‘Why not me?’: University students tackle Windsor’s opioid crisis

A group of UWindsor students are calling for naloxone training in the city amid an opioid crisis. CTV Windsor’s Michelle Maluske reports.

Members of the University of Windsor’s Enactus are organizing city-wide naloxone training and an employment program for recovering addicts.

“People go downtown, they see that there’s people out there in need, but they might not actually know what to do or how to help them,” Aneesha Bhullar said.

“And the worst part about it is that people complain about it and they don’t know what to do, and nobody’s going to do anything. So why not me?” Madison Madore added.

Naloxone is a fast-acting medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, according to Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Bhullar and Madore are members of UWindsor’s Enactus; a global organization made up of post-secondary students who tackle real world issues in their community.

One of three projects now underway is called “Second Rise”.

They hope to hold their first campus-wide naloxone training session in December or January.

Each kit comes with a five-step tutorial, but Enactus wants to take the training further by discussing the stigma around drug use.

“People don’t want to help. They think that they shouldn’t have to help people who did that (consume illegal drugs) to themselves. Which is just so wrong,” Madore said.

Madore took first aid training from the Canadian Red Cross where she learned about the dangers of stigma.

“It was more meaningful,” she said.

The students have spoken with Windsor Police, campus police and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit for their naloxone training sessions.

And they’re partnering with Windsor’s House of Sophrosyne to help recovering addicts return to meaningful work.

“Individuals who have had substance abuse issues in the past are more likely to be disadvantaged in the workplace,” explained Bhullar.

“We want to help individuals get back on their feet by providing them with opportunities that can help them to get full time employment in the future.”

Already seven clients at House of Sophrosyne have expressed interest in working with Enactus in early 2026.