GUELPH – On March 26, The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital announced a $500,000 donation from local auto dealership Robinson Buick GMC. 

The donation will support Guelph General Hospital’s recently announced community-based medical centre, slated to open in December.  

The contribution will help expand the Guelph-Wellington community’s access to diagnostic imaging services and preventative screening, a crucial step in reducing wait times and freeing up space at Guelph General. 

This gift will help ensure patients continue to receive the highest standard of care, officials say.

“We are proud to support Guelph General Hospital in its mission to provide exceptional health care to our community, and hope to inspire others to support the hospital,” said Sam Hirani, vice president of Robinson Buick GMC. 

Amit Kohli, vice president of Robinson Buick continued, “As a local business, and a long time resident of Guelph, we believe in giving back, and we know that this centre will make a lasting impact on the lives of many families.”

Guelph General CEO Mark Walton expressed deep gratitude for the donation, emphasizing its importance in meeting growing health care demands. 

“This generous gift from Robinson Buick GMC allows us to move forward with vital improvements that will benefit thousands of patients each year,” said Walton. 

“We are incredibly thankful to Ted and Neena Kohli, Sam and Naseem Hirani, and Amit and Shefali Kohli for their commitment to community well-being.”

Julie Byczynski, CEO of The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, also expressed appreciation for the donation, highlighting the importance of community support. 

“Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference in funding hospital advancements,” she stated.

“We are deeply grateful for Robinson Buick GMC’s generosity.”

The new medical centre, which will be fully managed and operated by Guelph General Hospital, will initially offer diagnostic imaging services, including MRI, oltrasound and mammography. 

Future plans include expanding to include other ambulatory services.

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CENTRE WELLINGTON – The township has purchased a long-coveted property outside of Elora, seemingly ending the decades-long Middlebrook well saga once and for all.

Centre Wellington officials announced the purchase of 7334 Middlebrook Road in a press release on April 2.

The release did not indicate a sale price and township officials did not immediately respond to a request for the information.

“Securing this land for a future water supply is a critical step toward ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of our community,” stated Mayor Shawn Watters in the release.

“I’m proud of the proactive approach taken by both the council and staff to make this purchase a reality.

“Their foresight and commitment to planning are essential for protecting the future of our residents.”

The township previously missed out on multiple opportunities to acquire the Middlebrook well over the years.

• BlueTriton Brands closing; will sell Aberfoyle site
• Township issues demolition permit to BlueTriton
• BlueTriton takes over Nestle Waters; local groups oppose permit renewals
• Centre Wellington says ‘no’ to Nestle offer of property transfer ‘with conditions’
• Township tried to purchase Middlebrook well to ‘protect’ local water supply

Constructed in 1984, the artesian well was operated by longtime owner Middlebrook Water Bottling Company.

The 5.5-acre property was listed for sale around 2005 and sat on the market for about a decade.

Nestle Waters Canada made a conditional offer on the property in March 2015 and the purchase was confirmed in August 2016.

Previous township officials, local residents/organizations and media outlets have for years falsely claimed Nestle Waters “outbid” the township for the property.

In fact, in July 2016, the company activated a clause to proceed with the purchase after another offer was made by an anonymous party, which was later revealed to be Centre Wellington Township.

Later that year, Nestle Waters offered to donate the property to the municipality, but township officials rejected the offer.

BlueTriton Brands Inc. took over all water bottling operations from Nestlé Waters, including the Middlebrook site, in May 2021.

Centre Wellington issued a demolition permit to BlueTriton in late 2021, allowing the company to take down a derelict structure on the site.

All that remains is a concrete foundation and small well-house that contains the well.

Primo Brands purchased BlueTriton Brands last November and announced it was is closing all its water-bottling sites in Ontario.

Centre Wellington officials say the Middlebrook well will “become the third new water supply location” in the Fergus and Elora system.

There are currently six wells in Fergus and three wells in Elora.

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KENILWORTH – The mayor and councillors in Wellington North were paid a total of $132,910 in 2024. 

That’s slightly less than the budgeted amount of about $133,600, which officials contribute to lower-than-expected conference and training expenses, council benefits and technology and phone costs. 

Wellington North treasurer and director of finance Jerry Idialu submitted a report outlining the remuneration to council as part of its March 24 meeting agenda package. 

The remuneration report was received for information without discussion.

Mayor Andy Lennox was paid $30,562 for council per diem, and each of the councillors was paid $19,684 for council per diem. 

The mayor and all of the councillors received $800 for travel expenses. 

Lennox received $2,206 in medical benefits. Councillors Sherry Burke, Lisa Hern and Steve McCabe received $1,347 in medical benefits. Councillor Penny Renken received $384.13 in medical benefits. 

For computer, telephone and internet expenses, Lennox received $827, Burke received $1,060, Hern received $1,186, McCabe received $1,069 and Renken received $1,061. 

For conventions and seminars, Lennox did not receive anything, Burke received $1,986, Hern received $809, McCabe received $140 and Renken received $4,844.

Overall, Lennox was paid $34,395, Renken was paid $26,772, Burke was paid $24,877, Hern was paid $23, 826 and McCabe was paid $26,772.  

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ELORA – The urban boundary of Elora and Fergus approved by township council in October will change in minor ways after it was revealed on March 25 that Wellington County planning staff had tweaked the boundaries to avoid farmland fragmentation.

The new recommendation increases the urban boundary previously approved by council by 42 hectares, but that is still less than the residential and employment needs in Centre Wellington that the county originally identified when it started its official plan review.

Township managing director of planning and development Brett Salmon explained the new urban boundary township council approved in October had odd little corners and indents that isolated some properties and fragmented farmland.

By shifting the lines on the map, farms could remain intact and growth will remain logical, he said.

Without those changes, “we would potentially landlock agricultural parcels,” Salmon said.

The county had initially determined Centre Wellington needed to add 398 hectares of land to its urban boundary to accommodate residential and employment growth to 2051.

By adding more density to the Fergus South Secondary Plan and on infill proposals, council was able to reduce the increase to 326 hectares, thereby saving farmland from development.

• Centre Wellington council approves new urban boundary; proposal now goes to county

The tweaks to the boundary made by the county increase urban expansion to 364 hectares, which is more than what council had approved, “but council can still say they reduced the impact on farmland,” Salmon added.

The map shows the areas of expansion and the minor changes proposed by Wellington County.

Areas A and D represent minor rounding out of the urban boundary to include small existing developed lots. Areas E and G expanded to include natural features and create logical boundaries.

Area F, on First Line in Elora, was once zoned country residential and was included in the boundary to allow small scale development. But any homes constructed here will not have municipal services, Salmon said. 

Salmon also drew attention to a report from county manager of policy planning Sarah Wilhelm that originally went to the county planning committee and was included in Centre Wellington’s agenda. 

In it, Wilhelm explains that as well as farmland fragmentation and landlocked agricultural parcels, staff also wanted to ensure expanding the urban boundary would not result in minimum distance separation encroachment.

“In response, the draft mapping has been revised to include additional Community Area Land in Elora/Salem (Area G) and Fergus (Area B) to eliminate remnant landlocked agricultural parcels,” she states in the report.

There was a more significant change in south Fergus in Area C, where more land was added on the east side of Highway 6 for industrial land, and some removed west of Highway 6 to reduce minimum distance separation impacts on adjacent farmland.

Salmon also noted the county has identified that there is aggregate in parts of Fergus South.

The county had proposed removing the mineral aggregate resource overlay from the urban boundary.

But Salmon said there may be opportunity for extraction to happen on the future industrial lands, given that it could be another 10 years before construction begins there.

With those explanations, council endorsed the new boundary proposed by Wellington County.

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On Saturday, March 29, 2025 William “Bill” Hahn of Elmira, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, was reunited with the love of his life, Margaret “Joan” Hahn (2018), at the age of 88 years. Bill had missed Joan for seven long years, and was ready to join her once again. Dad had a full life and family meant the world to him. He would always light up when talking about his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a very proud man. Many wonderful memories will be cherished forever by daughter Julie (Bill) Ferrier, granddaughters Tanya (Trevor) Fisher, Jessica (Ian) Atfield, and great-grandchildren Mya, Zoey Fisher, and Archer Atfield. A special thank you to April Allen and the staff at St. Jacobs Place. Their dedication and care for Bill was exemplary, and they are appreciated more than words can say. We would also like to thank the caring staff at Grand River Hospital, Freeport Campus Palliative Care Unit, Kitchener. A warm thank you to Father Peter Meyer (Bill’s nephew) for his caring words and guidance through this difficult time. Take mom’s hand and rest in peace dad. Private family service and cremation has taken place. Arrangements entrusted to the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

FERGUS – Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH) officials announced on April 1 that the sale of the old hospital site will not proceed as initially planned. 

The hospital had announced in November that a sale had been approved by the Ministry of Health.

But after careful consideration, GMCH officials have decided to re-list the property for sale at a later date. 

• Ministry of Health approves sale of old Groves hospital property
• Demolition of Old Groves hospital nears completion
• Final phase of demolition of old Groves hospital commences May 13
• Old Groves hospital to be demolished

“Throughout the sales process, bids are submitted, reviewed, and carefully compared, with the best option being chosen,” GMCH president and CEO Angela Stanley explained in a press release.

“All terms and conditions must be met before announcing a successful bidder. 

“While we have not yet found the right fit, we remain confident that the ideal buyer will emerge by re-listing the property,” she said.

“We will keep the community up to date as we progress.”

On Aug. 9, 2020, the doors closed at the old hospital located at 235 Union Street in Fergus as the new hospital in Aboyne opened for patients. 

Since then, a committee consisting of the hospital board of directors, community members and hospital staff has partnered with the ministry and Ontario Health West to determine the future of the site.

The old hospital was demolished last summer.

Local resident Jim Baker took this photo of the main entrance to the hospital on Union Street on July 16, 2024.

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WELLINGTON COUNTY  – The number of local municipal employees paid over $100,000 per year went up by 38 per cent last year.

Their salaries, and those of all Ontario public sector employees making at least $100,000, are published by the province as part of the Public Sector Salary Disclosure List, more commonly know as the “Sunshine List.”

The 2024 list was published on March 28 and featured nearly 400,000 names. 

 Once again, the top public sector earner in the area was Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health and CEO Dr. Nicola Mercer, at over $350,000.

[Related]

Municipal employees

The County of Wellington and its lower tier municipalities paid 231 staffers over $100,000 in 2024, an increase of 38% from 2023 (168 people) and 79% since 2022 (129). 

CAO Scott Wilson was once again the county’s highest paid employee, with a salary of $309,163, a 4% jump from $297,107 in 2023.

Centre Wellington paid 41 staffers over $100,000 in 2024, up from 27 in 2023. The township’s highest paid employee was CAO Dan Wilson with a salary of $231,380 in 2024.

Nine Town of Erin staff members made the list, with the highest paid employee being CAO Rob Adams, who was paid $170,742 in 2024.

Mapleton and Wellington North also paid nine staffers over $100,000 with the highest paid employees being CAO Manny Baron in Mapleton at $194,974 and CAO Brooke Lambert in Wellington North at $176,288. 

In Guelph/Eramosa 10 employees were paid over $100,000, with CAO Ian Roger  receiving the most, at $213,190.

Minto paid 13 people over 100,000 in 2024, all with salaries under $170,000.

Six Puslinch employees made the list, an increase of two since 2023 .

Health care

The number of North Wellington Health Care (NWHC) employees on the list decreased from 50 in 2023 to 40 in 2024. NWHC operates the Palmerston and District Hospital and Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest. 

The salaries listed range from $101,407 to $165,189 for registered nurse clinical resource lead Michelle Goetz.

Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Centre Wellington has 61 employees listed, five more than 2023. Topping the Groves list is president and CEO Angela Stanley, who earned a salary of $237,955.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has 35 employees listed, with salaries ranging from $100,220 to $350,778 for Mercer.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has 19 staffers on the list, one more than in 2023. Salaries ranged from $100,049 to $238,222.

Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services (GWPS) employees are officially employed by the City of Guelph, but the area they serve includes Wellington County.  The list includes 124 GWPS employees, up from 102 in 2023.

The highest paid GWPS employee was general manager and chief Stephan Dewar, with a salary of $201,987 – up from $195,586 in 2023.

Education

At the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB), 2,029 employees made the Sunshine List in 2024, over 40% more than in 2023. Four UGDSB employees’ salaries surpassed $200,000 – one less than last year:

– director of education Peter Sovran, who made $275,741;

– superintendent of People Leadership and Culture Deirdre Pyke at $255,583;

– associate director Brent McDonald, who was paid  $224,348;

– and superintendent of education Belal Taha, who made $203,687.

At the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), 463 employees earned over $100,000 in 2024, up from 146 in 2023. 

Of these employees, only one was paid over $200,000 – director of education Michael Glazier was paid $227,643.

Conservation

The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has 37 employees on the 2024 Sunshine List, eight more than in 2023. GRCA CAO Samantha Lawson’s salary was $208,902 in 2024 – up from $198,263 in 2023 and $186,314 in 2022. Other salaries ranged from $100,182 to $174,997. 

At Credit Valley Conservation, 54 employees are listed, up from 45 in 2023. The top salary in 2024 belonged to CAO John Hanchard, at $209,766.

Policing

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) employees make up 5,825 of the names on the 2024 Sunshine List, up from 5,329 in 2023.

Of these, 107 bring home salaries that exceed $200,000. 

The highest salary goes to physician Andrew Reed, who made $397,276 in 2024.  OPP commissioner Thomas Carrique brought home the second largest sum of $365,187.

Without knowing the name of every Wellington County OPP employee, it is next to impossible to discern how many are on the list.

Wellington OPP detachment commander Steve Thomas was paid $177,123 in 2024.

Members of Parliament

Wellington-Halton Hills MPP and Legislative Assembly speaker Ted Arnott was paid $152,914 in 2024 – the same total since 2000.

Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae brought home $133,217 – the same as 2023. 

Premier Doug Ford made $208,974 – the same pay since 2020. 

Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong and Perth-Wellington MP John Nater are not included in the provincial Sunshine List because they are federal employees. MPs are paid about $203,000 annually though members can be paid more for additional roles.

Social services

Three employees at Community Living Guelph Wellington made between $108,272 and $156,889 in 2024, one less than 2023.

The Children’s Aid Society of the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington has 18 employees on the Sunshine List, all with salaries between  $100,000 and $198,000. 

To read the complete 2024 Sunshine List, visit ontario.ca/public-sector-salary-disclosure/2024.

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GUELPH – People struggling with addiction, as well as harm reduction professionals, felt a glimmer of hope last week when news spread that a pause had been placed on the forced closure of ten Ontario supervised consumption sites. 

But nine of the ten sites still had to close permanently on March 31, including those in Guelph and Kitchener.  

In December, the province passed Bill 223, prohibiting supervised consumption sites (SCS) from operating within 200 metres of a school or daycare facility, meaning 10 sites had to close before April 1.

The bill also resulted in the ending of provincial funding for consumption and treatment services (CTS).  

• People protest pending closure closure of supervised consumption site
• Guelph Community Health Centre awaits funding confirmation ahead of scheduled HART Hub opening
• Guelph addiction treatment hub approved by province
• New buildings, renovations not part of HART Hub plan
• Organizations partner to offer overdose training ahead of March safe-injection site closure
• Drug Poisoning Awareness Day event honours lives lost
• Guelph supervised consumption site to close by end of March

 A neighbourhood group that runs a SCS in Toronto, along with two individuals who use SCSs, are challenging the act in court, claiming it violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

The judge presiding over the case, Justice John Callaghan, granted an injunction on March 28 that permits those sites impacted by the bill to remain open until 30 days after he makes a decision on the matter.

But the only one set to remain open is the Kensington Market Overdose Prevention Site, which is run by the neighbourhood group involved in the charter challenge. 

In the injunction, Callaghan states supervised consumption sites “provide both lifesaving and health benefits and, as a result, there is a serious issue whether this legislation violates Section 7 of the Charter.” 

Section 7 declares “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.” 

Provincial officials  assert the reason for prohibiting sites within 200 metres of schools and day cares is to “protect vulnerable children and youth” by reducing  their exposure to “concentrated disorder” near the sites.

“Some of the disorderly conduct relayed in the affidavits filed by the respondent includes people passed out in front of schools, urinating and defecating in public, confrontational behaviour by intoxicated people, drug transactions outside SCSs, drugs being consumed outside SCSs, and discarded needles, pipe and drugs in the vicinity of schools and day cares,” the injunction states. 

Callaghan said the closure of the sites will cause irreparable harm to the two individuals involved in the case. 

Katharine Resendes of Toronto and Jean-Pierre Aubry Forgues of Kitchener testified that they “rely on the services offered by the SCS including supervised consumption of drugs and reversal of overdoses, clean drug paraphernalia such as needles, testing of the drug supply to ensure a safe product, and referrals and access to other health and social services,” the injunction states. 

“They both described their inability to abstain from opioids due to their addictive nature and severe withdrawal symptoms, and their fears of death by overdose – a risk they feel is mitigated by the services provided at SCS … They both described overdoses they have experienced and credited SCSs with saving their lives and protecting their health,” it continues.  

“If the SCS are closed, the applicants will be at risk of not having access to a safe consumption site. As a result, both will consume drugs without supervision and, in doing so, will be at greater risk of overdose and death,” Callaghan states in the injunction. 

“They will also be at greater risk of blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis C and HIV,” he added. 

Callaghan notes this impact will go beyond the two individual applicants in the case. 

“Death and disease that would have been prevented will now not be prevented, because those who would have used an SCS will now consume drugs in less safe settings,” Callaghan states.

The SCS in Guelph is part of the Guelph Community Health Centre (GCHC). 

GCHC CEO Melissa Kwiatkowski told the Advertiser “it was really hopeful to see that the court has recognized that the closing of SCSs will cause significant harm, including loss of life. 

“But the government has been clear that they will not fund these sites and that they would withhold funding for those that continue to operate,” she said. 

“So within those constraints, we are not able to continue to operate our CTS.” 

The funding Kwiatkowski is referring to is for Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs. 

Each of the nine SCSs that closed on March 31 are set to become HART Hubs instead. HART Hubs are “not a replacement for CTS sites,”  Kwiatkowski said, “but they are investments that we need and we want it to be a success.”

Guelph’s supervised consumption site was located at the Guelph Community Health Centre downtown. Staff there have now transitioned to offer the Guelph Wellington HART Hub instead of Consumption and Treatment Services. Photo by Robin George

The Guelph Wellington HART Hub opened on April 1 and provides “care, housing and treatment for people in our community with the most complex needs,” according to GCHC officials. 

These services include health care, social supports, outreach services and crisis stabilization, but not supervised consumption or needle exchange. 

In addition to supervised consumption services, the Guelph CTS offered harm reduction supplies, naloxone, health education, safe syringe disposal, a space for supervised quiet activities, foot and wound care, medical assessments (including HEP, HIV and STI screening), access to drug testing technology and walk-in virtual addiction medicine, referrals to addiction treatment, mental health supports, primary care, housing, social services and income support. 

“It’s really difficult knowing the closure of these services will leave a critical gap in the continuum of care in our community,” Kwiatkowski said. 

Since it opened in 2018, she said the Guelph CTS site had over 41,000 visits and reversed about 320 drug poisonings with no fatalities. 

There has never been a fatal overdose at a supervised consumption site in Ontario.  

There were also about 1,000 referrals to primary care and in the last year and a half, an average of 44 people per month were connected to on-site, on-demand addiction and treatment support services,  Kwiatkowski said. 

“Many harm reduction services act as a low-barrier entry points into the more formal, treatment based services,” she noted. 

“We have been operating the whole continuum (including harm reduction and treatment) for the past three years.”

On the CTS site’s final day of operation, she said, “We are taking time today to hold space for our staff and our clients, just to acknowledge the leadership of the staff who have been running this evidence-based life-saving program amidst a public health crisis for five years, with a lot of success.” 

Kwiatkowski paid homage to the significant impact CTS staff made on the community and how they show up every day with love, compassion, dignity and expertise.  

“Over the last six, seven months it would have been really easy to just be really angry and upset,” she said. 

But the staff “continue to come and show up for each other and for clients with a level of hope and compassion and love and understanding that I think is truly inspiring.” 

She said all of the staff previously providing consumption and treatment services are transitioning to providing HART Hub services.  

Asked about hope for the CTS site opening again in the future, Kwiatkowski said things were “really complex.

“We will definitely continue to advocate with our partners to have a full and comprehensive continuum of care for substance use in this community,” she said. 

“This is not an either/or situation – this is both/and. We need the HART Hub investments and we need a full and fully resourced harm reduction part of the continuum as well.” 

The Guelph Public Library announced on March 31 that it now has naloxone kits available for pickup at its downtown location and is providing training on their use. 

Library staff have been trained in de-escalation and overdose response. 

This month, the library will install an outdoor community sharps drop box for safe disposals of needles. There are already sharps drop boxes in the bathrooms. 

“Harm reduction supports must be a collaborative community effort and the Library recognizes the role we play in understanding the complexity of the opioid crisis in Guelph,” stated library deputy CEO Michelle Campbell. 

“With uncertainty around Guelph’s CTS site, providing additional supports like naloxone kits will help prevent overdoses at a critical point for our community.”  

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