Waimairi fluoride poll being considered

Press, 11 September 1985, Page 8

Waimairi fluoride poll being considered

Waimairi ratepayers might be asked whether they want fluoride added to their water supply when they next pay their rates. The results of such a poll would indicate what the public thought of fluoridation, the Waimairi District Council’s finance and policy committee agreed last evening. The committee will recommend that the council include a questionnaire on fluoridation in its next rates demand. The results would be used only as a guideline for future action, the committee agreed. It would not determine future council decisions on fluoridation. If the response was strong enough a referendum might be held or else a decision made by the council. Fluoridation has been the subject of heated debate by the council numerous times

over the years. Last December the council voted to keep fluoridating the water, after months of discussion, investigation, and scores of submissions from residents and other interested people. The issue seems to have flared again after the recent decision by the Timaru City Council to stop putting fluoride in its water supply. Cr Philip Carter said that the subject of fluoridation had been on the council’s table at least as long as he had been on it (the council). “I do not think it (the fluoride issue) will go away until we seek public opinion,” he said. Cr Gordon Freeman agreed that the public should be given the chance to exercise their democratic right. The council could decide which way to go once it had the results of the poll. Cr lan Calvert argued

that a public opinion poll, like the Heylen poll, would be a more democratic way of finding out the public’s views on fluoridation. He was concerned that a questionnaire sent out with the rates demand would be returned only by a few in support and those who were opposed. If it appeared that there was a strong response in favour of or against fluoridation then a referendum could be conducted at election time. The District Chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, said she thought sending out a questionnaire with the rates demand was fairer than conducting a Heylen-type poll, because it gave more residents the opportunity to express their views. It would cost about $lOOO, for printing and paper, to include the questionnaire with the rates demand, the committee was told.