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Terrace council hears pitch for fluoride-free future

Speaker refers to fluoride as a poison in his presentation

The following are several of the items that were addressed at the regular Terrace council meeting last night:

* With Prince George voting by referendum last year to stop adding fluoride to the municipal drinking supply, local Terrace resident Barry Prince decided to request again that Terrace council join him in forming a petition to end the fluoridation of Terrace water. In 2013 he presented to council and administration said they would need to go to referendum.

“A common sense person would say, fluoride is classified as a poison… it doesn’t leave our body, it has a cumulative effect,” Prince said in outlining the many reasons why adding the compound to protect teeth isn’t worth it.

“I don’t ask you to listen to me I ask you to do some deep research into what professionals are saying about fluoride in water,” Prince told council, including links to studies in a submitted document.

Terrace is now only one of three remaining municipalities in BC practising fluoridation including Prince Rupert and Fort St. John.

Council voted to receive the presentation but did not say if they would support Prince's call.

* Mayor Carol Leclerc also revealed her committee appointment for 2015 which outlines the specific areas where each city councilor will focus.

This year the city decided to do away with the model of naming specific alternates for each committee except for the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine meetings.

Leclerc also still has to appoint one more councilor to represent the city on its housing committee and the community forest profit distribution committee, both of which require two permanent representatives.

Strategic Committee Appointments: Michael Prevost was named to the Kermodei Tourism Society. James Cordeiro and Stacy Tyers are liaisons to the Kitimat-Stikine regional district while Michael Prevost and Lynne Christiansen are the alternates. Leclerc named herself to the Terrace Community Foundation, Brian Downie to the Terrace Economic Development Authority (TEDA), and James Cordeiro to the Terrace Public Library committee.

Community Liaisons: Brian Downie was appointed to the Greater Terrace Beautification Society, James Cordeiro to the Greater Terrace Seniors’ Advisory Committee, Michael Prevost to the Kalum Land Resource Management Plan Implementation Committee, Lynne Christiansen to the Riverboat Days Committee, and Sean Bujtas to both the Skeena Diversity Society and the Terrace Downtown Improvement Area (TDIA).

Department Liaisons: Carol Leclerc will be the liaison for administration, Michael Prevost to development services, Brian Downie to finance, Lynne Christiansen to the Fire Department, Stacey Tyers to Leisure Services, Sean Bujtas to Public Works, and James Cordeiro to the RCMP.

Annual Liaisons: Lynne Christiansen was appointed to the committees for community forest corporation profit distribution, Michael Prevost to educational services, Brian Downie to the Northern Medical Programs Trust, and Sean Bujtas to the Terrace-Kitimat Airport Society

* The monthly building report was issued showing that 2014 was a banner year for residential construction in Terrace compared to 2013 and the last decade.

There were permits for 29 new single family dwellings worth $6,911,875 as well as 7 new secondary suites worth $329,200 through November of 2014.

Thirteen new commercial buildings were constructed worth $16,429,000.

The total value of construction through November was $17,588,120 in 2013 compared to $30,768,905 in 2014. The 10-year average is $15,211,378.