Sarnia city council will take a hard look at whether fluoride should remain in local drinking water in late January.
Council agreed Tuesday to set up an open house-style meeting to discuss the tooth decay-fighting chemical additive.
No firm date has been set, but the session will give the public a chance to comment on the controversial issue.
Coun. Terry Burrell, who sits on the Lambton Area Water Supply System (LAWSS) board, asked council for direction.
“I don’t have a problem voting on the issue but I’d rather have council’s opinion,” Burrell said. “LAWSS won’t wait forever to make a decision.”
Mayor Mike Bradley said he is concerned about the way the board proposes to make the flouride decision. Over the years Sarnia, which is the majority user of the water treatment plant, has been cast into a declining role as a decision-maker as other municipalities came onto the system, he said.
If smaller municipalities are making this major decision without respecting the city’s status as a majority user, Sarnia should respond, he said.
“If they want to continue to push then think we need to go back and look at the whole agreement,” he said.
Print 
PDF