The bid to have fluoride temporarily removed from Calgary’s water supply was derailed Wednesday, in part because the layperson seeking an injunction didn’t follow proper procedures. Read More
City of Calgary lawyer Colleen Sinclair said council lawfully voted to overturn a 2011 decision to remove the additive from the water after city residents voted in a plebiscite to have it returned
City of Calgary lawyer Colleen Sinclair said council lawfully voted to overturn a 2011 decision to remove the additive from the water after city residents voted in a plebiscite to have it returned
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The bid to have fluoride temporarily removed from Calgary’s water supply was derailed Wednesday, in part because the layperson seeking an injunction didn’t follow proper procedures.
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Michael Ryan Jean-Louis’ bid to have the city stop putting fluoride in the water — after reinstating the practice June 30 — may be doomed before it starts.
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City of Calgary lawyer Colleen Sinclair told Justice Caroline Magnan that Jean-Louis’ application for an injunction blocking fluoride from the water supply has come more than three years too late.
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Sinclair said she may seek an order to have the injunction application struck when the matter is back in court Aug. 1.
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The city lawyer noted Jean-Louis filed his court application on June 27, just three days before fluoride began being added to the taps.
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Sinclair said Calgary city council voted in November 2021 to return the additive to the water supply.
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“There is a 60-day limitation for a city decision to be overturned,” she told Magnan.
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“We’re 3½ years beyond that limitation period.”
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Sinclair said council lawfully voted to overturn a 2011 decision to remove the additive from the water after city residents voted in a plebiscite to have it returned.
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“All of those are democratic processes. This is an application for an injunction to overturn that democratic process,” she said.
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“The way these things are normally done is at the ballot box.”
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Jean-Louis appeared in Calgary Court of King’s Bench with a large contingent of supporters who packed the courtroom to standing room only.
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For safety reasons, Magnan ordered anyone not seated to leave the courtroom before proceedings began, forcing dozens to exit and view Jean-Louis’ bid on a Webex link.
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The anti-fluoride crusader asked for Magnan to show him some “grace” after Sinclair pointed out multiple flaws in his application, including that it did not disclose any wrongdoing by the city.
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“I don’t have a fancy law team behind me,” Jean-Louis said.
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“I don’t have a law degree.”
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He told Magnan he feels like an underdog fighting city hall.
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“I feel like David versus Goliath here. My stone and my slingshot are the evidence and the facts we have here today.”