GUELPH – Local drug strategy officials have issued a health alert following “at least” 46 drug poisonings, including two deaths, over the past two weeks in Guelph and Wellington County.

The Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS) first issued an alert on Aug. 29, noting there had been 20 poisonings and one death since Aug. 21.

On Sept. 5, WGDS issued an updated alert following an additional 26 poisonings and one death.

Overall, there have been 46 drug poisonings and two deaths since Aug. 21.

“This is more than double the number recorded during the same period last year,” states the Sept. 5 WGDS alert.

“The rise in drug poisonings is likely linked to sedatives and veterinary tranquilizers such as benzodiazepines, xylazine and medetomidine.

“These are not opioids, so naloxone will not reverse their effects.”

However, WGDS officials say naloxone should still be given in any suspected drug poisoning, as opioids may also be present.

“The unregulated drug supply is currently unpredictable and highly potent, particularly with substances that appear beige or light yellow,” the alert states.

Strategy officials offer the following tips to reduce the risk of drug poisoning:

• carry naloxone;
• avoid using substances alone or, if alone, call the National Overdose Response Service: 1-888-688-NORS (6677);
• share harm reduction information and resources from public health and the WGDS;
• connect to substance use and mental health supports and/or reacheout to Here 24/7;
• start low and go slow (with any new substance, start with one-third of a normal dose); and
• test substances at the Community Health Centre (176 Wyndham St. North) or with kits from the Sanguen Community Health Van or Wyndham House. Fentanyl test strips are available from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health.

For more information on responding to a drug poisoning, visit wdgpublichealth.ca.

More details about drug testing options can be found on the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy website.

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GUELPH – Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) will continue a pilot project to improve the mental health of students in the Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic school boards.

On Sept. 3, WDGPH staff members presented to the board of health the findings of pilot projects that ran during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 school years.

Kylie Alderson, supervisor of the health promotion team, said the 2022 Well-being Health and Youth (WHY) survey indicated that mental health had suffered for students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Key findings … identified a decline across all positive mental health indicators compared to 2019 data, including self-esteem, coping with issues and difficulties at school and feeling hopeful about their future,” states the accompanying report by manager of health promotion Anna Vanderlaan.

“Similarly, poorer outcomes related to self-perceived mental health, eating issues, being distracted, psychological distress and body image were reported in 2022 compared to 2019.”

WDGPH picked up on a program in Peel Region where public health partnered with school boards for student-led mental health initiatives.

Called Yes4MH (Yes for mental health), the program is designed to:

• empower students to identify school priorities around mental health and wellness;
• guide student leaders in the development of peer-led initiatives;
• improve mental health literacy and reduce stigma;
• increase awareness of resources and supports; and
• build capacity to create supportive and resilient schools.

While school and public health staff sat on the committees, students identified areas of concern and made their own plans to promote their mental health strategy.

Some schools made mental health literacy boards to help reduce stigma so students would seek help if they needed it. Some made welcome wall murals, so the school would feel welcoming and inclusive.

Others held school-wide mental health activities, like guided painting sessions, therapy dog visits and peer tutoring sessions, which built social networks and a sense of belonging to promote positive mental health.

And others created activity bins with games and activities so students could unplug from technology.

The program was deemed a success and public health intends to run it again this year with improvements, such as starting earlier in the year and allowing students and teachers to participate during class time rather than after hours.

Alderson said she has noticed a “bounce back” in student mental health from 2022 in general terms, but called an increase in gambling among teens a troubling indicator.

Vanderlaan said public health is doing another WHY survey this November that includes students from Grade 4 and up.

The hope is it will provide an understanding of how students are coping generally and also add to the longitudinal data.

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In March 2024, Wilmot landowners and farmers were notified by the Region of Waterloo that their land was being expropriated. Land that goes on the intersection of Nafzinger Rd. To Bleams Rd. were forcibly put for sale for the use of future industrial projects. On August 7, 2025, QScale AI announced they shortlisted Wilmot Township as a potential host for their data center.  

“it’s horrifying to see our regional and provincial government is still moving forward with this absurd Wilmot farmland assembly, when they admit they haven’t got a customer,” Kevin Thomason, Vice Chair of the Grand River Environmental Network, said.  

On May 2025, The Region of Waterloo secured over 70 per cent of the land in Wilmot Township. In only its second news conference on the matter, the Region continues its plans to create an industrial site for future use. QScale has not released a timeline for a decision on their Ontario expansion and how many potential jobs there will be for the data centre site yet. 

“In the face of Donald Trump’s tariffs and everything happening around the world, the odds of a large global EV company coming to set up a massive battery plant in Wilmot looks to be about zero, and it just seems absurd that when taxpayers money is so tight, they continue to waste millions,” Thomason said.  

A local group called Best WR which includes presidents of local chambers of commerce wrote an open letter in April 2024 supporting the region’s plans. They said business opportunities would grow if the land assembly were to proceed.  

“And it’s unfortunate, because it doesn’t have to be this way. We have proper planning. We have proper planning rules.  And yet, of course, all of that has been completely ignored and upended,” Thomason said.  

In its Quebec campus, QScale has a capacity for over 142 megawatts of power. It has 266 megavolt amperes and 120 kilo-vault electrical substations. The power from the substation supports the growth of AI and high-performance computing (HPC).  

“The government can come and just take land to destroy it, some of best farmland in the province. [Which means] they can come and take anyone’s land with no proper process, no consultations or First Nations engagement. It’s just utterly appalling,” Thomason said.  

On Feb. 13, 2025, the Wilmot Civic Action Network held a community meeting regarding the Wilmot land assembly. There, community members and leaders discussed the impacts of the proposed expropriation, reviewed recent expert survey results and discussed next steps as a community.  

“If this land expropriation goes through, it will destabilize the agricultural industry in all of Waterloo Region,” Suzanna Compton, a lifelong Wilmot resident and writer, said.  

The WiImot Civic Action Network or WilmotCAN is a group of residents of the Township of Wilmot and surrounding communities that fosters positive community action. They consistently speak about WIlmot being an unwilling host to the the potential QScale expansion.  

“I know so many farmers that are bursting at the seams to expand their business, but they do not feel like they can because they are so close to the WIlmot Land Assembly,” Compton said.  

Members of WIlmotCAN have worked with FIght for Farmland to criticize the Region of Waterloo’s continued efforts to acquire farmland. Neither organization have nothas been able to reach out to their local government officials for project information or a comment.  

“The countryside line, where the land expropriation is, is Waterloo Region’s greenbelt. It is a hard line that says development may go this far and no further,” Compton said.  

FERGUS – School started on Sept. 3 for all students at the Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic school boards.

But for Grand River Public School students, it wasn’t just a new school year, but a new school altogether.

The Fergus school opened as a JK to Grade 7 school and becomes JK to Grade 8 next year.

The school serves the new Storybrook subdivision. Until this year, students living there had been bused to other schools.

On Sept. 3, many families were able to walk or ride bikes – the bike rack was well-used and there were very few buses bringing students to school.

The building has capacity for 328 students, but exact enrolment numbers weren’t known on Sept. 3 as more families move into the area.

Principal Brent Ellery said the building has some “cool features” such as a reflective roof, air source heat pumps, technology in every classroom and the layout “makes it full of natural light.”

“A lot of thought went into the design of the building,” he said.

An official school opening will be celebrated later this autumn.

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WELLINGTON COUNTY – In a world of constant data monitoring, reports and surveys, a simple Google search can bring you relatively accurate data on just about any issue. 

However, issues such as gender-based violence don’t – and may never – have accurate data due to factors beyond the control of law enforcement, community programs and data collection agencies. 

In Wellington County, gender-based violence calls are on the rise, but with so many discrepancies in data, the cause is hard to pinpoint.

“This is a really complex issue,” said Guelph Wellington Women in Crisis (GWWIC) public educator Cindy McMann.

McMann told the Advertiser rates of gender-based violence seem to be going up.

But said it’s impossible to tell if that’s because more people are reporting or because violence is happening more frequently. 

Gender-based violence refers to the types of abuse that women, girls, Two Spirit, trans and non-binary people are at highest risk of experiencing.

It can be both physical and emotional and can happen between people in romantic relationships, in families, at work and between friends, acquaintances and strangers.

Locally, McMann says GWWIC is experiencing more calls for support, with a disturbing new trend.

“The things that really alarm us are that we are seeing more clients, but we are also seeing a lot more complex cases,” said McMann.

“And we are also seeing more extreme forms of violence.”

Extreme forms of violence, such as strangulation, are being reported to GWWIC at a higher rate.

“We’re seeing abusers utilizing more dangerous and more lethal forms of violence.”

One of the main causes for data discrepancies is under reporting, which can be caused by fear of retribution, lack of local support and/or shame. 

“The numbers will be, unfortunately, never accurate,” said McMann, “because people are not going to be reporting, and that’s the hard part.”

“Most people are not actually ever going to seek support from a community agency like ours [and] most people don’t report to the police if they’ve experienced gender-based violence,” she added.

“Most people just kind of settle it themselves; they look for support from friends and family.”

And while reaching out to friends and family is important, the avoidance of formal support leaves a large gap in the data related to gender-based violence, both locally and nationally.

“It’s tough to get an exact number,” said McMann. 

According to McMann, based on what statistics can be recovered, 44 per cent of women and 54% of trans and non-binary people will experience intimate partner violence in Canada.

An additional 45% of teens, aged 15 to 17, experience dating violence as well.

McMann urges victims and those who know someone facing violence to call police and GWWIC at 519-836-5710.  

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ERIN – A new commercial plaza is coming to Erin.

The plaza will be located at Wellington Road 124 and MacLachlan Road in Erin.  

It will include a total of 12 commercial spaces, 489 parking spaces, 30 barrier-free parking spaces, 12 loading spaces and 27 drive-thru queuing spots.

“The uses will include various retail uses, supermarket, restaurant drive-thrus and a day nursery,” said Jacklyn Cooke, intermediate planner at KLM planning partners, at the Aug. 27 meeting of the committee of adjustment.

The development will be 13,607 square metres in size and is a combined effort between:

• LLA Architecture;
• Schaffers Consulting Engineers;
• LEA Consulting;
• KLM Planning;
• RTG Systems Inc.;
• Strybos Barron King Landscape Architecture;
• Williams and Stewart Associated Limited;
• National Properties Inc.; and
• Northern Capital Corp. c/o Solmar Development Corp.

Cooke assured the committee, and present councillors, that the building would maintain Erin’s “rural charm.”

“I’d like to applaud the builders and the planners on bringing forward the rural charm aspect,” said councillor Bridget Ryan.

“(That’s) the look and feel that we want as we move forward with the growth of Erin.”

Construction on the proposed development has not started, and it is unclear when the development will be underway.

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