Kathryn Ann Brown – Councillor for Ward 2 in City of Belleville, ON

Kathryn Ann Brown is running as a candidate for councillor in Ward 2 of the City of Belleville in the 2022 municipal election. She ran unsuccessfully in 2018, placing 3rd with 867 votes.

Kathryn Brown moved to the Bay of Quinte Region in 2010 seeking both a new adventure and a fresh start. She is a 10-year resident of Thurlow.

Education

• Studied Finance at Institute of Canadian Bankers (ICB)
• Attended Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute high school in Scarborough, ON

Community involvement

• Chair of the Downtown District BIA (finished term January 2022).
• Chair of the Board of Directors with Habitat for Humanity, Prince Edward & Hastings Counties
• Hospice Quinte’s Build Committee for the Stan Klemencic Centre 2018-2020
• Served on City of Belleville committees:
  • Planning Advisory Committee 2018-2022
    • Brownfields Sub-Committee, 
  • Economic Development & Destination, 
  • Gerry Masterson Community Centre Board of Director
• Recipient of the Queens Jubilee Medal in 2010 for her 35 years working at the local, regional, provincial and national levels with Scouts Canada

Voting history

Career

• Owner of Kate’s Kitchen Shop in Belleville
• Program Director at BMO Financial Group for 35 years, handling multi-million dollar projects.

2022 election priorities

From her website:

Livable & Sustainable Community

Your advocate for:

• Increased outdoor spaces; connected trails and recreational spaces for residents
• Creating more medical care opportunities (such as Nurse Practitioner Clinics) to counter the effect of doctor shortages
• Advancing discussions with HPESB regarding the need for schools in our growing community
• Creating favourable circumstances for increased Agri-Tourism and recreation that will increase tourism
• Creation of more affordable home ownership and mixed-middle housing

Modernizing Services

• Expansion of water and sanitary infrastructure (funded through investment (and not solely through property taxes)
• Continued discussion on city-wide transit for residents in Ward 2
• Protecting our volunteer firefighters

Fair Representation

• Respecting rural needs / wants, while representing the suburban growth north of Highway 401
• Creating a balance for the representation of Thurlow (north, east and southern areas) – the fastest growing area of Belleville

Affordable home ownership is a priority for Kathryn and she’s excited to see all the new Habitat for Humanity projects beginning in September 2022.

What developments would you advocate for in Thurlow?

Issues and views

On the location of Grace Inn homeless shelter

(2016) Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a loud & strong advocate of social justice issues – Homelessness, Food Banks, Children & Youth. Lately there has been much discussion about Grace Inn and their crowdfunding initiative to support a homeless shelter in downtown Belleville. Admittedly, this has me sitting on the fence….

1) Clearly there is a need and I support any initiative that gives someone a hand-up.

2) Given the misinformation & reputation that many of us downtown are trying to change, is the downtown really the optimal place to locate a homeless shelter? This seems to be counter-intuitive to the reputation we’re trying to change.

Yeah, I know one cannot stick one’s head in the sand and expect it’s going to go away. But is there a location close by that would have a lesser impact on the downtown core??

Time for discussion……GO!!

On minimum wage

Signed and shared a petition opposing the 2018 minimum wage increase.

On safety and security in the downtown district

As chair of the DBIA, Brown appeared alongside Executive Director Marijo Cuerrier before City Council in February 2020 to provide a list of issues:

Despite extensive investment in both dollars and manpower in Belleville’s Downtown District issues persist that is threatening our long-term success. When looked at by a crime statistics view we appear to experience the same or less than bad behaviours in other parts of the city. However, what we do experience is a significantly higher degree of social disorder. It is the impact of this social disorder that we believe are some of the contributing factors that we are here to address with you today.

There have been positive outcomes that are changing people’s perceptions. The announcement that the OATC (Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre) clinic’s relocation, the razing of the Cabaret building, and the recent decision on the Memorial Arena and Legion properties.

Marijo Cuerrier, executive director:

On the flip side we are also seeing the opening of the Grace Inn Shelter, the change in location of the Warming Centre, and an unplanned food program in the Market Square. And, coincidentally, a marked increase in transient foot traffic during both the daytime and nighttime hours in the core and along our waterfront trails. We’ve also seen an increase in unacceptable behaviour in some of these visitors.

Damage to properties and an increase in cigarette and general litter on the streets. Disrespectful language and loitering in large groups.

We’ve also been montoring a noticeable increase in unacceptable activity. This negative downturn has had an impact on morale of our residents, our property owners and our businesses in a district that we are working hard to repair.

We will probably take a little PR backlash for exposing the underbelly of downtown.

The unplanned food program was reportedly run by Not Alone Team Quinte – a two women run group that serves nearly 50 hot meals free of charge to those homeless/less privileged in our community operating in Market Square

Brown referred to a “blue cloud of obscenity” and altercations between customers.

Brown told Quinte News: 

We’d like to make a decision like a warming centre that we at least have a voice. So then we can talk about some of the implications. When it comes to whether or not a food program is going to be served on Market Square and whether permits should be issued. We’d like to have a voice in being able to say what are some of the challenges we’ve experienced in the past and what are some of the solutions to being able to fix that. It’s a really important message for us. We understand. We are a very caring and compassionate group of people and that was why we worked with so many of our partner agencies to try and find good answers.

Responding to a Reddit user who posted articles relating to this and criticised Brown, she responded:

Appreciate the shoutout. You know you are making a difference when you get a nasty review from a nameless nobody about the changes you are leading. So sad someone’s life is so hate-filled that the best they can do is send a Reddit message out to a small group of followers. ?

On moving the OATC (methadone) from Front St to 125 Church St

Kathryn Brown, chairperson for the BDIA, said the move fits with the organization’s discussions of creating an experience downtown and making it something walkable and positive for people.

It’s been a bit of a challenge with the clientelle that was there, so I think this is a really good move for them in terms of moving into facilities that are more appropriate and it’s a positive thing for downtown because we can now look at how do we attract tenants into that location that really fall within the vision and the mandate we are trying to undertake

Brown said she felt the OATC contributed to some people’s apprehension about going downtown.

A lot of people feel because they see their clients standing out on the sidewalk that it’s intimidating to people wanting to come down to certain things in the downtown, and that’s not fair to the clients to be standing out in front like that. So this new location will be ideal for that and I just hope that we get the zoning amendment required. The BDIA will do whatever we can to help them with this transition.

Personal life

Brown is a self-described “military mom” of 3 children. Her eldest is a Senior Warrant Officer in the army based at CFB Moncton and he completed 2 tours in Afghanistan. Her middle son is a Navy guy and is currently assigned to the HMCS Toronto based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Her youngest son lives here in Belleville and works hard in the construction trade. 

Contact

• Website
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 613-922-5350
• Campaign Facebook, Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Reddit

Over to you

What do you think of Kathryn Ann Brown as a councillor candidate for Belleville?