WATERLOO -- Calls to a mental health hotline in the Waterloo area have spiked more than 44 per cent since the COVID-19 pandemic began, new figures from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of Waterloo Wellington show. In a presentation at the Waterloo Region’s weekly COVID-19 update, CMHA Waterloo Wellington’s chief executive Helen Fishburn said calls to the Here 24/7 helpline soared from 4,500 per month in March 2020 to 6,500 in the same month this year. “Many folks that we’re seeing through Here 24/7 are people that have had to reach out for the first time and have never needed that help before,” Fishburn said. “COVID-19 is the number one reason why people are calling.”