Paul Carr – Councillor for Ward 2 of City of Belleville, ON

Paul Carr is a councillor of the City of Belleville for Ward 2 (Thurlow). First first served on council from 2000 to 2003 and was elected to council in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. As a councillor, he is a part-time employee of the City.

He is running for re-election to council in the City of Belleville in the 2022 municipal election.

• Member Since: December 2014
• Salary (2019): $30,851

Early life

Carr was raised in the Bay of Quinte region and has lived in Thurlow Ward for over 23 years and is a over 23 year veteran of the Correctional Service of Canada.

Education

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Honours Criminology from the University of Windsor.

Community involvement

• Chairperson of the Belleville Public Library Board
• Departmental Performance Standards Committee
• Hastings-Quinte Emergency Services Committee
• Vice-Chairperson of the Grant Committee
• Planning Advisory Committee
• Active Transportation Committee
• Quinte Conservation
• Hiring Policies / Practices Review Committee
• Thurlow Community Centre Committee
• Hastings-Quinte Human Services Committee

Career

He has worked at six different penitentiaries during his career and currently oversees case management at Bath Institution, east of Belleville.

• Member of Council – December 2014 to present
• Member of Council – December 2000 to November 2003
• Manager at Bath Institution for Correctional Service Canada
• Certified Crisis Negotiator instructor involved in resolving a number of serious barricaded incidents and disturbances

Voting history

2018 election priorities

• Protect and advocate for funding for the Comprehensive Road Maintenance Program to ensure our sustained focus on good roads does not change.
• Propose city-wide pre-budget consultations to enhance citizen engagement, including public meetings and community surveys.
• Set Operating Budget targets for city staff to ensure tax impact is minimal.
• Reintroduce my motion for the creation of a Lobbyist Registry to ensure transparency at City Hall.
• Reintroduce my motion for a Vacant Building Registry which would be self-funded to target chronic vacancies and prevent urban decay.
• Propose the creation of a business start-up or occupancy grant program with the taxes received as a result of eliminating the vacant building tax rebate.
• Create a Performance Management system, which includes annual department plans, results-based budgeting, and performance agreements for all employees, with the goal of focusing on our corporate priorities, enhanced service delivery, optimizing the customer service experience and ensuring value for money.
• Introduce a Pay-As-You-Go Capital Budget Program in order to reduce the reliance on debt.
• Support measured and reasonable public – private waterfront development that enhances community space.
• Continued focus on a diversified economy, including private investment in tourism infrastructure.
• Continue to advocate to senior levels of government in relation to hydro costs (Veridian service in Ward 2) and active transportation (cycling / pedestrian facilities) over Hwy 401. Monitor rural broadband expansion and continue to communicate with our Member of Parliament to ensure it meets expected results.
• Ensure we have an Affordable Housing Strategy that includes mixed affordability in all new developments and partner with Habitat for Humanity in securing land for development.
• Continue to host bi-annual town hall Ward meetings to hear your concerns, ideas and maintain my accountability to you.
• Expand the physician recruitment program to include nurse practitioners, which will include some discussion with the provincial government.
• Build upon our subdivision parks that now have new playground equipment with the installation of splash pads and multi-purpose play surfaces (outdoor skating rinks, basketball and tennis courts).
• Review demand for the expansion of modernized transit options to service ever growing neighbourhood communities in Ward 2.
• Propose the implementation of Community Engagement Surveys to obtain feedback on city services and programs as well as provide every resident with the opportunity to help shape our City with their ideas.
• Increase property tax credit for low income seniors homeowners to $800 per year by 2022 in order to help seniors with the affordability to remain in their homes.

Results

See the list on his website.

2022 election priorities

From his website:

• Introduce a motion that City Council host a Homelessness / Mental Health Summit, as the entire community has a part to play in elevating and supporting those in need. 
• Protect current funding and advocate for more in relation to the Comprehensive Road Maintenance Program to ensure our sustained focus on good roads does not change.
• Propose city-wide pre-budget consultations to enhance citizen engagement, including public meetings and community surveys.
• Set Operating Budget targets for city staff to ensure tax impact is minimal.
• Enhance Open Government by modernizing City Council meeting times, having all committee meetings streamed online and greater ease of access to municipal records. 
• Reintroduce my motion for the creation of a Lobbyist Registry to ensure transparency at City Hall.
• Reintroduce my motion for a Vacant Building Registry which would be self-funded to target chronic vacancies and prevent urban decay.
• Create a Performance Management system, which includes annual department plans, results-based budgeting, and performance agreements for all employees, with the goal of focusing on our corporate priorities, enhanced service delivery, optimizing the customer service experience and ensuring value for money.
• Support measured and reasonable public – private waterfront development that enhances community space.
• Continued focus on a diversified economy, including private investment in tourism infrastructure.
• Continue to advocate to senior levels of government in relation to active transportation (cycling / pedestrian facilities) over Hwy 401. Monitor rural broadband expansion.
• Promote the greater utilization of volunteer firefighter component of the Belleville Fire and Emergency Services to ensure cost-effective level of service.
• Continue to host bi-annual town hall Ward meetings to hear your concerns, ideas and maintain my accountability to you.
• Expand the physician recruitment program to include nurse practitioners and other health care professionals, which will require advocacy and discussion with the provincial government.
• Build upon our subdivision and community parks that now have new playground equipment with the installation of splash pads and multi-purpose play surfaces (outdoor skating rinks, basketball and tennis courts). 
• Enhance public safety in our neighbourhoods by requesting a review of lowering speed limits to 40 km/h and other public safety measures for our roads. 
• Propose the implementation of Community Engagement Surveys to obtain feedback on city services and programs as well as provide every resident with the opportunity to help shape our City with their ideas.
• Increase property tax credit for low income seniors & ODSP recipient homeowners to $1200 per year by 2026 in order to continue to help with the affordability to remain in their homes. It is currently $800 per year and was $200 in 2014. 
• focus on the City’s customer service policy and departmental performance

He received a recommendation from Quinte Labour Council.

Issues & views

• Improved road maintenance
• Key performance indicators for city departments
• More transparent council business
• Fiscal responsibility to set annual budget targets without reducing services

Affordable housing

At the end of the day, the housing crisis has been declared a national crisis. We’ve heard it at the federal government level. And so if, if it’s at a national level, we can’t very well think here that we’re going to solve it, the nine of us and staff and other stakeholders locally without some structural changes. … there’s a lot of variables involved when it comes to the housing sector, and not one solution is going to fix it. We need systemic changes at the national level, certainly at the provincial level, which then will trickle down here for us to do the things that we can do.

Personal life

Paul Carr is a married father of two. His wife is an elementary school teacher.

2018 election results

2014 election results

Meetings

Contact

• Phone: 343-367-9667
• Email: [email protected]
• Website
• Campaign Facebook, Facebook
• Twitter