By Anne Finlay-Stewart

"Are you in favour of the discontinuation of fluoride in the municipal drinking water?" - ballot question, Owen Sound, October 27, 2014.

Citizens who are advocating for an end to the practice of fluoridating Owen Sound's public water supply have run afoul of the Ontario Municipal Elections Act. According to the Act, "any individual, corporation or union that proposes to incur expenses with respect to a [municipal ballot] question" must register with the city clerk, completing a single page form available on the city's website before nomination day, in this case September 12. The clerk would then have assigned them a spending limit. As the group did not "knowingly" contravene the act, they will not likely face penalties under the Act which can be up to $25,000 in fines and even jail time.

When Dr. David Ward, retired family doctor, first wrote of his concerns about fluoridation in a letter to the editor, the response was swift and polarized. He soon found himself at the centre of a group that not only wanted the question on the October 27th ballot, but wanted fluoride out of their city water. The somewhat ambiguous question wording of the question from the Ontario Fluoridation Act and the assertive pro-fluoride campaign by the local Medical Officer of Health further galvanized the group. They began printing flyers, posters and buttons at their own expense explaining that a "yes" vote means "no fluoride", and have spent months handing them to willing businesses and residents. Recently they began delivering information cards door-to-door, again paid for out of their own pockets. In early October, when Ward went to city hall to ask about the rules around newspaper advertising, he was informed that citizens who have not registered in respect to a ballot question cannot incur expenses. They are now entirely limited to volunteer activities such as door-to-door canvassing with no printed materials.

The Public Health Unit is under no such restrictions, as they are not required to register under the Municipal Elections Act. While the specific budget committed to promoting a"no" vote – that is, for continued fluoridation – is quite small, human resources within the Unit have been re-allocated to the cause. The Public and Media Relations Co-ordinator has been giving willing candidates bundles of pro-fluoride brochures, handing them out at all-candidates' meetings, and keeping the "no" case in the media.

The Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hazel Lynn, is calling for the addition of fluoride to all public drinking water systems across the province.

Anne Finlay-Stewart is Community Editor of Owensoundhub.org. She can be reached at [email protected].