The Belleville Chamber of Commerce has been an active partner through the provincial chamber network in building advocacy through the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to support municipalities and agencies struggling to manage the impact of community safety and the mental health and addictions crisis seen across Ontario (and the country). This work has extended to a formal research study conducted by the Healthy Communities, Applied Research team at Loyalist College. The report “The Hidden Cost of Community Safety” was released to Belleville City Council and media on February 17, 2026 to assist with discussion and solution building surrounding the crisis.
Communities across Ontario are experiencing escalating community safety impacts linked to unmet mental health and addictions needs, homelessness, and housing instability. This has increased reliance on police, paramedics, and emergency departments, while chronically underfunded community agencies, city councils and local taxpayers absorb expanding responsibilities and costs.
Managing the crisis is becoming a structural feature of society that requires budget and resources at the municipal level, diverting taxpayer dollars to support frontline service needs rather than investing in infrastructure and development that support the sustainable growth of their communities. Following Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis’s declaration of the state of emergency, Belleville’s Chamber of Commerce CEO Jill Raycroft raised concerns to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, requesting support to lead or follow advocacy efforts supporting those organizations and municipalities managing the complex crisis of community safety, mental health and addictions, access to housing and homelessness.
The initial reaction was tentative because “social issues are not business issues.” In an effort to assess the impact of social issues on businesses, a preliminary study developed by the Belleville chamber in early 2025 was directed through chambers (and their members) across 16 communities. The data identified cumulative operating and capital investments of more than four million dollars (2019-2024) and 70% of businesses responding were located outside of a downtown core. This exposed some of the hidden costs and how widespread the impact is felt across the province.
This led to a formal research study, conducted by Loyalist College’s Healthy Communities team in Applied Research. In essence, the goal of the study was to identify similarities and trending initiatives across many mid-size cities to assist with developing recommendations to the provincial government for funding expanded services the crisis requires, especially in communities who don’t have access to additional health care resource larger centres have (including access to primary health care).
The report documents post-pandemic increases in visible homelessness, substance use, public disorder, and crisis behaviours outpacing local capacity and affecting business operations and confidence in shared spaces. It also cautions against single-track responses and underscores the need for evidence-based collaboration and comparable data to guide interventions and reduce unintended harm.
Over the course of this time, the OCC has become an active advocate through their own reports and policy work.
In January 2025, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce hosted a roundtable discussion “Beyond Blue Monday” with representatives from BIAs, shelters, mental health and Hart Hubs, and private industry, along with the Ontario Municipality Association and chambers. Summarizing the impact of this discussion, it was noted by the OCC that “one of the strongest themes that surfaced was the importance of not working in siloes. Many people emphasized the need for integrated approaches for a continuum of care, shared responsibility, and ongoing collaboration across sectors.”
Chambers acknowledge they are not the experts and are not in a position to identify specific solutions within the recommendations but can add their voice to those who can.
Chambers can act as “honest brokers” to assist with collecting information and breaking down siloes as they support members who feel the impact across the spectrum. They can adjust advocacy mandates to acknowledge social issues that are also business issues because the current crisis has an impact on economic development and growth.
The OCC can help by standing up with municipalities, agencies, and frontline workers who have extended their roles for years and built integrated approaches, forced into the “shared responsibility” of a problem created by the cumulative damage of decades of insufficient provincial system capacity.
Essentially, it is time for the province to take this problem back.
As the next step, the Belleville Chamber has submitted a policy resolution document that will be open for debate in late April, with two simple recommendations; that the Ontario Chamber of Commerce urges the Government of Ontario to:
- Restore systems that will provide adequate access to primary health care and housing stability
- Support communities managing the crisis by reducing administrative barriers to funding
If the resolution passes, the Ontario Chamber will be available to support those associations and organizations who are also asking the province to make the necessary investments to prevent the problem from growing and funding the management of the crisis right now.
