Maja Vodanovic

West Island Mayors fight Montreal’s fluoridation ban

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The battle over water fluoridation in Montreal’s West Island has reached a critical point, with Montreal standing firm on its January 30 decision to end the practice despite opposition from West Island mayors and health officials.

“This isn’t just about fluoride – it’s about proper governance and public health,” Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle told The Suburban. “The administration is making decisions that affect our residents’ health without proper consultation or scientific basis.”

The controversy intensified after Montreal’s agglomeration council voted to cease fluoridation at the Pointe-Claire and Dorval water treatment plants, affecting over 143,000 West Island residents across six municipalities. “We will not reopen the debate on water fluoridation,” Lachine Mayor and Projet Montréal member Maja Vodanovic stated, reflecting the administration’s unwavering stance.

In response, the Association of Suburban Municipalities (ASM) has formally denounced the decision-making process, highlighting what it sees as a troubling pattern of the agglomeration making unilateral decisions affecting West Island residents without consultation.

West Island Mayors unanimously argue that a public vote should have taken place with those directly affected by the water fluoridation decision, emphasizing the democratic principle of community involvement regarding critical public health decisions.

The decision ignores substantial expert recommendations, including comprehensive research from Dr. Michael Levy, a former lead expert on water fluoridation from the Quebec Public Health Institute. In a detailed letter to West Island mayors, Dr. Levy emphasized the public health benefits of water fluoridation, presenting extensive research that found no link between fluoridation and bone cancer, as alleged by theories from Denmark cited by elected officials and included in the documents prepared by the City of Montreal leading up to its decision. His studies particularly highlighted how a previous cessation of fluoridation in Dorval led to worsened dental health outcomes.

The Regional Public Health Department (DRSP), led by Dr. Mylène Drouin, has acknowledged concerns introduced by Montreal’s “research” but maintains strong support for water fluoridation as a crucial public health intervention. Despite this expert backing, West Island Mayors believe that Montreal has prioritized technical and economic considerations over public health evidence.

Quebec public health officials have voiced their support for maintaining water fluoridation, putting them at odds with the city’s decision. Health Canada strongly recommends water fluoridation as a safe and effective public health measure. These recommendations are further bolstered by decades of North American research demonstrating fluoridation’s critical role in preventing tooth decay and improving public dental health.

Montreal also cited socio-economic equality as one of the reasons in its recent four-year review, suggesting that removing fluoride from wealthier communities would equalize services across the Greater Montreal Area. “It feels like punishing higher-income communities rather than uplifting those in need,” Baie-D’Urfé Mayor Heidi Ektvedt told The Suburban, noting that Montreal could easily apply for Quebec grants to extend fluoridation to all communities.

In a detailed open letter to Quebec’s health authorities, Ektvedt raised concerns about the lack of transparency and democratic consultation in the decision-making process. “The City of Montreal decided to take over the water plants. It is then their responsibility to consult with our population before making decisions that concern them,” she explained. “And, politicians should not pronounce themselves as health experts.”

For over 74 years, residents of these West Island communities have benefitted from fluoridated water. The water plants in Pointe-Claire and Dorval are currently the only ones in the GMA fluoridating their water, serving about 5% of Montreal’s water supply.

The city estimates $19 million in necessary plant upgrades and $330,000 annually for maintenance, citing these costs along with employee safety concerns in handling corrosive chemicals as factors in its decision.

“This decision perfectly illustrates the democratic deficit in the agglomeration’s governance structure,” Ektvedt said to The Suburban. “We’re being forced to accept a significant change to our water treatment process despite united opposition from the affected communities.” n

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Councillor slams ‘Save Lachine Hospital’ signs

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

At the most recent public council meeting in Lachine, City Councillor Micheline Rouleau ventured out with an independent speech, not discussed by council, concerning the Save the Lachine Hospital citizens committee’s latest efforts to raise awareness about the non-existent ICU at the hospital by placing lawn signs on private property throughout the municipality. Rather than join the fight for a fully functional hospital, Rouleau gave a speech slamming the efforts.

“You are harming the population and yourselves [by putting up the signs],” Rouleau told attendees at the public council meeting. “I am asking a favour to all those who have signs in front of their homes to take them down because you are creating an incredible stress to the hospital employees, the patients and to the foundation because we need to collect $5 million by 2026 to buy things not provided by the government.”

Rouleau is the co-president of The Lachine Hospital Foundation which raises funds for the Lachine Hospital and stated the the signs were harmful to the fundraising efforts of the Foundation. “We (the Foundation) are moving forward while others are holding back and it is unhealthy. If people hear a bad reputation of the hospital, while there is not actually, everything is going well, then we will find ourselves with a lack of staff because people will have heard that it will not work,” she stated. Rouleau goes on to say that certain donors are holding back and telling the Foundation that they “won’t make donations unless the hospital will be a fully functional hospital.”

Lachine Mayor Maja Vodanovic, a long time supporter of the Save the Lachine Hospital committee and co-chair at the Lachine Hospital Foundation, was visibly surprised by Rouleau’s comments. When questioned about her reaction by The Suburban, she responded that “What Mme. Rouleau said at the council meeting was unexpected. It was not discussed prior in caucus and it took me by surprise. Although I believe Mme. Rouleau was well intentioned, she was not speaking in the name of the whole council.”

Dr. Paul Saba, who was honoured by the City of Lachine recently at a gala for his efforts towards the Lachine Hospital, says he was also shocked by Rouleau’s comments. “This is a collective effort, supported by the population, medical professionals and elected officials. A fully functional hospital requires an ICU and we are positively advocating for something that is beneficial to the hospital and to the patients. Lawn signs raising awareness is a positive effort. Anyone who advocates against a hospital having an ICU which is the heart of the hospital is advocating to put patients’ health and lives at risk and this is unacceptable. Studies have shown that ICUs save lives. What is more ‘stressful’ — having an ICU or not having an ICU? I don’t understand the purpose of advocating against the population’s determination to have an ICU in their local community hospital.”

The Suburban reached out to Micheline Rouleau, who did not respond for comment. n

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$113,000 raised in Lachine Polar Bear Challenge

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre

Senior officers from numerous police forces and law enforcement agencies jumped into the icy waters of the Lachine Canal on Saturday for the 16th annual Polar Bear Challenge.

Organized by the Peace Officers Torch Run and volunteer officers from the Montreal Police service (SPVM), the Lachine edition raised nearly $113,000 this year for the benefit of Special Olympics Quebec.

Three-hundred participants including elected officials, Lachine mayor Maja Vodanovic; Ian Lafrenière, Member of Parliament for Vachon and Minister responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Enrico Ciccone, deputy for Marquette and Sterling Downey, City Councilor and member of the Agglomeration Council, jumped for the cause.

On the verge of jumping, SPVM deputy chief Marc Charbonneau, told The Suburban that police officers are happy to support programs that promote inclusivity.

“The police services that put this on across Quebec are phenomenal. This is a great way for them to show what they are doing in giving back to the community,” Downey, who has jumped for the cause eight years in a row, told The Suburban.

Moments away from jumping for his fourth consecutive year, Ciccone told The Suburban that he was excited to be present again this year. “These kids are our heroes!”

Police tech students from John Abbott College greeted the jumpers as they came out of the water with thermal blankets and hot beverages as they entered the chalet.

Hundreds of attendees gathered with hot chocolate and snacks at the shore of the St. Lawrence River at the new Lachine riverside park, on Iroquois Road, to encourage the participants.

The funds raised will be used to finance health programs as well as weekly supervised sports activities throughout the year for Quebec athletes with intellectual disabilities or autism.

Sylvain Chevalier, provincial director of the Torch Race, challenged this reporter to participate in the jump next year “It is a little bit cold,” he said. n

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