An injunction hearing against Calgary's water fluoridation Wednesday mobilized protesters gathering outside the courthouse in support.Protests began before the hearing, inspired by Michael Ryan Jean-Louis, with help from Safe Water Calgary (SWC), who filed a legal claim against the city on June 27.Fluoridation was reintroduced to the city's water system on June 30, after being discontinued back in 2011.Dr. Robert Dickson says hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFSA) "is an industrial-grade substance sourced from the waste stacks of the phosphate fertilizer industry, mostly in Florida and China.”.“(It) is known to contain trace levels of arsenic, lead, and other contaminants — substances that are not otherwise permitted in drinking water under federal guidelines," Dickson said in a statement.Dickson claims the City of Calgary has since refused to release "a complete chemical profile of the HFSA being added to the water supply.”“All but two pages of a Freedom of Information request (FOIA) on the additive’s composition were redacted last week, citing proprietary concerns. The City is unwilling to tell its citizens what they are putting in our water, " he said.Jean-Louis says he filed the injunction because he believes putting fluoride in water is "forced medication without consent.".Regarding his history of involvement he explains, "My alarm bells went off in 2021 when they had the plebiscite vote," referring to the 2021 Calgary city council vote, which passed 13-2 to add fluoride to drinking water.He says he believes taking legal action against the city is necessary."Someone introduced me to SWC, and they mentioned how they couldn't find a plaintiff because everyone was afraid of being liable for costs if the court case were lost. To me, that's not a very fair reason to avoid going to court. It's the fears of costs,” he said.“It's legal intimidation. So I said, I'll do it, I'll stick my neck out on the line, because I'll just argue the cost part afterwards. I feel we have a very strong case to present, and a lot of information that has come to light in recent years."Dr. Dickson was also present at the protest..There he claimed the National Toxicology Program (NTP) released a report in 2024 which included the top scientists from HHS, the CDC, the FDA, and EPA. It studied fluoride for seven years and Dickson said that it concluded it was toxic for kids.“The 18 out of the 19 highest rated studies showed fluoride damaged kids’ brains,” Dickson told the Western Standard.He also spoke about a pro-fluoride campaigner named Julia Guichon, whom he says is a “very tenacious lawyer.”“She knows very little about fluoride. She just fused some of the facts from the American Fluoridation Society, which is a group of retired old dentists from the United States, and her information is inaccurate," he said..The Western Standard also spoke to Guichon herself. On the issue, she stated, "I can understand fluoride is a very controversial subject. It has been since it started in 1945.”“But there are always different reasons given: a communist plot, a mind control exercise, cancer, thyroid gland problems — a series of claims. The current claim is that fluoride harms children if they are exposed to it, and another claim is it harms the microbiome," said Guichon.Professor James Dickinson from the University of Calgary specializing in family medicine claims the difference between ingesting fluoridated water and using fluoride mouthwash toothpaste is "the amount that's absorbed.”“We want it to absorb onto the surface of the teeth, because by doing that, it strengthens calcium in the enamel on the teeth. Now, if we take an amount in the form of water, it's diluted, and our body circulates it, and so it's in the saliva, so it's there all the time. But because it's dilute, our kidneys get rid of the excess," said Dickinson.The hearing lasted over an hour with the courtroom packed to capacity. The matter is adjourned until August 1.
