Who is Part of ECDAS?

ECDAS includes individuals that have experienced harms from substance use and individuals that work or volunteer in the not-for-profit, health, social services, justice and private sectors in Elgin and St. Thomas.

What Does EDCAS Do?

We have four areas of focus:

What are the Needs in Elgin and St. Thomas?

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our mental health and substance use. It has also changed some service delivery in Elgin and St. Thomas. To better understand community strengths, challenges and solutions, we reached out to community members between December 2021 and April 2022 to conduct a community consultation. In total, we connected with 350 people including:

  • 166 community members
  • 32 people with lived and living experience with drugs and alcohol
  • 152 individuals that work or volunteer in roles connected to alcohol and drug prevention, harm reduction, treatment and justice

These consultations resulted in the formation of 49 recommendations to inform the Elgin Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy.

We learned that:

  • Elgin and St. Thomas are supportive communities that provide many needed and appreciated services
  • Substance related harms are increasing
  • People who use substances can face stigma from community members and service providers
  • It is hard to access drug and alcohol harm reduction and treatment services in both St. Thomas and rural Elgin County
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Creating a Safe and Healthy Community

The recommendations included in the report will assist the steering committee to promote the creation of safe and healthy communities without the negative impacts of alcohol and drugs.

After listening to the community's needs, recommendations were sorted into short and long term priorities to achieve our goal.