Tecumseh holds off on fluoride decision

by Kyle Reid

During the Tuesday, February 12 regular Tecumseh Council meeting, the decision to potentially reintroduce fluoride into the Town’s water supply was deferred. This decision was made after Town administration asked for legal opinions about neighbouring municipalities before Council made a final decision on the matter.

After Windsor City Council voted in favour of re-introducing fluoride to the water supply last month, the neighbouring municipalities of Tecumseh, LaSalle, and, possibly, Lakeshore are still looking to have their voices heard on the matter. Currently, some 100 residences and businesses in Lakeshore are supplied water by Tecumseh. The question, Tecumseh Mayor McNamara said, is whether Tecumseh Town Council can legally make the decision for other municipalities.

“Does that derail 80,000 households, for that matter, 100,000 households?” McNamara asked. “We don’t know. So here we are, waiting to get those responses back from legal, and once that’s done, we can move forward.”

McNamara, it appears, is leaning towards a vote of approval on the matter. Ultimately, however, the decision will made by the entirety of Tecumseh Council. McNamara called peer reviewed scientific evidence presented to Council “compelling.”

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to look at the science and base your decision on facts and not on fear-mongering and science that’s not peer reviewed,” McNamara said.

McNamara said the Town of Tecumseh is expecting to receive a report from lawyers early next month. In the meantime, The Town of Lakeshore is wondering whether its will have a voice in the debate. Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain said the Town staff are also looking for a legal opinion to determine just how much of a say they can have.

“We’re just waiting to hear back from Windsor’s lawyer whether we do have a say, or [whether] the decision will be made totally by Windsor, LaSalle, Tecumseh,” Bain said.

Bain added that the area in Lakeshore serviced by Tecumseh is small, and he recognizes that the Town of Lakeshore may be limited in how much say it ultimately may have.

“It may be a done deal if we’re told, ‘sorry you’re a very, very small component of it,’ which we realize we are,” Bain said. “That’s where the lawyers come in, in checking the contracts.”