Belleville, Ontario

11 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 Businesses in Belleville’s downtown have weathered the pandemic and many have thrived through innovative thinking and service delivery. The municipality worked closely with the Downtown Belleville Improvement Association to adapt quickly and create an online portal for residents to order curbside pick-up from downtown businesses. They also held outdoor events to bring people back downtown when COVID-19 cases were low. “They really did a good job in marketing themselves,” says Panciuk. “We’ve had a number of new businesses that have opened since COVID-19 started and we’re really proud to see them; from retail to personal services, like salons. There’s an underlying sense of opportunity and confidence in the future. Belleville has had very good occupancy rates for hotel stays. People have wanted to get out of the bigger centers and come to a place which is safe, and our numbers have stayed low during those high Upgrading Municipal Water Systems since 1977 Contact: pelaia@sympatico.ca or Call 416-990-5152