Fluoride will soon return to the water supply for residents of Windsor, Tecumseh and LaSalle.
Tecumseh council voted in favour of the move Tuesday night, and after Windsor council approved re-fluoridation – the plan will now move forward.
Since Tecumseh and LaSalle share the city’s water supply, Windsor needed at least one of the two neighbouring municipalities to approve re-fluoridation.
“At the end of the day, I do believe it's the right decision, and I fully support it,” said Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara.
The decision comes after months of debate. In January, Tecumseh council heard from 27 delegations both for and against fluoride in the drinking water.
“At last count, we were about 1,600 pieces of emails and various reports,” said McNamara.
Tania Jobin was the only councilor who voted against.
Windsor’s council unanimously backed putting fluoride into the city’s drinking water in March, by introducing a new bylaw, which was largely a procedural step.
According to a report to council, the price tag for fluoridation is about $850,000 with the majority of that money going to start up costs.
Fluoride was removed from Windsor’s water supply in 2013.
Since then, data showed a decline in oral care, according to Dr. Wajid Ahmed, the Medical Officer of Health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
“This is not only just on data, but we also heard from the dentists in the community and various other health care professionals who have seen this,” said Dr. Ahmed.
It’s not yet known when exactly when Windsor Utilities Commission will add fluoride back into the drinking water, but it may take as long as a year.
