Bay of Quinte riding Member of Provincial Parliament Tyler Allsopp squeezed a lot of information into a short presentation to a breakfast meeting of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday but one topic drew the most attention.
And that was the BEAR, otherwise known as the Belleville East Arterial Road, new exit/entrance ramps off Highway 401 in east Belleville leading into or away from the expanding industrial park.
Allsopp said shoulder and culvert work was ongoing through the Quinte area as part of an eventual widening of Hwy 401 to six lanes, with room for eight lanes.
Allsopp said the BEAR is part of the widening process and the work should be well underway if not done in six or seven years.
The MPP stopped short of saying the province would pay for the new interchange but said he’s very
optimistic they will be. Premier Doug Ford himself said his government would pony up for the Bear at a
recent event in the area.
Allsopp also spent time outlining several major investments his government has made in the riding over the past couple of years.
They included the The Bridge (HART Hub) on Alhambra Square. The province has provided $6.4 million a year for three years to cover operating costs for the facility which serves the homeless population in Belleville.
The province has provided $3.3 million to the city from its Building Faster fund because Belleville
has met or almost met its new housing start targets. The money was put toward the huge Avonlough Pumping Station project that, when completed, will open the far west end of the city for as many as 9,000 new homes.
Allsopp highlighted his government providing the city $33 million for infrastructure upgrades between 2021 and 2026, much higher than the $8.3 million provided in the previous few years.
Another multi-million dollar provincial investment has led to 320 new modern long-term care beds in Belleville.
One hundred and twenty eight new beds plus 32 redeveloped beds are now available at Westgate Lodge and 160 additional beds will be filled soon as the Neighbourhood Better Living LTC will be opening very soon on Sidney Street near Bell Boulevard.
Allsopp said as good as the news was, a lot more work had to be done on long-term care as the demand for the facilities continues to grow.
And, Allsopp told Chamber members the province provided a crucial $20 million to Quinte Health for important upgrades to infrastructure at Belleville General Hospital.
The money was used for new boilers and chillers and a large backup generator system.
CEO of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce Jill Raycroft. (Photo: Quinte News)
