A settlement has been reached following a hearing on Monday concerning Dr. Robert Dickson, a retired family physician and vocal critic of water fluoridation in Calgary.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) addressed a complaint related to Dickson’s public advocacy against fluoridating drinking water, a subject that has sparked fierce debate in the city.

Dickson, who is also the founder of Safe Water Calgary, faced four charges stemming from a 2019 complaint. Among several allegations, the complainants argued that Dickson did not have the educational background nor professional expertise to act as an authority in public health medicine.

In a joint submission, the CPSA accepted that three of the charges would be dropped, with Dickson admitting to impugning the credibility of medical officials who supported the practice.

Dickson’s lawyer, Brynne Harding, clarified that his admission was not an acknowledgment of spreading misinformation about fluoridation. She emphasized that the charges were about how Dickson expressed his views, and that Dickson’s views did not amount to misinformation.

Dickson’s legal counsel claimed the 2019 complaint was brought against Dickson by “political opponents for political purposes” to stop Dickson from participating in city council debates about water fluoridation in 2019.

Dr. Juliet Guichon, a medical bioethicist and president of Calgarians for Kids’ Health, was critical of the outcome of the hearing.

Guichon argued that Dickson’s actions have been harmful to public health, citing increased dental decay in Calgary since fluoride was removed from the water supply in 2011.

Guichon, a vocal advocate for fluoridation, called the decision a “slap on the wrist” and criticized Dickson for spreading what she described as misinformation about fluoridation, which she argued had contributed to the rising dental issues.

“This decision is a terrible disappointment,” Guichon said. “It demonstrates callous indifference to the suffering of children, seniors and other vulnerable people who are suffering today because of this man’s actions.”

“The defendant systematically misinformed elected officials about a matter that was not within his professional expertise to comment upon,” she added.

While the hearing was not meant to address the merits of the fluoridation debate, Dickson’s lawyer argued that regulated professionals have the right to express their opinions, even if they contradict government recommendations, so long as they do not spread misinformation.

Original article online at: https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/settlement-reached-cpsa-complaint-fluoridation-critic