Belleville’s new council sworn in for 2022-2026 term

It was full pomp and circumstance for Belleville, Ont.’s new council as they were led by a piper into council chambers for the Tuesday swearing-in ceremony.

Neil Ellis returns as mayor after serving two terms in federal politics.

In his address, he highlighted infrastructure, homelessness and doctor recruitment as some of the challenges he would like to see addressed in this term of council.

“Housing … all municipalities are struggling with that, to partner with other levels of government to try to solve and alleviate that problem and leadership, having a united council to move forward,” said Ellis.

The city has three new councillors, two representing Ward 1 and one in the urban-rural mixed Ward 2.

Ward 1 Coun. Barbara Enright-Miller owns and operates two property management companies and echoes the mayor on some of the issues she wants to tackle in her first term as a municipal politician.

“We have a lot of issues ahead of us we all know what they are,” said Enright-Miller. “The homeless, the doctor shortage but I think we have a really solid team to move forward and get these issues solved.”

Kathryn Ann Brown, one of two Ward 2 councillors, says too many rural residents feel left out and sometimes forgotten when it comes to municipal decisions and projects.

“Particularly when we do roads, it takes a long time and they don’t always feel we’re communicating well in terms of what the status is,” said Brown.

Ward 1 councillor Lisa Anne Chatten spent a term as a Hastings Prince Edward District School Board trustee before her run for city council.

Many of the issues she wants to tackle are in line with those mentioned by the mayor in his speech.

“Retainment, that’s one part that I feel has been left out of the conversation. I’d like to keep some of the medical professionals that we already have that are absolutely excellent,” said Chatten. “Then, of course policing services. We want to help fortify the policing services.”