The Brantford-Brant Community Drug Strategy (BBCDS) has released its 2025 Action Plan, outlining 12 key recommendations aimed at addressing substance use and addiction in the region.
Developed in collaboration with local stakeholders, the plan focuses on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and community safety, with initiatives designed to expand education, reduce stigma, and enhance support services.
The plan’s release comes as Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) continues its transition following a recent merger intended to strengthen public health services. Despite the structural changes, the agency emphasizes its commitment to maintaining uninterrupted support programs while addressing the evolving needs of the community.
The 2025 Action Plan includes several targeted initiatives, such as expanding outreach efforts to engage caregivers in preventing youth drug use, increasing access to harm reduction supplies in rural areas, piloting an overdose prevention initiative, and improving treatment pathways through enhanced collaboration with local health teams.
Efforts will also focus on reducing stigma by improving education for service providers and exploring alternative approaches to criminal justice for individuals with substance use disorders. Additionally, the plan aims to enhance surveillance of the unregulated drug market and expand drug-checking initiatives to mitigate overdose risks.
BBCDS developed the plan with input from a range of organizations, including SOAR Community Services, Grand River Community Health Centre, Positive Health Network, Brantford Police Service, Brant Community Healthcare System, Woodview Mental Health and Autism Services, Grand Erie Public Health, and Child and Family Services of the Grand Erie.
These partnerships are seen as critical in fostering a coordinated response to substance use challenges in the region. The strategy acknowledges the work of the Lighthouse Community Strategy, a similar coalition addressing substance use and mental health in Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Haldimand County, and Norfolk County.
While the two strategies remain separate, both adopt a shared approach centered on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and community safety.
“The 2025 Action Plan reflects our community’s ongoing commitment to addressing substance use challenges through collaboration, education, and innovative approaches. We remain focused on reducing harm, improving access to treatment, and supporting all individuals impacted by substance use,” said Alyssa Stryker, Drug Strategy Coordinator at Grand Erie Public Health.
“The recent merger into Grand Erie Public Health allows us to strengthen our collective response to the challenges faced by our communities. Through the aligned efforts of the Brantford-Brant Community Drug Strategy and the Lighthouse Community Strategy, we will address substance use, promote health equity, and build safer, healthier communities,” added Josh Veilleux, Health Promoter and Lighthouse Community Strategy Coordinator at Grand Erie Public Health.
Launched in 2016, the Brantford-Brant Community Drug Strategy was established to develop a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder approach to substance use in the region.
The strategy continues to adapt to emerging challenges while maintaining its commitment to building a safer and healthier community.
