Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis cast a spotlight on the year to come at the annual Belleville New Year Levee at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre on Wednesday.
Mayor Ellis’s speech focused on an optimistic vision for the future, taking a look at the steps being taken in the coming year to address pressing issues in the community. The mayor spoke in front of a gathered crowd of Belleville residents and representatives from neighbouring communities.
The number one issue he spoke about was the ongoing shortage of doctors, and the success of the doctor recruitment program. Manager of Physician Recruitment and Retention, Karen Poste, is currently in talks with 10 different doctors with the intent to bring them to practise in Belleville.
“The community has told us that they clearly lack primary health care and this has been an issue of my council. We have extended unlimited budget on recruiting family doctors and our goal is to recruit more,” said Mayor Ellis.
The program has been casting a wide net, looking both inside and outside Canada for talent. The program has successfully recruited doctors from the United Kingdom who are practising now, and are in talks with doctors from as far away as Australia.
An assembled crowd of Belleville residents wait for Mayor Neil Ellis to begin his speech. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
The mayor also stressed that this isn’t a municipal responsibility, calling on Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Alsopp and the provincial government to also take action on the shortage of doctors. During an interview after the mayor’s speech, MPP Alsopp said that the province is continuing to invest in healthcare as a main priority.
“This has been a long-term problem and it’s going to require long-term solutions, that’s what we’re doing,” said MPP Alsopp. “The challenge with doctors is it takes a long time to educate them. So if we do something today, it’s six or seven or eight years before we see the results of that.”
The province has already invested in more training programs for doctors, in an effort to meet the rising demand for primary care physicians.
Healthcare wasn’t the only challenge looked at in the year to come. Homelessness in the community also received attention. The ongoing addictions issues among those experiencing homelessness received focus in Mayor Ellis’ speech. Mayor Ellis says they plan to have The Bridge services hub ready to launch this summer, as a combined facility offering addictions treatment, mental health care, and shelter for those who need it.
“This issue has been front and centre, not only in our community, but communities that surround us,” said Mayor Ellis. “Whether it’s Bancroft, Cobourg, Durham Region, the numbers are growing, and it’s staggering. The numbers that I’m hearing, we’re looking at doubling of the unhoused by 2028. Something has to be done.”
The Bridge is only one part of the solution put forward by Mayor Ellis. He highlighted the large amount of residential construction either already started or set to begin in the coming year, with a focus on apartment buildings and a split between market rate and affordable housing, to give people without shelter a place they can afford to stay.
During the speech, Mayor Ellis also pointed out the rapid growth of business in the area with new businesses launching in Belleville, and planned expansions to the industrial park to accommodate new facilities, bringing new jobs to the area.
The Belleville Concert Band played during the Levee, entertaining the crowd both before and after the mayor’s speech. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele
