Petition by RFK Jr. fan prompts Montreal council to end water fluoridation – Montreal [Video]

Municipal officials have opted to end water fluoridation on the Island of Montreal in a move spurred by a petition from a resident who claims he has the support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A council representing Montreal and the suburban municipalities on the island decided Thursday evening to stop putting fluoride in the water of six West Island suburbs that have been treating their water since the 1950s.

The city’s water department had recommended earlier this year that fluoridation be stopped, in part due to cost, though public health officials support the practice as an effective way to reduce tooth decay.

But mayors of the affected suburbs say they only learned of the city’s plan in September, years after the department began studying the issue. They say residents weren’t consulted and the process was undemocratic.

Ahead of the vote Thursday, Montreal city councillor Maja Vodanovic said the city wants the drinking water supply to be uniform across …