REGINA – Ward 5 Coun. Sarah Turnbull described being disheartened after she and members of a planned town hall meeting received hateful messages, leading to its cancellation.
Turnbull’s town hall meeting was to be centred around fluoride. The city had planned to implement fluoride in drinking water in 2026 once upgrades were completed at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant.
This implementation came from a decision in 2021, when city council approved allowing fluoride in drinking water.
However, in April, Ward 10 Coun. Clark Bezo presented a motion to reconsider the decision made in 2021. This motion will be discussed on May 2 during a special city council meeting.
Turnbull mentioned the town hall meeting was to engage the public.
“The number one thing I was being emailed about or being contacted about was fluoride.”
Turnbull noted many residents felt their opinions or concerns weren’t heard or validated.
This decision received backlash on sites like Reddit and Facebook, questioning the intent of the town hall meeting and the legitimacy of naturopathic doctors for this discussion.
Turnbull said she got hateful emails, with one person calling her a “nazi.”
The backlash caused Turnbull and the naturopathic doctors to be concerned about their safety, cancelling the event entirely.
Turnbull emphasized how disappointed she was with the reaction from these individuals.
“They were mad at me for talking to my citizens. They were mad at me for hosting a town hall and for allowing people to voice their opinions on what goes in their bodies.”
While she wasn’t pleased with the reaction, she understood the point of criticism for not having dental experts at the meeting.
With the upcoming city council meeting discussing fluoride, Turnbull is worried about Regina making a quick decision with a lack of consultation.
“The previous decision in 2021 didn’t have engagement or an administration report.”
Turnbull also pointed out there were 10 signatures on the motion from the previous mayor and city councillors before it even made it to the floor.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” she said.
While the town hall meeting was cancelled, Turnbull still plans to record videos with medical experts to help inform the public.
The toughest part of this motion, said Turnbull, is finding a middle ground.
“How can we solve this? What harm could this potentially cause?”
Dentists are in favour of fluoride as it helps prevent tooth decay. However, another report done by a panel working with Health Canada said, “fluoride in drinking water may be associated with reduced IQ scores in children at fluoride levels that may be found in Canadian drinking water.”
Turnbull also mentioned thinking of amendments which would delay the decision of city council to give more time for consultation.
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