Quinte News is beginning its look back on the year that was 2025.
We had a chance to speak with Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis on how the city fared for the year.
Ellis says this year they were able secure quite a bit of funding from the federal government.
“We secured historic levels of federal funding, including $16.2 million from the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, and another $10.5 million from the Housing Accelerator Fund, and $4 million for The Bridge, so upwards of $30 million in the last year,” Ellis tells Quinte News.
“So that’s record historical funding which helps.”
He says the funding from the federal government has been significant compared to the “unsuccessful” attempts at funding from the province.
“The federal government has given the biggest grant the City of Belleville has ever received in its history. So when we look at $30 million over the stretch of the year, our biggest grant before that would have been when we built the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, and that was around a $13-million commitment,” Ellis said.
“So great that the federal government stepped up to the plate, and we’ll still have to be putting pressure on the provincial government.”
Mayor Ellis also touted the success of the city’s doctor recruitment program.
“Although it’s a provincial issue, it is what we have to be involved in when it affects our community,” Ellis tells Quinte News.
“Karen Poste has been successful in recruiting 10 family physicians, two specialists and a nurse practitioner, and in her three years as being our recruiter, 24 doctors.”
Finally, Ellis highlighted some of the projects underway in the city, including the new YMCA Centre for Life on Bridge Street West.
The facility was initially to be built at the fairgrounds at the corner of Bridge and Sidney streets, but further testing of the soil showed issues that would cause delays to the project.
He said staff were able to keep the project on its timeline by moving it to a nearby location.
“Little problem with the land as we’re well aware of and staff were able to turn that project around in about two months and find a new site and we feel probably this site is better,” Ellis said.
“If we would have waited for the fairgrounds property, we would have been another two years probably to get anything built there.”
With the new fairgrounds, Ellis said the “metal and the steel” were going up on the property and highlighted it as another project that the city was able to break ground on for 2025.
