluoridation is the biggest scam ever propagated against society.
    Read the best 2 books ever written on the subject, THE FLUORIDE DECEPTION by
    Christopher Bryson and THE CASE AGAINST FLUORIDE by Drs. Beck, Connett and Michlem to bring anyone up to speed on this antiquated practice.

  19. Mr. Iveson!

    1. how many dentists have chemical biomedical training?
    2. how many of those with chemical biomedical training did you speak to, and what is their names?
    3. when will you look at ALL the evidence… including the evidence of the opponents of fluoridation?
    4. when will you meet Dr. James Beck, who offered to meet you and discuss this opponents position?
    5. Where does the Medical Officer of Health state that a low level of POISON is SAFE? (they only ignore the question??)
    6. Where does the Health Canada state that a low level of POISON is SAFE? (they only ignore the question??)
    7. Do you understand that chemical fluoride is not natural?
    8.. Do you understand that chemical fluoride comes from Wyoming and sent to Edmonton via toxic waste legislation?
    9. Do you understand that chemical fluoride ACCUMULATES in the human body?
    10.. Why do you think a ‘little bit of poison’ is SAFE? Have you thought about this logically? Or just believe what you are told?

    City of Edmonton, wake up!

    Petition here Edmonton.. http://www.WeDeserveSafeWater.com/petition

    Write to City Council and tell them to STOP. http://www.WeDeserveSafeWater.com/contact-edmonton

    Look at the evidence, mayor. Listen to your people. It is our heath. We deserve the right to say NO.

  20. RE: “I know it’s a cheeky question, but on fluoride, I have to go with science.”

    If you Mr. Iveson really wanted to go with the science… you would VOTE NO FLUORIDE IN EDMONTON.

    Get Dr. James Beck’s book “The Case against fluoride” it is 2/3 science paper references!!!

    He is a medical biophysicist. guaranteed your dentist friends are not chemists..not physistics… and not doctors.

    Read the science mr. iveson

  23. The ONLY country in EUROPE that does not water fluoridate, is Ireland. They easily raised double the amount needed for their recently filed class action suit against ireland high court.

    The situation has become a media circus around the world. Will Edmonton be next?

    All other European countries have banned manditory water fluoridation in the 1970’s due to the long term health dangers on humans.

    Will Edmonton see the light?

  24. “I know it’s a cheeky question, but on fluoride, I have to go with science.”

    The bottom-line Don quit poisoning our citizens, this is 1960’s social engineering at it’s finest.

  25. I’m agreeing with the consensus that Flouride is harmful. If the Science he is referring too is a few Studies that had a clear agenda, Science is a process and with that you need progressive discussions and study.

    There are 7 Glands in the body and Fluoride as others mentioned Calcify and prevent Secretions from the Pineal Gland in your Brain. Also if the Science is proven too you than Explain too me what Science says about Swallowing your Toothpaste?

    It’s not fair too Dose the population, and once it’s in the water it’s a waste of Effort for the Population too than clean their own water. So Tax dollars and human efforts can be focused else wheres. Once it’s in the water what regulates the dosage between citizens? What is the acceptable amount for toothless new born children being Exposed since birth?
    If Fluoridated water passing over your teeth is good for them, than we wouldn’t use paste. Fluoride is heavy and will accumulate in the body,

    Go Google Scholar, Type in “Fluoride” Read a few. And than Go and update this Page with your Findings or Just support your stance even more.

    “In endemic fluorosis areas, drinking water fluoride levels greater than 1.0 mg/L may adversely affect the development of children’s intelligence.”

    The Statistics in one Study measuring IQ found a significant difference in Fluoridated populations.

    I saw in Metro News other day over 80% of a survey support Fluoridation and that the Scientific Evidence leans towards Fluoridation being less harmful.
    If only the Status Quo wasn’t for the Ignorant and failure to change for the better. It doesn’t take much study to learn Fluoride is no good for us.
    Not to mention anyone who knows they have much too learn will be able to find work from enough from a few Scholars too form a Well formed opinion on this Glaring Issue.

    Peace for the Unborn Children of Tomorrow.

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