Skip to content

Resident warns council about dangers of water fluoridation

The City of Cold Lake has a lot to consider after a presentation made by a concerned resident on water fluoridation. Melissa Williams explained to council during their regular meeting on Aug.
Melissa Williams explained the dangers of adding fluoride to municipal water supplies during council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
Melissa Williams explained the dangers of adding fluoride to municipal water supplies during council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

The City of Cold Lake has a lot to consider after a presentation made by a concerned resident on water fluoridation.

Melissa Williams explained to council during their regular meeting on Aug. 8, how her research has led to what she believes is a better understanding of the impacts of fluoride in municipal water.

According to Williams, the chemical has been linked to delays in brain development, Alzheimer's, and ADD, among other things.

"There are studies that have proven it's a neurotoxin and all of the damages (it causes), but no one is actually looking into the long-term affects," she explained. "It's a toxic waste product that is harmful for our health and our children. I would love to see the discontinued use."

Cold Lake water, on average, contains approximately 0.1-milligrams of naturally occurring fluoride per litre. The city adds about 0.6 to 1-milligram of fluoride per litre following the treatment process.

"Health Canada has recommended a maximum dose of 1.5-milligrams per litre is safe in Canada. Anything over and above needs to be addressed," explained Azam Khan, general manager of infrastructure services for the city.

See more in an upcoming edition of the Regional.

The City of Cold Lake approved a temporary playground valued at $30,000 for the families at Creekside Estates.

"They (the developer) are not prepared to fund an actually park in itself. There is an expectation that the City of Cold Lake will contribute some kind of capital that we could attempt to relocate to a future location at a future date once a permanent location has been found," explained CAO Kevin Nagoya.

The developer has agreed to grade the site, supply topsoil, pea gravel, and wood edging to complete the landscaping of the park.

See more in an upcoming edition of the Regional.

Council agreed to increase their budget for the installation of pickleball courts by $90,000, for a total cost of $290,000 to complete the project.

The decision follows discussions with pickleball users, who have claimed they would prefer eight courts with a middle walkway, all separated by fencing.

The original $200,000 in funding is being allocated from the money leftover from the Energy Centre Access Roads Project in the 2016 capital budget.

Local mountain runner Matt Setlack will be getting the support from city council he requested in July.

After a presentation to council outlining how his participation on a worldwide mountain race in Italy would put Cold Lake on the map, Setlack is being granted $1,000 in funding from the city.

The city has agreed to allocate a lump sum to two local organizations through the Community Capital Grant Policy.

Receiving $25,000 is the Grande Parlour Society. The funding is to be used for equipment only.

The Cold Lake Seniors' Society will also be receiving funding, to a tune of $22,500.

The City of Cold Lake will not be bidding for the Alberta Summer Games 2020.

Council agreed that they would not team-up with another community to host the games either, and decided it was better to wait until the 2022 or 2024 games instead.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks