Drug overdoses a regular occurrence
By Nic Adam
It’s almost been a month, to the day, since Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis declared an addiction, mental health, and homelessness emergency.
On Feb. 6, the city of Belleville made national headlines after multiple people collapsed near 60 Bridge St., overdosing, almost in unison. For weeks, journalists wanted to get the full story as people across Canada watched in shock as the events unfolded.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, however. It’s just the first time
so many eyes have been watching. According to Jennifer Cormier, executive director of the John Howard Society of Belleville and District, what happened on Feb. 6 was nothing compared to what happened in November.
“So, in November, we had 90 overdoses in a week,” said Cormier. “I think it didn’t get the publicity because we were working together and there were intervals between overdoses. ... We were dealing with it. Even though the overdoses were happening every couple of minutes, police, paramedics, and John Howard staff were keeping on top of it, just barely. This was
unlike Feb. 6, when everything happened all at once, and it was too much to handle.
This is an ongoing crisis that is only now starting to get the publicity it needs, Cormier said.
“It kind of struck me as strange, because in November, there was nothing. You know, the staff really felt like we were out here battling this kind of on our own,” said Cormier. “We had our emergency services, and they were stretched and were doing everything they could. But whatever we were doing, we were just keeping people alive. And that was it, you know, we weren’t really helping people.”
Part of the problem is the lack of funding for their programs. The organization receives all the goods they give out by donation, and the limited money they do get comes from Hastings County, which gives them “what they can.”
Because they only had four staff working on Feb. 6, they were forced to get some of their guests to help them deal with the crisis.
“It wasn’t fentanyl, it was tranq dope which has no fentanyl in it at all. It’s antiseptic, it’s a type of tranq that’s used on rhinoceros and elephants,” said Lynch. “Not everybody that has a pipe in their hand is smoking fentanyl.”
...See Overdoses, page 2
“We work on a skeleton. ... We just did what we could. You have guests who are preparing naloxone. You have guests that are doing chest compressions while you’re administering the naloxone,” said Cormier. “We really do rely on our guests, and they rely on us, in a sense, to get through an emergency like that.” Melissa Lynch, a guest at 60 Bridge St., says that the people on Feb. 6 weren’t overdosing on fentanyl at all. She thinks it was some kind of tranquilizer meant for large animals.
Goat farm offers unique experience
By Jilly MacIver
Nestled in the back country of rural Port Hope, Ont., lies a hidden gem that invites visitors with promises of fun, charm, and an unforgettable experience. Haute Goat Farm is 200-acres in the rolling hills of Northumberland County. Haute Goat Farm, founded by Shain Jaffe and Debbie Nightingale, is not your average farm; it’s a sanctuary where visitors can escape the fast pace of modern life and immerse themselves in the calmness of the countryside.
Upon arrival, you are greeted by the gentle bleating of goats grazing in the fields. When you look to your left, you will see horses running through their pasture. As you further explore the farm, you will not only see goats, but kune kune pigs, alpacas, sheep, and chickens.
“Majorly, we are agricultural tourism, which means that we actually just invite the public to come see and interact with the animals. The main thing we do here is animal experiences, so you can book one of our animal experiences which will basically get you a VIP look within those animals. Our main experience is goat shmurgles, which is essentially goat hugging/cuddling,” says barn manager Tori Broadbent.
Here, the focus is not solely on farming, but offering guests a one-of-a-kind experience that encourages a deeper connection with nature and its occupants. At the heart of it all are goats – curious, playful animals with personalities as diverse as the colours they come in!
Visitors to Haute Goat can take part in a variety of activities designed to engage all ages. Goat yoga, a popular offering, combines the practice of yoga with the goofy presence of goats, resulting in a truly fun and memorable experience. As participants stretch and breathe deeply, the goats meander among them, adding an element of spontaneity and humour to the experience.
“Goats are very zen; they’re chaotic, but at the same time, they’re very easy going, and most people come out of here like ‘oh my goodness, I don’t want to leave,’” says
Broadbent.
Though the experiences can range on the pricier side, there is no admission charge to go to the farm and take a walk around the property.
“Even if you don’t want to book an experience, you can just come and walk the farm. Debbie’s whole philosophy is getting as many people out here just to see what the farm life is all about and enjoy the outdoors as much as you possibly can,” says Broadbent. The farm’s rolling hills and beautiful scenery provide the perfect backdrop for walks, picnics, or
and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Previous to working at Haute Goat, Broadbent mainly worked with horses.
“I actually wasn’t a ‘goat’ person before I started working here, but as soon as I started, they won me over – I’m head over heels for these guys,” she says with excitement.
Haute Goat just recently built a new barn/arena that will be used to host guests during the not-so sunny days. Like people, goats don’t like the rain. With this new barn, the farm is looking into their next offering, hosting dog agility competitions, and eventually, goat agility competitions.
“I’d
their times and go from there. I think that’d be really fun.” says Broadbent.
The second newest addition to the farm is kune kune pigs (aka fluffy pigs) and the farm is now offering a new experience – a kune kune cuddle twice a week.
“I don’t think anyone has left that experience unsatisfied yet. We also plan on building them a racetrack, number one, because it’s fun, and it’s also great for their enrichment. Standing in their pen all day doesn’t do much for them, so it would be a super great way of exercising them. As long as you show them their snacks at the end of the track, they’ll do it,” Broadbent says with a grin on her face. Despite the fun atmosphere of the farm, there are struggles, just like any other fi-
nancial endeavour. For Haute Goat, it’s the off-season, as summer remains their busiest time.
“We’re doing better this winter so far because winter hasn’t really been winter, so there hasn’t been extreme snowstorms or extreme colds. We try and do a lot of things online so that people can still interact even if you aren’t coming out. We have a live goat and pig cam so that’s the kind of stuff that keeps people interactive with the farm yearround.”
Asked what her favourite part of the job is, Broadbent says “the goats” without hesitation.
“The animals are the main purpose we do this. So even when we’re doing morning chores, morning chores are great because you really do get to interact with all the animals. Like this morning, one of our chaotic babies from last year learned that he could use the stool to jump on our wheelbarrow and then now he’s figured out he can use the wheelbarrow to then jump on top of the hay feeders. So, he was literally just like bounce, bounce, bounce, and yeah, I’m shoveling some stuff, but you just watch him do that and think, ‘Yeah, this is just great.’ ” Broadbent has worked on farms her whole life and has tried a few different avenues outside of farm work – went to university, tried a few different college programs, but she kept leaving to find a farm to work on.
“I would do other things, but I’d always find my way back to animals, and I really can’t picture myself doing anything else.” As well as offering unique experiences, Haute Goat Farm is committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship. The farm engages in eco-friendly practices, such as composting, rainwater harvesting, and organic gardening, to minimize its carbon footprint and preserve the natural beauty of the land. In a world that often feels chaotic and disconnected, Haute Goat Farm offers a beacon of happiness – a place where the simple joys of life are celebrated, and the bonds between humans, animals, and nature flourish.
Photo by Nic Adam
Hilary Thomas, a peer support worker at the John Howard Society, stands in front of a wall of food and supplies at 60 Bridge St. The society hands out food to those in need, including those who struggle with housing, addiction and the possibility of an overdose.
Photo by Jilly MacIver
Tori Broadbent, barn manager at Haute Goat Farm in Port Hope, hangs out with the clan.
Gamers battle it out over Scrabble
Players from across North America play in Belleville tournament
By Nic Adam
The 2024 Canadian Scrabble Classic, or CSC, brought players from all over North America to Belleville’s very own Fairfield Inn & Suites last weekend. Run by Certified Scrabble Tournament Directors, Kieran O’Connor and Josh Greenway, the folks behind LetsPlayScrabble.com, the tournament was held over a three-day period and was split into three NWL divisions, and two CSW di-
visions, totalling almost 60 players. NWL and CSW are two different lexicons used in competitive Scrabble.
Using a different lexicon won’t change the fundamentals of the game for casual players. However, competitive players have a lot more freedom when it comes to legal words. Among other changes in the rules, NWL and CSW use different dictionaries, which means that words like FY, EUOI, or OTARINE are allowed in the CSW version of the game while not allowed in the NWL version.
The main events were livestreamed on Let’s Play Scrabble’s YouTube channel to hundreds of live viewers with commentary by Matt Canik and Josh Sokol. Popular Scrabble YouTuber, Will Anderson, also guest commentated
during Sunday’s matches.
The NWL division A tournament was won by Joey Mallick of South Portland, Me., with a final score of 12-3, in a tense game against Christopher Sykes of Cambridge, Ont., in their fifth game against each other. The final score was 423-365, a 58-point lead by Mallick, who finished with the word: JIVY.
There were lots of other well-known faces that showed up to play as well, including Agnes Kramer, a player from Hamilton, Ont., and Jason Keller from Princeton, N.J., who finished in third place in the CSW division A tournament with a final score of 9-6.
Before the matches Sunday, Keller said, “I’m in third place, I’m probably going to end up playing the two people
ahead of me at least once. So it’s going to be a grind.”
In the evenings, when players weren’t in matches, O’Connor and Greenway planned events like dinner and trivia contests for everyone.
“The people who love to play Scrabble, who are in our group, definitely like to make it part of their social scene, too. So it’s like they want to play, they hang out, have friends,” said O’Connor. “We have people from Saskatoon, people from New Jersey, people all over the place. So, some of them want to go out to dinner. So we organized dinners to go out to dinner together.” CSC 2024 wasn’t originally supposed to be hosted in Belleville. According to O’Connor, their usual hotel in Kingston
Students asked to write messages of encouragement to themselves
By Isidore Champagne
It’s easy to lose perspective on one’s life during college. The day-to-day rush leaves little time for self-reflection, and before you know, it’s all over. That’s why Student Life has been encouraging students to write compassionate selfreflective letters to themselves, which the college will send out to them after they graduate.
A booth was organized in the Shark Tank on Jan. 25 to promote this, but students can also visit Carrie Bulgajewski any day at the tutoring centre on the third floor of the college if they want to write a letter to themselves but missed out on the temporary booth.
The letter station was supplied with colourful pens, paper, along with pamphlets holding advice on self-care and self-love practices.
Canadian society has mostly replaced letters with e-mail and social media, but the appeal of a physical letter is not gone.
Hetla Patel, one of the booth operators, was enthusiastically encouraging students at the pub to partake in this activity. She is a self-described fan of old-fashioned letters, and participated in a similar activity in her first year of college in 2022.
“Old people, they write letters. I love that because it gives us memory. Like we can keep it with us and we can read it again and again.
“I literally forgot that I wrote something like that. I read it the night before my exam and I was really motivated like that, so I love the idea. It made me really happy. My exams went fabulous.
“When they graduate, they will get this and they will be like “oh my gosh I wrote this?” And love it.” The letter writing is a great way for students to process the complicated feelings that come with being young adults trying to figure out life. They preserve a moment in time, allowing memories and sentiments to stick around. It’s also cost-effective therapy that requires little to no money, as opposed to other methods of therapy, which can be quite expensive.
“We get caught up in our own heads sometimes. We get so pulled in different directions that we forget to look at why we started something in the first place,” said Bulgajewski, who was inspired to organize this after seeing her daughter participate in a similar activity for a summer camp. “Starting college, everyone has a reason for it. There are different reasons that people might come to school, and over the course of a year or two, depending on how long you’re here, sometimes those things get forgotten. It’s a testament to who you were and who you are now. No matter what, over the
course of time there is growth that happens, and I think it’s really important to record that.” Bulgajewski noted that students have reached out to her saying they re-registered for college after dropping out and receiving their letter.
“I’ve sent those letters to people and that has been really impactful. I’ve had two people reach out and say they’ve re-registered because they realized why they started in the first place.”
is currently being renovated “Belleville seemed nice. It’s off the 401, so it seemed like another spot to try,” said O’Connor. Now that they’ve given Belleville a shot, they’re thinking they may come back. O’Connor said that now that they’ve gotten a lot of the logistics of the room and learning a new space, it’ll be easier in the future.
If you missed this tournament, don’t worry, you may be able to see some behind the scenes footage. A local documentary crew was filming some video of the matches all weekend. Let’s Play Scrabble is also always hosting new events in Canada and the United States that may be happening near you.
Continued from Page 1
“My family is being killed off,” says Lynch, who is also known by the street name ‘Ma’. She believes someone is creating a new drug that is masked to look like fentanyl.
Ma believes that a solution to the problem could include, among other facilities, safe injection sites the size of porta potties.
“It’s very easily done. You can do this with plexiglass booths the size of, like, porta potties. Have them double in size, piece of plexiglass in between, or somehow secure. Have two of them face to face and have them throughout the city,” said Lynch.
“When did it become normal to think that it’s okay to smoke drugs in front of a f-ing church?” she went on to say. “When did it become normal to drive by and be okay with people smoking drugs in front of a f-ing church?”
The issues surrounding homelessness and drug use will probably never go away, but there are steps a community can take to minimize the issue. The city, with the help of the John Howard Society, is making a new centre for unhoused people they’re dubbing The Bridge Once finished, the banquet centre turned community hub, just off Station Street, will be a safe haven for those in need. Some people, however, don’t think it’ll be enough in the long run.
“It truly is just a Band-Aid that’s going to hold it for a while. It’ll offer our guests somewhere to be, including the warming centre, so they don’t have to leave,” said Cormier.
She’s hoping the centre will help prevent some deaths, and thinks it’ll be a good resource for people trying to get back on their feet, but doesn’t believe it’ll solve the issue long term.
“The systems are still stretched to their limits. The hospitals, the first responders, the frontline social services – if you don’t fix those, then all of this is for nothing because it can’t hold it up.”
Cormier wants to see all levels of government come together to protect their people.
“We need to set a precedent and we need to start making some change.”
Photo by Nic Adam
Agnes Kramer, from Hamilton, Ont., in a game against Gregg Bigourdin, from Winnipeg, Man., plays the word ‘stereos’. Bigourdin later won this match 375-343.
Photo by Isidore Champagne
Aidan Brough writes a letter to himself in the Shark Tank at Loyalist College.
Belleville Sens dominate at home
By Jilly MacIver
In a showdown at the CAA Arena this past Saturday, the Belleville Senators bounced back from a 4-1 defeat the day prior against the Rochester Americans. The Senators showcased their dominance, leaving the Americans frustrated after a commanding 4-1 victory.
The Senators, who were fuelled by an exceptional performance, brought the fight to their divisional rivals from beginning to end, leaving spectators overtly entertained.
The Senators wasted no time asserting their dominance, as Garrett Pilon unleased his offensive prowess in just over three minutes into the game, which
secured his 13th goal of the season past Rochester’s goaltender Devon Levi – a force to be reckoned with in the AHL.
The Senators early success set the tone for Belleville’s offensive assault. As the game progressed, the Senators power play continued to wreak havoc on the Americans. Midway through the second period, Rourke Chartier showcased his precision with a thunderous one-timer, extending the Senators’ lead to 2-0.
The Senators pressure was relentless and left the Americans exasperated which only led to further frustration. One shortlived brawl took place in the first period, followed by another in the second, as well as the only fight of the game between the Senators Angus Crookshank and Roches-
ters Graham Slaggert, and spectators’ eyes were glued to the entanglement.
The third period saw no interlude for Rochester as Cole Reinhardt further widened the gap, scoring his fifth goal of the season and pushing the score to 3-0. Despite Rochester’s efforts, their lone goal came in the last 10 minutes of the third, courtesy of Zack Metsa’s breakthrough against Belleville’s goaltender Kevin Mandolese.
However, any hopes of a Rochester comeback were gone when Chartier secured his second goal of the game in the last two minutes, sealing Belleville’s victory with a well-placed shot into the empty net. Chartier’s stellar performance earned him the spotlight, with two crucial goals and five shots on goal, highlighting his
impact on the ice. Key players contributed significantly to Belleville’s triumph. Donovan Sebrango registered two assists, which was his first multi-point game of the season. Angus Crookshank continued his impressive play with an assist, extending his point streak to four games now. Matt Highmore and Josh Currie also made notable contributions, each recording assists to propel Belleville to victory.
In the goaltending department, Senators goalie, Kevin Mandolese was a brick wall, turning away 22 of 23 shots against Rochester, displaying his resilience between the bars and leading Belleville to their undisputed victory. The Senators performance was sol -
id, with a 2/4 conversion rate on the power play and a flawless 4/4 display on the penalty kill, showcasing their solidity and efficiency in all areas of the game. With this victory, the Belleville Senators continue to fight for their position as a formidable force in the league. For now, the Senators are setting their sights as they prepare to face the Toronto Marlies in their upcoming game at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Wednesday.
As the Senators bask in the glory of their latest victory, their fans eagerly anticipate more outstanding performances as they are soon to embark on their playoff journey and work towards further success in the AHL.
Historical figures tell Belleville’s story
By Isidore Champagne
The Hastings County Historical Society hosted a public presentation on some of the most important and famous historical figures of this area on Jan.16. Tea, cookies and biscuits were served at the event.
The overarching goal of the society is to educate the public on the history that led us to the present day. The organization has published 18 plaques throughout Hastings County that highlight some of its history, 12 of which can be found walking down Front Street on Belleville. It also encourages the publication of books related to the history of this region.
“The world didn’t start when you were born. You’re the product of your family’s history, your family’s traits, your genes and the whole world,” said Richard Hughes, dressed in a top hat, black suit and sizable old -fashioned tie.
He’s the former Historical Society president and current Henry Corby impersonator. Originally born in England in 1806, Henry Corby led an interesting and tragic life that saw him suffer the loss of his wife and two of his children at once, but also saw him run a successful bakery and get himself elected twice as the mayor of Belleville. He even started a distillery that under his son became one of the largest producers of alcoholic beverages in the world.
“These endless series of stories and we like stories, it comes down to that,” said Hughes. The historian believes in the importance of understanding history, and in the power of a good story. “ …people make better decisions with where we should be going in the future.” The presentation started with the
Photo by Jilly MacIver
Belleville Sens make a comeback with a 4-1 victory over the Rochester Americans following their 4-1 defeat the day before.
Photo by Isidore Champagne
(From left) Richard Hughes dressed as Henry Corby, poses with other historical figures Ellen Bilbrough and William Canniff after the show.