Business View Civil and Municipal | January 2021

132 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL JANUARY 2021 AT A GLANCE BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO WHAT: Beautiful historic city; population 51,000 WHERE: Eastern end of Lake Ontario on the Bay of Quinte WEBSITE: www.belleville.ca Belleville, ONTARIO I n 1789 a group of more than 50 settlers arrived in the area now know as Belleville, Ontario. Among this group of United Empire Loyalists was Captain John Walden Meyers, who orchestrated the building of a dam on the Moira river, along with a sawmill, a gristmill and a distillery. He also operated a brick kiln and a trading post. His contributions brought more settlers to the area, eventually forming the community first known as Myers’ Creek. The name was changed to Belleville in 1816 after a visit from Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Gore, as an honor to his wife Lady Arabella. Today, the City of Belleville is a vibrant, growing Eastern Ontario community welcoming new residents and industries. Ideally located mid-way between Toronto and Ottawa, Belleville has a current population of 51,000 that is expected to approach 60,000 within five years. Mayor Mitch Panciuk explains, “I think we will see significant population growth over the next little while, a lot of that will come through the investment we are making to stimulate purpose-built rental housing in our market. With that population, comes increased opportunities. We are more interesting to big companies that provide retail and other services, employers will want to be here because of our natural advantages. We are also going to be working strategically on improving the quality of life for our residents, so they can have a more active outdoor lifestyle, and continue to fuel our growth in a safe, responsible way.” A G O O D P L A C E T O L I V E