Published on 19 Aug 2015
When most think of Winnipeg's tap water, they think of a lot of chlorine, the chemical taste, the fact that it's forcing those at Shoal Lake 40 First Nation onto a boiled water advisory for over a decade. Then there's the fluoride that's been added to Winnipeg's tap water for the last 60 years.
Countless cities across Canada, the United States and countries across the world have taken the fluoride out of their water. So we at WAM decided to go to Kelowna, one of these cities, to find out how they got rid of this toxic by-product of aluminum and sulfate mining also known as hydrofluosilicic acid.
The industrial grade fluoride in question is not the same as the medical grade fluoride in toothpaste which is still not good for people to consume. The science has been in for a long time and both the practice of getting the fluoride and then what it does to the body is controversial.
Dr. Dean Burk PHD who worked at the National Cancer Institute in the US for 34 years said,
"In point of fact, fluoride causes more human cancer death and causes it faster than any other chemical."
Along with Dr.Burk's findings, Harvard has proven the effect of fluoride in children and how it lowers IQ and causes calcification of the pineal gland.
The studies build up. In fact, there are hundreds. Those that say that fluoride helps children's teeth are way out of context and are poorly sourced.
Peter Chatway had great concern with how fluoride was being processed and used in water in Kelowna, British Columbia. So he helped spearhead the fight to get rid of fluoride through referendums, talking to both doctors and dentists. He spoke to engineers, politicians and got the general public on his side. In the end, the losing side of the battle got nearly 20 less votes than what they needed to keep fluoride in the water.
Kelowna has been unfluoridated since 1996 and the people feel good. The cavity rate hasn't gone up like some lobbyists claim. The memory of government forced medication is now two decades in the past for those in Kelowna, and nearby Vancouver has never fluoridated.
The facts that Peter brings up here are very alarming and should get anybody, especially parents on board with the removal of fluoride!
We in Winnipeg, Toronto and elsewhere in Canada and the United States have to do as Peter Chataway did and take initiative. We at WAM put through a cease and desist order in 2013 against fluoride, but it didn't cut it, so it's time to try again with a different method. Let's make 2016 the year that Winnipeg goes fluoride free!

A big thanks to Peter Chataway as well as Lee Harvey Orwell for the connection and the help!