The meetings were both Belleville municipal candidates forums but the difference between them was like night and day.
The Belleville Chamber of Commerce’s Thurlow ward candidates night Thursday at the Gerry Masterson Community Centre was a straight forward, quiet, introduction and question and answer session.
The night before at the Ward 1 meeting at the Empire Theatre there was considerable friction between incumbent Mayor Mitch Panciuk and challenger, former Mayor Neil Ellis.
Ellis was unable to attend the Thurlow meeting, but for a very good reason, he was at his oldest daughter’s wedding rehearsal which had been scheduled well in advance.
Mayoral candidates Panciuk and Kyle Thomson did make statements and the crowd of about 150 people heard from the four candidates vying for two Ward 2 council seats, incumbents Paul Carr and Bill Sandison, and candidates Kathryn Brown and Michael Clark.
Kathryn Brown said she was in a good position to represent both rural and urban viewpoints on council as she owned a Downtown District business and had lived in Point Anne for several years. Brown said if elected a main priority she would push for would be the addition and extension of outdoor recreation activities and facilities in Thurlow. Specifically she sees the need for a walking, cycling trail from urban Belleville over Highway 401 extending north into Ward 2. Brown said her priorities, if elected, would be the creation of a more liveable and sustainable community, and one with more modern services.
Michael Clark, who runs a small business making custom bed frames and other furniture in Thurlow said he’d push for more affordable housing, calling housing costs ridiculous. He also said he’d push for more schools in Ward 2 saying the area was growing fast and both Harmony and Foxboro public schools were overcrowded, creating problems for both staff and students. He said he wouldn’t be afraid to “stir the pot” adding not much was happening in the northern part of the ward.
Incumbent Bill Sandison said he was privileged to serve the residents of Thurlow and said his “collaborative leadership style” had led to improvements in the city’s finances, public transit system, and long term care, among other sectors. He said under this council’s guidance the city was ready to tackle continuing growth, especially in the west and north ends.
Incumbent Paul Carr told the crowd it had been an “honour to serve” in Ward 2 for the past two terms, saying his guiding principle as a council representative was “it’s your community, it’s your priorities, I’m hear to listen and represent your ideas at council. I work for you!” He said public transit was a hot issue in Thurlow with some wanting an expansion of bus service from urban Belleville and others being against it. “What we really need to push for is an expanded regional transit system involving Quinte West and Prince Edward County. Carr also highlighted the city’s road rehabilitation program in Thurlow, an annual program that he pushed for on council back in 2021.
All candidates mentioned homelessness, affordable housing, and health care as being top priorities for them.
Meanwhile Mayor Mitch Panciuk said council’s four-year term was one of action. “Our accomplishments are undeniable. We’ve grown the local economy all the while keeping tax increases to a bare minimum.” Panciuk said in urban Cannifton the average tax increase over four years had been 1.32% while in rural areas the increases were below 1% during council’s term. Panciuk acknowledged that housing and affordable housing was a big issue and one that faced communities coast to coast. “We need to do more but council created a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) that allows us to offer incentives for housing and so far 550 new apartment units are in the pipeline and another 1,500 are in the planning stages. Panciuk also pointed to the huge Black Bear Village project that will bring services and facilities to Thurlow and to the importance of the BEAR (Belleville East Arterial Route) to expand the city’s northeast industrial park and local job prospects.
Mayoral candidate Kyle Thomson said he saw himself as an agent of change. “It seems to me the people are looking for another voice, a different way of looking at the community.” Thomson said there had always been a lot of talk by local politicians about infrastructure and other municipal responsibilities but there was little discussion about inflation and taxation. “We fail to look at and try to solve the bigger picture.” He said council was “playing catch up” on population growth adding he sees great things ahead for the city and region but warned residents should be working together to accomplish things. “If we work as a community, there are projects we can do to improve our standard of living, our incomes, without any effect on taxes.” Referring to homelessness and health care Thomson said, “We keep doing the same things over and over and doctors and nurses continue to leave their professions. Let’s talk to them and find out why.” Thomson believes many would return to work if there were more mayors and councils stepping up to defend them when governments overstepped their regulatory authority, infringing on individual rights.
Also speaking briefly at the forum were various school board trustee candidates, including Colin Duffy, Christine Herrington, Evan Little, Matthew Pinchuk, Amanda Robertson, and Emma Travis for the two seats on Hastings Prince Edward District School Board. Appearing as candidates for the Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic School Board were Anthea Murrell and Osborne Noronha.
