Much to the disappointment of an audience armed with speeches either for or against fluoridation, council decided Wednesday to put the matter off — likely until sometime next year — to give councillors time to digest the mass volumes of information the Region has received so far on both sides of the issue.

Originally, council was supposed to be voting on a motion made by Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville to stop fluoridating water in Halton once current supplies of fluoride are used up and current contracts expire.

The resolution was endorsed by the health and social services committee last week against the advice of health department staff and Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal, who said fluoridating drinking water is a safe, efficient and cost-effective way to prevent tooth decay.

Currently, the older section of Milton is the only portion of Halton that doesn’t have fluoridated water. Halton Hills’ well-based water system is fluoridated, as are the lake-based water systems supplying Burlington, Oakville and the newer developments in Milton.

At Wednesday’s meeting, each member of council received a thick stack of materials from the public and health organizations on the fluoride issue, prompting Somerville to suggest deferring his motion, so that councillors can absorb the information.

Oakville Councillor Jeff Knoll supported the deferral and assured those in attendance that the change isn’t an attempt to avoid making a decision on the tough issue.

“In fairness to the people who submitted information and the medical officer of health, we feel it’s important to make sure all members of council have an opportunity to study the material,” he said.

Knoll wants to see council make a decision armed with as much information as it can possibly get its hands on.

Council didn’t set an exact date to put the fluoride issue back on the table in light of the busy 2009 Region budget schedule next month and the fact Health Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment are both about to begin public consultations and reviews of water fluoridation. The timeline decision is being left to the discretion of the health and social services committee.

In the meantime, Burlington Councillor Rick Goldring suggested council hold a special workshop where people could present their views on fluoride.

A staff memo is expected to go before the health and social services committee next month with details on the logistics of arranging such a workshop.

Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, who has been dealing with the fluoride issue for decades in the community, said he’d like to hear some new information on fluoridation to help council make an informed decision.

During Wednesday’s meeting, there was some confusion as to whether the individuals who had signed up to speak to council about fluoridation should still be allowed to do so, since the issue was deferred.

A few people were permitted to speak before it came to light that a motion to hear the delegations would be necessary. Council didn’t support the motion, so the presentations were stopped.

Those individuals, and anyone else interested, will be given time to share their thoughts down the road at the aforementioned workshop. A date has yet to be set.