Calgary marks $750K in fluoride savings for dental care

More than one year after Calgary stopped putting fluoride into its drinking water city council has come up with a plan to provide dental care for impoverished children.

The city approved $750,000 for the Alex Community Health Centre and the Calgary Urban Project Society to provide dental services.

Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart opposed the idea, saying the cash comes with expectations that won't be met.

"To take our operating money and give it to another organization for capital requirements is really setting a precedent that's number one inappropriate, but secondly,  it’s not sustainable," she said.

But Ald. Druh Farrell says the cash is a one-time deal, although she expects it will provide long-term help.

"It's purchasing of equipment, purchase of a mobile dental bus, which I think is really a neat idea that will have an ongoing benefit," she said.

Several aldermen say Alberta Health Services also needs to do more to improve dental care for children living in low-income families.