Bruce Power, supplier partners donate $145,000 toward SON addiction treatment centre

Bruce Power and its supplier partners have donated $145,000 to help in the battle against addiction and suicide in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) territory.

The donation was presented during the recent Help for Hope charity golf tournament.

“Bruce Power and our supplier partners are proud to support the community in the fight against this epidemic,” said Marsha Roote, Indigenous community engagement lead.

Borne out of a drug crisis that has claimed numerous community members to overdose and suicide, the grassroots project began in 2022 to raise money for a treatment centre to allow people to receive immediate help. Currently, there can be up to a six-month waiting period once people decide they need help.

For one of the organizers, Sonya Roote, this important cause is all too personal. She golfed with her son, Dallas, in the inaugural Help for Hope Tournament in 2022 and tragically lost him to overdose in 2024. This year’s tournament, the Dallas Thompson-Roote Memorial Help for Hope Charity Golf Tournament, was named in his honour.

“Losing my son has ripped my whole world apart,” said Sonya Roote. “His 12-year-old daughter is now growing up without her dad and it's heartbreaking.”

Sadly, many in the SON community are facing the same pain.

“(Addiction and suicide) is an epidemic and we have lost so many members of our community, mostly young people, to drug- and alcohol-related deaths over the years,” Sonya Roote said. “It's crushing our community as our families are in a constant state of grieving. As we are such a close-knit community, where we all know each other, every death affects every person in Saugeen.

“There is never enough time to grieve a loss before another loss happens. The children are losing parents, parents are losing their children, and grandparents are raising children because their parents have either died or are lost in the world of addictions. Hope seems to be dying and we need to help bring the hope back to Saugeen.”

So far, the community has raised $175,000 and will continue its efforts until a treatment centre becomes a reality. It is grateful for any donation and will provide receipts for tax purposes. If you would like to donate, send an E-mail message to sonya.roote@saugeen.org and/or cheree.urscheler@saugeen.org.

“Every dollar brings us closer to a place where help is immediate, where families don’t have to wait, and where our children and loved ones can find healing,” said Cheree Urscheler. “In a community that has felt the weight of loss for far too long, this generosity is truly a ray of light that touches every heart here.”

Following an emotional and difficult day for the participants at the memorial golf tournament, Sonya Roote said the donation from Bruce Power and its supplier partners was a welcomed surprise.

“All of the tears that I held in that day just came pouring out,” she said. “The generosity for a cause that is so close to our hearts was just overwhelming.”



James Scongack (centre) and Marsha Roote (third from right) of Bruce Power present a cheque for $145,000 to Help for Hope to raise money for addictions treatment