How a Nova Scotia town quietly decided to stop fluoridating its water

In the days leading up to New Glasgow town council releasing a staff report over whether to continue fluoridating its water, internal emails show the town's supervisor of water treatment and supply was sharing documentation from anti-fluoride sources.

The documents have file names such as "50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation" and "WHAT ABOUT THE FLUORIDE IN OUR WATER."

The latter document called fluoride a "harmful substance" and said, "More people have died in the last thirty years from cancer connected with fluoridation than all the military deaths in the entire history [of] the United States," attributing the latter quote to a Dr. Dean Burk.

The records — obtained by CBC News through a freedom of information request — were shared with Audrey Buchanan, the town's assistant director of engineering and public works. She was the author of a 14-page staff report dated Sept. 6, 2024, that recommended the town discontinue fluoridating its water.

The report included an appendix with documents from the Fluoride Action Network — an anti-fluoride group — but no documents from Public Health or dental association sources.

The town voted at a Sept. 16 council meeting to discontinue fluoridation, which will save the community around $20,000 annually, according to the staff report. It had been fluoridating its water since 1975.

Town only recently stopped fluoridation

Water fluoridation only stopped at the end of March 2025, as the northern Nova Scotia town used up the supply of fluoride it had on hand.

Dr. Gerry Uswak, who practises dentistry and teaches at the University of Saskatchewan's college of dentistry, reviewed the staff report that was prepared for New Glasgow town council. He questioned the science used to reach the decision.

"If a community makes a decision to remove community water fluoridation, I respect that decision as long as it was based on good science and not bad science," he said. "And I think it was sort of based on a little bit of bad science here."

The staff report said that in reviewing studies, "there is no conclusive evidence that can support the health benefit for every region using or not using fluoride within their drinking water supply."

Nova Scotia's Environment Department website calls fluoridation a "well-accepted measure to protect public health and is strongly supported by scientific evidence." It notes that organizations such as Health Canada, Canadian and American dental associations, and the World Health Organization support it.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says water fluoridation is associated with a roughly 25 per cent reduction in adult and child tooth decay.

Staff report contents

The staff report included an article about a 2024 study from a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that said there's a link between consuming twice the recommended amount of fluoride and lower IQs in children.

That study was criticized by the American Dental Association "for using unorthodox research methods, flawed analyses, lack of clarity, failure to follow the norms of peer review and lack of transparency."

The staff report doesn't explicitly mention Burk's comments — whom Uswak referred to as "one of the most illustrious anti-fluoridationists" — noting that a study Burk co-wrote examined cancer rates in fluoridated versus non-fluoridated communities, but did not adjust the statistics for age. The study was discredited, said Uswak.

Buchanan, who authored the staff report, said the impetus behind the move to stop water fluoridation came from water treatment plant operators who raised safety concerns about working with the substance.

'We're not experts in health decisions,' says town official

Buchanan said unless the town is required to fluoridate its water, they're not comfortable with going against the wishes of their operators.

"We're into making potable drinking water," she said. "We're not experts in health decisions … Health Canada and fluoride … they are the experts. We are not."

Graham Gagnon, a Dalhousie University professor and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's Industrial Research Chair in Water Quality and Treatment, said fluoride is one of roughly a half-dozen chemicals a plant would add to its water supply.

"Fluoride would be one of many compounds that the town of New Glasgow would want to make sure they have the appropriate safety protocols for … while I think they have every right to be concerned about fluoride as an agent, there are appropriate mitigative, approved safety measures that they can follow," he said.

This would include wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.

How the council decision unfolded

The records show the interest in stopping fluoridation dates back to at least March 15, 2024. On this day, Buchanan sent an email to an Environment Department official saying the town was considering stopping fluoridation.

When New Glasgow council made the decision to stop fluoridating its water in September, there was no discussion by council. The motion was approved as presented, town CAO Lisa MacDonald told CBC.

No agenda was posted before the meeting either. MacDonald said that's because agendas are considered drafts until approved by council.

In September, the room where council met was not equipped for videotaping meetings, so the only public record behind the decision is a two-paragraph entry from council's minutes.

Under the Municipal Government Act, municipalities must post minutes of meetings, but there's no obligation to record meetings.

Public Health not consulted before town made decision

In a statement, the province said the Department of Health and Wellness and Public Health were not consulted prior to New Glasgow council's decision.

The statement said when the province learned of the decision, it provided information, evidence and advice to the town.

"Public Health continues to meet with the municipality and emphasize the importance of continuing water fluoridation," said the statement.

"Fluoridation of municipal drinking water is a critical population-level intervention to prevent dental caries and is supported by a wide range of credible public health and dental organizations."

MacDonald confirmed that Public Health made a presentation to town council on Oct. 14, roughly a month after it had already voted to stop fluoridation.

New Glasgow resident Phyllis Glenn — a retired registered nurse — disagreed with town council's decision and emailed them about it.

"This is a decision made which may in [fact] cause health issues to many and should be explored carefully as children are the most vulnerable," she wrote in one email.

Glenn, retired for 25 years, credits water fluoridation with her improved dental health, noting she hasn't had a cavity in decades.

"I was upset because I knew what fluoridation, the difference, it had made in my life," she told CBC.

Fluoridation benefits for marginalized communities

Uswak said one of the benefits of community water fluoridation is it doesn't require action on the part of the user, other than drinking water.

He said fluoridation is especially beneficial for people from marginalized communities.

"The other big whammy of research that has come out more recently is that [if] you remove community water fluoridation, it disadvantages the people … at the highest risk for disease," said Uswak.