City of Belleville, Ontario Town Council 2022-2026

The City of Belleville is represented by City Council that consists of the Mayor (who is elected at-large) and eight Councillors (six of whom are elected from the ‘Belleville’ Ward 1 and two from the Ward 2 ‘Thurlow’ Ward).

Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Belleville is between Ottawa and Toronto, along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor.

City of Belleville council members

The council and school board term of office will run from November 15, 2022 to November 14, 2026.

Department initiatives, budgets and performance

Topics

Updates

City of Belleville updates

Open Data Maps

• Bag Tag Seller Locations
• Leaf and Yard Waste Collection Zones
• Garbage Collection Schedule
• Recycling Collection Schedule
• Interactive Map – Planning, Zoning, Areas, Hertitage, etc.
• Current Planning and Development Applications
• Zoning, Zoning By-law
• Subdivisions
• Accessory Dwelling Unit Registry
• Parcels of land
• Residential Land Supply
• Special Planning Areas
• Roads, Trails and Sidewalks, Road Closures

How to stay up to date

• Calendar of past and upcoming meetings
• Subscribe to the Public Consultation Centre page
• Watch council meetings on YouTube
• Subscribe to specific meetings and committees
• Subscribe to City newsletters such as “Public Engagement”, “City Council” and “News Release”
  • City council meeting highlights and summaries
  • Town hall and public Meetings
  • Yard waste and bulky item collections
  • Surveys

Budgets

• Operating & Capital Budgets

Guiding policies

• Budget and Financial Controls Policy (2023)
  • Tangible Capital Asset Policy
  • Purchasing Policy
• Official Plan By-law 2021-180 – goals, objectives, and Policies which guide our land use planning decisions
  • Population, Housing and Employment Growth Forecast Update 2022-2051
  • Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) (2019)
• Loyalist Secondary Plan By-law 2010-180 – Developments in the Secondary Planning area, 950 hectares (2347 acres) of land located east of Wallbridge Loyalist Road, south of Highway 401 and north of the Bay of Quinte.
• Asset Management Plan (2022) (2014) – Guides the capital Budget and is informed by:
  • Strategic Plan 2012-2032
  • Parks and Recreation Master Plan (2021)
  • Infrastructure Phasing Strategy
  • Development Charges Background Study (2020), 2021
  • Wet Weather and Wastewater Servicing Master Plan (2019)
  • Transportation Master Plan (2014) – Guides the provision of transportation infrastructure and services in Belleville over the next 20 years
  • Road Needs Study
• Surplus & Deficit Management Policy (2024) and report
• Reserve & Reserve Fund Policy (2024), report, summary of changes, target positions
• Climate Emergency Declaration (2021)
• Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Master plans

• Fire Master Plan (2024)
• Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (MAP) 2023-2027
• Transit Master Plan (2023) (Staff Report) (our post)
• Community Improvement Plan (2021)
• Water Financial Plan (2020)
• Belleville Wet Weather and Wastewater Servicing Master Plan (2019)
• Transportation Master Plan (2014)

Studies – ongoing

• KPMG Organizational Review (coming soon)
• Parking Study (2024)
• User Fees Review (2023)
• Business Retention & Expansion (BR+E) Program (2023)
• Corridor Study – Bell Boulevard and North Front Street (2021) – Currently in Phase 4 of the Study, the Project Team will consider background studies, data, and public input received in drafting a Corridor Plan identifying recommended land uses and policies. The Plan is expected to be presented to Council and the Public for feedback and final approval in late spring 2023. 
• Loyalist West Secondary Plan Update (2021) – Currently in Phase 4 of the study, the project team will consider all background research, data, and input received from public engagement in drafting recommended Updates to the land use concept and policies to guide development in this area. These are expected to be presented to Council and the public for feedback and final approval in late 2023. 

Studies – past

• Downtown Commons Feasibility and Economic Impact Study (2019)

Council documents

Visit the CivicWeb Portal and DocumentCenter to access reports, meeting agendas and other documents such as the:

• Conflict of Interest registry
• Personal Information Bank Index
• Bylaws
• Policies
• Meeting agendas
• Meeting minutes
• Building Reports
• Committee of Adjustment

Legislated requirements

The following are some of the Provincial statutes that govern how the municipality conducts its business in a public, accountable and transparent manner:

1. Municipal Act – Governs the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Municipality. It also imposes requirements on Municipalities in relation to retention and provision of access to municipal records.
2. Municipal Conflict of Interest Act
3. Municipal Elections Act
4. Provincial Offences Act
5. Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
6. Personal Health Information Protection Act
7. Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
8. Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act
9. Bill 168, Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace)
10. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act
11. Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Local Boards

In addition to the above, there are various provincial and federal statutes that govern the operations of the City and its services.

Elections

• 2022 Belleville, ON Municipal Election Candidates & Results

Ward map

For more detail, see the Belleville GIS Ward Map.

Election Compliance Audit Committee

City of Belleville shares a joint election compliance audit committee with:

• County of Prince Edward
• City of Quinte West
• Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, and
• Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board

For 2022-2026, the members are:

• Louise Grosjean
• Cheryl J. Vandervoort
• Chris Salt
• Robert J. Ord
• Wayne B. Tod
• Ron Colucci

About Belleville

The City of Belleville, known as the ‘Friendly City’, is located at the mouth of the Moira River where it meets the picturesque Bay of Quinte. Experience world-class fishing, boating, cycling, and walking along approximately 14 kilometers of waterfront trails. Situated between Toronto and Montreal, and less than one hour from the U.S. border, the City truly is at the center of it all.

Approximately 56,000 people make Belleville their home and over 220,000 live within 30 minutes of the City. We are in close proximity to Prince Edward County where you can discover award winning wineries and numerous beaches including Sandbanks Provincial Park. We are home to Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology as well as Albert College, Canada’s oldest co-ed boarding independent private school. The historic downtown core provides numerous restaurants, shopping and live music and theater venues for an amazing cultural experience. Our inviting blend of small town warmth and big city amenities, quality of life and affordable housing make Belleville the perfect place to live, work and play. More information is available at www.belleville.ca

Comparator municipalities

The 2024 User Fee Study by Strategy Corp identified Belleville’s comparator municipalities as:

• Medium-size cities: Quinte West, Peterborough, Cornwall, and North Bay
• Proximate municipalities: Cobourg, Cramahe (Colborne), Brighton, Prince Edward County, Stirling, Marmora, Centre Hastings, Tweed, Deseronto, Napanee, and Kingston.

Statistics

Population (2021)

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the City of Belleville had a population of 55,071 living in 23,536 of its 24,582 total private dwellings, a change of 8.6% from its 2016 population of 50,716. With a land area of 247.15 km² (95.43 sq mi), it had a population density of 222.8/km² (577.1/sq mi) in 2021. [source]

At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Belleville – Quinte West CMA had a population of 111,184 living in 46,213 of its 48,274 total private dwellings, a change of 7.5% from its 2016 population of 103,401. With a land area of 1,337.5 km² (516.4 sq mi), it had a population density of 83.1/km² (215.3/sq mi) in 2021. [source]

Meetings

Have a complaint?

Integrity Commissioner

Belleville’s Integrity Commissioner is appointed to address the application of the Code of Conduct for elected officials and/or members of local boards and whose powers and duties are Section 223.3 of the Municipal Act.

You can submit a formal complaint here.

Robert J. Swayze
Integrity Commissioner
20736 Mississauga Road
Caledon, ON  L7K 1M7

• Tele: 519-942-0070
• Fax: 519-942-1233
• Email:  [email protected]

Ombudsman

The Ontario Ombudsman accepts general complaints about municipalities or any of the more than 1,000 provincial government and broader public sector bodies they oversee.

You can Submit a Complaint online, or call their staff at 1-800-263-1830 to find out how they can help.

Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario | Bureau de l’Ombudsman de l’Ontario
1-800-263-1830 – Complaints Line | Ligne des plaintes
1-866-411-4211 – TTY | ATS
www.ombudsman.on.ca

Closed meetings

If you believe that a City of Belleville council meeting or part of a meeting was closed to the public improperly – ie. the reason doesn’t fall within one of the 14 exceptions – you can submit a complaint to the Ontario Ombudsman.