The town of Lake Cowichan may be headed to referendum on the question of fluoridation.

Council has considered stopping the fluoridation of the town’s water a number of times over the years, including the most recent consideration in 2002.

That’s when the town’s elected officials passed a resolution calling for the question to be asked during the 2002 local election. A number of parties, including the Central Vancouver Island Health Region, sent additional information supporting fluoridation, so council dropped the issue.

If the town’s elected officials wish to stop the town’s fluoridation process, chief administrative officer Joseph Fernandez said, it must be brought up as a referendum question for 2011.

Fluoridation of the Town of Lake Cowichan’s drinking water began in 1958, he said.

“The public is much more aware of dental health than they were in 1958,” councillor Jayne Ingram said.

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