Latest news with #UniversityofCalgary
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Calgary reintroduces fluoride to its drinking water
More than a decade after it was removed, fluoride is now being reintroduced into Calgary's drinking water. Mason DePatie reports. More than a decade after it was removed, fluoride is now being reintroduced into Calgary's drinking water. Mason DePatie reports. After more than a decade without it, fluoride is now being reintroduced into Calgary's drinking water. The City of Calgary began adding fluoride at a concentration of 0.7 milligrams per litre – the optimal level recommended by Health Canada to help prevent tooth decay – on Monday. While fluoride does occur naturally in water at lower levels, the mineral was first manually added into Calgary's water in 1991. It was eventually decided by city council to discontinue the practice in 2011. The decision to reintroduce fluoride followed a 2021 plebiscite held during the municipal election, in which 62 per cent of voters supported its return. In response, the city invested $28.1 million in infrastructure upgrades to facilitate the fluoridation process. Ongoing operation and maintenance are expected to cost an additional $1 million annually. With this step, Calgary joins many other municipalities in Canada and around the world in embracing fluoridation. 'It helps to improve the strength of the enamel at the surface of our teeth,' said James Dickinson, a professor of family medicine and community health sciences at the University of Calgary. 'And it makes it more resistant to the acids caused by food in the mouth, and therefore ensures in the long term we have better dental health.' Dickinson pointed to a 2021 University of Calgary study that found Grade 2 students in Calgary had higher rates of cavities than their peers in Edmonton, a city that has continuously fluoridated its water since 1967. He said the reintroduction of fluoride will be most beneficial for people who don't get fluoride in their toothpaste. 'So young children, where it's difficult for parents to make sure they brush their teeth with fluoride, those who can't afford or don't understand the value of fluoride toothpaste, and also those who are ill or elderly who have difficulty brushing their teeth,' Dickinson said. Arash Ravanbakhsh, a Calgary dentist and owner of Inglewood Family Dental, notes that people still need to practice regular dental hygiene – even with fluoride back in the water. 'At the dentist, they can get topical fluoride in addition to having fluoride in the toothpaste, and that actually is where fluoride has its most benefits,' he said. While in favour of its reintroduction, Ravanbakhsh noted that it does make it harder to control the intake of fluoride, as different age groups and activity levels dictate how much water people drink. The impact of this health measure will also extend to neighbouring communities such as Chestermere, Airdrie and Strathmore, which rely on Calgary's water supply. Officials stress that the level of fluoride being added will not affect the taste, smell or appearance of the water.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Opinion: Fluoride finally returns after many stops and starts
As water fluoridation returns to Calgary on June 30, residents should be proud and optimistic. Article content This public health measure is backed by 80 years of research confirming its effectiveness and safety. Over time, we will see a decline in dental decay across Calgary, Chestermere, Airdrie, Strathmore, parts of Foothills County, and Tsuut'ina Nation — all of which receive Calgary-treated water. Article content Article content Article content Calgarians voted for fluoridation in 1989 and again in 1998. Yet, in 2011, Calgary city council removed it after being bombarded with false and misleading claims. The consequences were soon evident. Dentists began seeing cavities earlier in children, often requiring general anesthesia because they could not co-operate with the dentist. Article content Article content In 2016, a study led by Dr. Lindsay McLaren at the University of Calgary found that two years after fluoridation ceased, Grade 2 children in Calgary had significantly more tooth decay than those in fluoridated Edmonton. Article content She repeated the study in 2021. By then, Calgary's Grade 2 children had never lived with fluoridated water. The contrast was starker — Calgary's rates had worsened; Edmonton's remained stable. Article content In 2017, a despairing Calgary dentist implored us to return fluoridation. We formed Calgarians for Kids' Health, a volunteer group. Article content Article content When councillors we met with refused to reinstate fluoridation, we urged city council to send the issue back to voters. They agreed. Our Fluoride Yes campaign in the 2021 municipal election was led by volunteers and funded mostly by local medical and dental professionals and businesspeople. Article content We were outspent. A loophole in Alberta municipal election law allowed foreign funding for plebiscite campaigns. While we turned away all out-of-province donations, the No campaign did not. Article content Based on visible expenditures, it spent about three times more than we could, including paying Canada Post to distribute flyers filled with misinformation to 410,000 Calgary homes. Article content A prominent 'no' donor was the U.S.-based Fluoride Action Network, funded and promoted by Joseph Mercola, an 'alternative medicine' marketer who encourages fluoridation fear and sells water filters. Without this foreign-funded misinformation, the Yes vote might have been even higher.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta panel members say idea to cut aid to some newcomers comes from government
EDMONTON - Two members of Alberta's new $2-million panel fighting federal overreach say they aren't responsible for the messaging and ideas on the panel's website, including a suggestion to end social supports for some newcomers. 'I can't comment on what the province has put up in the website,' Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, said in an interview Wednesday. Legge and University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe are two of 15 people introduced by Premier Danielle Smith this week for the Alberta Next panel. The panel, led by Smith, is set to tour the province this summer to hear concerns from citizens surrounding ways to stop unwarranted meddling in Alberta's affairs from Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. The panel is to recommend a series of questions to be put to a referendum next year. Legge, who stood beside Smith the day before at a press conference announcing the panel, said he agreed with messaging on the panel's website that blames housing costs and unemployment on 'disastrous' immigration rates. In the interview, he said immigration levels, especially for temporary foreign workers and international students, are out of control. 'The numbers have gotten so high that Canada simply cannot keep up from a social service standpoint, housing standpoint, access to doctors and physicians standpoint,' he said. But he declined to comment on the panel polling Albertans on cutting social services like health care and education to immigrants not sanctioned by Alberta. Tombe, in an interivew, also said the panel's website ideas originate with the government. 'I can't speak to the government's marketing decisions,' Tombe said. 'Politicians of all parties, of all governments, are in the business of persuading.' When asked if he agreed cutting service access was a solution, Tombe said he didn't agree with the immigration problems as they were illustrated on the panel's website. He said it's not clear if the government is more concerned about population pressures, international students, or housing shortages but said in each instance reality is more complicated than what is laid out by the government. 'If we can clearly define what the actual concern is, then we can get into a more productive policy conversation about how to address it,' he said. The panel's website says immigration over the past decade has been 'disastrous' and done 'without any sort of proper vetting.' 'Housing prices have skyrocketed. Unemployment keeps increasing as immigration outpaces job growth. And sadly, many of the divisions and disputes that plague other countries have begun making their way into ours,' the website reads. To counteract this, the website says Alberta could issue its own immigration permits and cut off those who don't have them from accessing provincially funded services. Smith has spoken about the panel for months, characterizing it as part of a two-track process, to listen to Albertans' concerns while also negotiating with Carney's government on ways to reduce federal rules and policies Smith says are undermining energy development and Alberta's overall prosperity. Smith's government has also loosened referendum rules, making it easier for citizens to gather signatures for public votes on hot topics including separating from Canada. The immigration proposal and messaging on other ideas for consideration drew criticism from provincial and federal counterparts. In Calgary, Federal Industry Minister Melanie Joly, asked by reporters about the panel, said she was 'not necessarily' keeping up with it, but added, 'I'm personally a very important proponent of national unity.' Alberta Independent Senator Paula Simons posted on social media that Smith's government was embarking on a 'vile hate campaign' when it comes to its proposed immigration measures. 'This bitter xenophobia is as un-Albertan as it's possible to be.' Opposition Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the panel's ideas are 'worrisome' and 'full of extremist language that has no place in our province.' Smith's press secretary, Sam Blackett, responded to emailed questions on the immigration issue by sending quotes from the panel's website. He also said that a potential Alberta-approved immigration permit would be granted to those who move to the province under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, which fast-tracks the permanent residency process for workers in sought after sectors like health care, technology and law enforcement. Blackett said permanent residents also wouldn't be blocked from accessing services. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025. Error! 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Edmonton Journal
5 days ago
- Health
- Edmonton Journal
'Cut the middle man': Alberta floats swapping equalization for more provincial tax-collecting
Article content He also said that there was little basis for the comparison between health transfers and equalization payments. 'Health transfers bring provinces together because they have a shared interest in getting more money from Ottawa. With equalization, there are explicit winners and losers,' said Béland. Equalization is one of six topics the Alberta Next panel will be looking into. Others include the Alberta Pension Plan, a provincial police force and constitutional changes. Smith named University of Calgary economics professor Trevor Tombe, an expert on equalization, to the panel on Wednesday. The premier has said that ideas and discussions from the panel will be used to shape questions put forward to Albertans on next year's referendum ballot. National Post
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Heart monitors for horses, shaded pens for bulls part of rodeo safety at Calgary Stampede
Tents are being set up to provide shade for bulls and broncs and some chuckwagon horses are to be fitted with tiny electrocardiograms at the upcoming Calgary Stampede. After scorching heat at the rodeo last summer, Ed Pajor, a professor of animal behaviour and welfare in the University of Calgary's faculty of veterinary medicine, says the animals could use a break. "We saw things like increased respiration rate in some of the bulls. We saw some bulls drooling. These are signs that the animals might be experiencing some discomfort due to the heat," Pajor said at a news conference Tuesday. The university is working with the Stampede to study some of the animals this year. They'll specifically look at whether bucking bulls and broncos will be happier and healthier if they have a shady place to hang out right before the competition. "It seems like a pretty straightforward question," said Pajor, adding if shade is beneficial, the Stampede would have to decide whether to invest in more tent coverings in the future. Additional research at the rodeo is to focus on the heart health of horses in the chuckwagon races. Dr. Renaud Léguillette, with the university's veterinary school, specializes in equine health and performance, and works closely with chuckwagon horses during the Stampede. His research includes identifying in equine blood a baseline for troponin — a protein released when the heart muscle is damaged — to track underlying cardiovascular or other health issues. "The goal of our research is to prevent cardiac accidents during the chuckwagon racing due to a cardiac problem," said Léguillette. "There are some horses who have more electrical activity issues when they race or have a harder time to recover from the races." At the Stampede, outrider horses and horses pulling the wagons are to be fitted with electrocardiograms before and during the races. Léguillette said the devices and the blood tests can show what horses are at a higher risk of cardiac arrest and that information is passed on to chuckwagon drivers. "I call it like a green light, an orange light and a red light. The red light horses, I will definitely have a discussion with the drivers ... they are very responsive, concerned and will make the right decisions." An official with the Stampede said research in this area could benefit an entire industry. "We know there is an element of risk in all sport. Our goal is to create the safest conditions possible. That's why all of this research takes place ... to remove all of those elements of risk," said Kristina Barnes, the Stampede's director of agriculture and western events. "Can we remove completely that element of risk? No. But anything that we can control we certainly will." The 10-day celebration of western culture, which runs from July 4 to 13, has long been a target of animal rights groups. The Vancouver Humane Society wants the rodeo portion of the Stampede eliminated. "We're seeing deaths at the Calgary Stampede almost every single year. It's really not a matter of if another animal will die at the Stampede ... it's when," said Chantelle Archambault with the group. "Last year, there were four animal deaths. It also marks at least 109 animal deaths at the Stampede since we began tracking fatalities in 1986."
