...but nary a drop to drink.Yesterday, Alderman Linda Fox-Mellway sent a request for feedback to the Queensland Community Association regarding two issues. I thought I would use this opportunity to reach the school community as well, these issues will ultimately affect our children more than us anyway. The following is a summary, her comments are in quotes, mine are not.
First issue:
There is a motion coming forward this Thursday to the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee by Alderman Joe Ceci to ban bottled water from all City of Calgary facilities. This would likely not only affect "City hall and all Municipal buildings but it appears to cover all buildings that are on City land which includes Community Centers and Regional Recreational Facilities".
This issue has been brought forward due to the impact that bottling water (and then not properly disposing of the empty bottles) has on the environment. While these are valid concerns, banning bottled water seems to contradict the current promotion of "making healthy choices". Thus, we would be left using the drinking fountain - yuck - or choosing another beverage from the vending machine which also comes in containers that may not make it to the recycle bin. The best solution would be to always remember to bring water from home in a reusable container, but we all know that doesn't always work out.
Ald. Fox-Mellway concedes that there are more 'pressing' issues on the table at the moment, but she would appreciate our feedback on this issue.
Second Issue:
"While you're at it, could you please give me your thoughts on Fluoridation in Calgary Water since there is a Notice of Motion coming forward by 5 Aldermen (they only need 8 votes) at the April 6th Council meeting to remove it completely from Calgary water. Just so you know my thoughts on this one, I have not seen any conclusive evidence that any studies have advised us to do this and that it is still considered safe and beneficial by many health care professionals and I have heard from many, many of them telling me not to support this."
This issue keeps re-surfacing, but this time Council initiated the discussion, not based purely on health concerns, but on the monetary cost of continuing to supplement our drinking water with fluoride and the capital costs of updating the facilities. If discontinued, the proposal is that funding will be provided to low incom
e households for access to fluoride treatments necessary for dental health.I personally do not know enough about the science of fluoride to know if there are any risks from drinking tap water or if removing it will have dental health repercussions down the road. Obviously, the fluoride in our toothpastes and what we receive from our dentists is in much higher concentrations than in the water supply, but we also don't swallow it.
Please feel free to post your comments and I will compile and forward them to Ald. Fox-Mellway's office. If you would like to send your comments directly to her, you can reach her at linda.fox-mellway@calgary.ca.
