The Intelligencer (Belleville)
LOYALIST OPENS NEW GYM AND MORE IN BELLEVILLE
Belleville's Loyalist College Lancers are ready to play – and the college has a new gymnasium that's ready for action. The college on Thursday announced plans for the gym's Oct. 23 grand opening and the Lancer varsity basketball teams' first home...
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MEMORIAL'S NEXT CHAPTER
Memorial Marketplace co-owners Hilary Murphy and Ian Wilson sit in the former Memorial Arena on July 24. All of the building's commercial units are now leased and renovation of the former rink area will turn it into a community event venue.
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Quinte West's Klemencic Homes' hands-on approach leads to provincial award
Quinte West's Klemencic Homes has won a provincial award reflecting customer satisfaction. Klemencic Homes is this year's recipient of a 2026 Homeowners' Choice Award presented by Tarion, the notfor-profit organization established by the Ontario...
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BELLEVILLE'S BRIDGE HUB OPENS NEW SERVICES; SECOND FLOOR NEARLY COMPLETE
The Bridge Integrated Care Hub in Belleville is expanding its services to some of the area's most vulnerable residents as the second floor of its new location opens partially. Bridge program manager Alex Van Heeswyk told The Intelligencer the...
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BELLEVILLE JUDGE MULLING CONTEMPT CASE CHALLENGES MINISTRY'S DEFENCE
A Belleville judge is again requiring Ontario's Ministry of the Solicitor General to provide more evidence before he decides whether to hold a contempt hearing stemming from a jail's failure to transport a prisoner to court. Justice Robert Horton on...
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Belleville Senators ink agreement to rename city arena to CIBC Place
Belleville Senators and city officials gathered at the Quinte Sports Centre to unveil the new name of Belleville's hockey arena which replaces the former CAA Arena designation. Belleville Senators have signed a new naming-rights agreement for the...
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Quinte West data centres prompt cautious stances from mayoral candidates
Data centre development in this city should be treated with caution and public consultation, two mayoral candidates said during Thursday's all-candidates meeting. None, however, voiced clear opposition to or support for data centres in Quinte...
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TYENDINAGA, BELLEVILLE EVENTS REFLECT ON ONGOING NEED FOR RECONCILIATION
Quinte residents on Wednesday marked Canada's National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with reflection and pledges to continue working together. Members of the Tyendinaga Native Women's Association held their sixth-annual Every Child Matters walk...
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Belleville witnessing marked jump in eligible voters for Oct. 26 trip to polls
It's anyone's guess what Belleville's municipal election results hold for the future when ballots are counted on election day Oct. 26. But one thing is for sure. A lot more voters are eligible to vote this time around than in the last city election...
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SHOOTING PROOF ARMED GUARDS NEEDED AT JEWISH INSTITUTIONS: B'NAI BRITH
Belleville police officers' halting of a gunman's attack on the city's only synagogue is more evidence Canada's Jewish institutions need armed guards, the chief executive of a Jewish human rights group says. Speaking in the wake of Sunday's shooting,...
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EVIDENCE CONFIRMS SONS OF JACOB SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING `HATE-MOTIVATED'
There can be no doubt an attack on Sons of Jacob Synagogue last Sunday “was a hate-motivated crime” according to disturbing video police evidence shown at a press conference Thursday, by Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd. The chief was flanked by...
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WOUNDED BELLEVILLE CONSTABLE, SUSPECT, IDENTIFIED IN SUNDAY SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING
A police shootout Sunday at Belleville's Sons of Jacob Synagogue involved two police officers and a lone alleged gunman armed with a shotgun, confirmed the Special Investigations Unit on Monday in rare a press conference by Ontario's police watch dog...
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BELLEVILLE ELECTION SIGN BYLAW WILL SHORTEN DISTANCE FROM CURB
Belleville's municipal election sign bylaw will be officially amended at the next meeting of city council ahead of an October 26 election to include far shorter sign placements on private property. The amendment will follow city council's 9-0 recorded...
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OTTAWA GRANTS $27.8M TO NEW CAMPFIRE CIRCLE CAMP IN PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY
A proposed $150 million camp for children living with cancer and serious illness will be built in Prince Edward County following a $27.8 million announcement in Ottawa. Chris Malette, Bay of Quinte MP, rolled out the funding on Parliament Hill on...
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Bay of Quinte Mohawks awarded $66.4M to end boil-water advisories
The federal government will spend $66.4 million to extend a watermain across Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory to increase access to safe, reliable water. Chris Malette, Bay of Quinte MP, made the announcement on Tuesday at the Mohawk Fire Department...
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CITY OF BELLEVILLE HOSTS 25TH ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY TO HONOUR LOST 9/11 FIREFIGHTERS
The City of Belleville held a 25th anniversary ceremony to honour those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre on Sept. 11, 2001. Belleville Fire and Emergency Services personnel gathered at Fire Station 1 on Friday to...
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BELLEVILLE BREAKS GROUND ON $86M AVONLOUGH SEWAGE PUMPING STATION
Government officials were all smiles as they broke ground Wednesday on the start of a new $86 million project that will service the future construction of 9,000 new homes in Belleville's western outskirts with water and sewer. Brandishing long-handled...
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COUNTY ROAD 49 REHABILITATION BEGINS THIS WEEK
Removal of County Road 49's crumbling concrete surface in Prince Edward County to begin a $52.3-million rebuild of the roadway was scheduled to begin on Tuesday after the arrival of specialized equipment from the United States. On Thursday, March 19,...
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Ford's `Lake Ontario, Now and Always' message hits Belleville billboard
A defiant pushback from the Ontario government against U.S. President Donald Trump's “Lake America” rebranding fiasco has surfaced on an electronic billboard in Belleville. Amid an ongoing spat between Trump and Premier Doug Ford first sparked by...
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NEW BELLEVILLE YMCA CONSTRUCTION ON TARGET FOR MID-2027 OPENING: CEO ALLEN
Every day, the new YMCA now under construction in west Belleville looks more and more like a recreational facility nearing completion to host an all-inclusive membership from across the city. A tall stone façade is now in place under a series of long...
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BAY OF QUINTE MOHAWKS `INSULTED' BY LAKE AMERICA NAME CHANGE: CHIEF MARACLE
The name Ontario comes from the Indigenous word “oinatari:io” used long before either Canada or the United States were even forged as countries, Maracle said. Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are deeply insulted by United States President Donald Trump's...
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NASHVILLE MUSIC STARS SUPPORT RAFFLE FOR ARDEN'S ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
Top Nashville country music artists have literally signed on to a Belleville-based fundraiser to support volunteer-driven music nights at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 334 in Arden. In a raffle dubbed Nashville North, seven country music artists have...
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CARIBBEAN FEST DRAWS BIG CROWDS
The fifth annual Belleville Caribbean Festival, hosted by the Belleville Caribbean African Community Organization (BCACO), drew scores of revelers to a colourful parade on Sat., Aug. 15. Elaborate costumes celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the...
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UNION TARGETS HOSPITAL FUNDING, CITES QUINTE HEALTH CHALLENGES
Highlighting the struggles of Quinte Health, an Ontario union is continuing a push for more funding for the province's hospitals. And while Quinte Health has reported recent improvements in staffing and finances, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions...
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DISCOVERY DAY
Maple, an endangered wood turtle, has his shell stroked by Opal, 3, left, as another Maple, 5, and Isabella, 3, watch Tuesday, Aug. 11 during Quinte Conservation's Discovery Day at Vanderwater Conservation Area near Thomasburg. Holding the turtle was...
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Belleville council backs Henderson's motion on west-end water plan
Belleville council has ordered staff to meet with west-end residents who lack city water and sewer services and create a plan for temporary water service pending the installation of permanent connections. Despite voicing some differing opinions,...
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Belleville contempt case: solicitor general's counsel apologizes for delays
A Belleville judge, seeking more information on why staff of a provincial jail failed to deliver a prisoner to court, has adjourned a hearing on whether that failure constituted contempt of court. Justice Robert Horton on Friday heard the case in the...
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MICHAEL SAUNDERS GIVES TEDX TALK ON CARIBBEAN CLIMATE RESPONSE
After living through the physical and economic devastation wreaked by hurricanes, Belleville-born student Michael Saunders is advocating for changes in how countries can mitigate the storms' economic impacts. The 21-year-old was raised in the Turks...
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`CREATING MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS'
A brand new guide from southeastern Ontario's provincial tourism organization is hoping to connect residents from Prescott all the way to the Bay of Quinte with the people who produce and serve up local food. The Farm to Flavours Guide Series has...
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JUDGE CALLS JAIL SUPERINTENDENT TO BELLEVILLE COURT
A judge in Belleville is requiring an Ontario jail's superintendent appear for an Aug. 7 contempt-of-court hearing after Central East Correctional Centre staff failed to deliver a prisoner to court. Justice Robert Horton on Thursday ordered both the...
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Our emergency wait times explained
Quinte Health officials are reporting some success in lowering wait times in their hospitals' emergency departments while acknowledging the ongoing efforts to lower them further. Vice-president and chief nursing officer Lina Rinaldi and emergency and...
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COSTO COMING TO BELL BLVD: ELLIS
One of North America's largest wholesale retail firms is set to build a new discount warehouse on Bell Boulevard in Belleville by late 2027. On Monday, Mayor Neil Ellis informed city council the American-based firm Costco Wholesale has confirmed it...
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`GO FOR IT, DOC'
Gerald Desjardins credits a Trenton hospital team with saving his life, and he wants everyone to know about the care he received. The 65-year-old Trenton resident survived a harrowing medical situation on July 15. He said he wouldn't have survived...
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OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED BELL CREEK SUBDIVISION
Opposition is mounting against a proposed subdivision slated for sensitive provincially significant wetlands in one of Belleville's last natural environmental areas known as the Bell Creek watershed. More than 100 residents crammed into the basement...
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TEEN BUILDING NEW RESCUE DOG/DOGGY DAYCARE CENTRE
You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who simply loves dogs more. But Kash Weinber, a 17-year-old Quinte West entrepeneur, is more than a just young lad with an `Old Yeller' affinity for man's best friend. Since age seven, Weinber has been dogs' best...
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SUMMER NO HOLIDAY FOR FIREFIGHTERS
Belleville firefighters had their hands full battling two fires in the city within a 24-hour period ending early morning on July 17. Belleville Fire and Emergency Services was called out to the scene of a basement fire at 1:12 a.m. on Friday in the...
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RAPTOR CAPTURE
A Red Tail Hawk perches on a branch of a Black Walnut tree in Belleville on July 13, 2026 clutching a freshly-caught bird for breakfast. The species of hawk is common in Eastern Ontario and eats well in the summer with lots of prey available in the...
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Retired city officer Harry Burley given Mayor's Heart of the Community Award
Heartwarming applause filled The Belleville Club Monday evening after retired city Auxiliary and Special Constable Harry Burley was feted with one of the highest honours the City of Belleville can bestow. Burley was presented by Coun. Garnet Thompson...
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SUMMER HARVEST
On Thurs., July 9, Jane Forestell tended to freshly grown local vegetables at the Willow Creek Farms stand in Belleville Farmers' Market behind City Hall. Forestell reminded that it's a great time to pick up a wide variety of summer vegetables ranging...
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ARE WE THERE YET?
Four cygnets kept their mother in close quarters as they bobbed along in the Bay of Quinte in sunny hot conditions. Early summer has produced broods of the tiny swans as seen across local waterways.
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Ontario invests $3.3M in Ontario Truss & Wall expansion in Belleville
Ontario announced on Monday it will spend $3.3 million toward an $11 million expansion by Ontario Truss & Wall based in Belleville. The wooden building material manufacturing firm welcomed Kevin Holland, Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest...
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BEATING THE HEAT ON BAY OF QUINTE
Visitors to West Zwick's Park in Belleville retreated last week amid a heat wave to the shade of waterfront trees to enjoy the Bay of Quinte view in 31C temperatures. The heat was forecast to dissipate somewhat to 27C by Tues. July 7 across Quinte.
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Storm causes house fire in Queensborough, power outages across Hastings-Prince Edward
Residents of a Queensborough home escaped injury Wednesday after an apparent lightning strike ignited a fire there and high winds felled trees and power lines across Hastings County. Tuesday's tornado warnings were followed a day later by another...
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TRUCK GNARLS BELLEVILLE CEMETERY ENTRANCEA
Canadian Roadrunner Inc. transport truck driver thought he had enough clearance to drive under the Belleville Cemetery entrance arch Thursday morning. But, he ended up colliding with the structure, pulled off its western stone base. A Fellows Trucking...
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BELLEVILLE COUPLE GIVE $1M TO BGH FOUNDATION
A few years ago, Belleville resident Wayne Sheppard had no role in the Belleville General Hospital Foundation - but he's now its newest million-dollar man. Sheppard and his wife, Wendy Sheppard, are the donors behind a new endowment for the charity,...
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FIRST LOOK AT TSI THONWATÍHSNYE
Decades TYENDINAGA MOHAWK TERRITORY in the making, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte's new long-term care home is a place rooted deeply in culture and community. Dignitaries on June 23 held a ribbon-cutting in Tsi Thonwatíhsnye's Elder Care Home at...
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ELLIS CALLS FOR QUICK ADOPTION OF PROCEDURAL CHANGES
Belleville city council voted unanimously Monday to correct its procedural bylaw to ensure it no longer errs behind closed doors by declaring city owned properties as surplus without public input. The vote came following the release June 18 of...
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TURTLE POND SOLITUDE
A bale of turtles huddle on a small island in the middle of Belleville's Turtle Pond on June 15 along the city's Bayshore Waterfront Trail much to the delight of passers by on daily walks. The public is reminded to be on the lookout for turtles in...
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Belleville Police honour past, present officers in 190th anniversary ceremony
Rows of Belleville Police officers seated under a packed marquee tent at headquarters bowed their heads on Thursday to pay homage to fallen police officers past and present lost in the line of duty. It was a time to mourn, it was a time to celebrate...
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City council to apply for development charge reduction program
Belleville city council rolled the dice in a special meeting Monday before voting to apply for a new $8.8 billion federal-provincial program calling for municipalities to slash development charges to spur on new housing across Ontario. But whether the...
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Belleville Police gather to celebrate 190 years of community service
Modern social and professional challenges for Belleville Police Service officers may be far more complex than ever. But, despite new technologies, stricter regulations and societal changes, today's men and women in blue continue to be anchored by a...
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PROTESTING ALTO HIGHSPEED RAIL IN OTTAWA
Shelby Kramp-Neuman, MP for Hastings-Lennox and AddingtonTyendinaga, second from left, joined Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he spoke to protesters against the Alto high-speed rail proposal on Parliament Hill on Wed., June 10 in Ottawa.
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READY FOR OUR CLOSEUP
Ostrichs peer curiously through observation glass at visitors on June 6 at Struisvogel Ranch on Rednersville Road near Carrying place. The ranch operates an ostrich meat farm and welcomes the public for guided tours around the finely groomed grounds. A...
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Belleville homelessness task force hears how businesses could help
Belleville businesses could help to address homelessness in the city, leading to benefits for all, Mayor Neil Ellis' homelessness task force heard Thursday. The group's meetings had ended in May, but members reconvened to gather input from those in...
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Hastings County AI policy retains human control, sets limits
Hastings County has a new policy on artificial intelligence, creating limits and guidance for its use and requiring human oversight. County council on May 28 approved a new eastern Ontario AI framework and the resulting new county AI policy. The...
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Garage fire erupts after stranger barges into home, then leaves
A family stood in disbelief Monday evening as they watched their garage and two cars erupting in flames only minutes after a stranger barged into their home and then abruptly left without warning. Shortly after 8 p.m., Sue Kimble and her grandson...
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BEAUTIFYING BELLEVILLE
Belleville Public Works crews are shown planting the Canada flag floral arrangement with 36,000 Begonias as part of the city's spring beautification schedule. The crews remain busy throughout the summer maintaining city park attractions including Corby...
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Major retail and industrial projects in the works in Belleville: Mayor Ellis
Belleville stands to greatly reap the benefits of a slew of major new developments now working their way through City Hall planning stages, said Mayor Neil Ellis on Wednesday. Delivering his annual State of the City address during the Belleville...
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Belleville to add lost names of warfallen soldiers to Memorial Cenotaph
The names of 30 war-fallen soldiers will be inscribed for perpetuity into the stone monuments at Belleville Cenotaph and Memorial Park following a decision by Belleville city council Monday. The soldiers' names were lost to time but will be finally...
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BELLEVILLE CRAFTSMAN HAS BIRDHOUSES ON THE BRAIN
Allan Mott tends to get carried away with his hobbies. Six years ago, the retired Belleville teacher began building birdhouses. There are now about 70 of them in his yard, and a few dozen more at the homes of relatives and friends. “I get obsessed...
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WELLINGTON WASTEWATER PLANT GETS $20.6M IN FEDERAL FUNDS
The federal government is investing $20.6 million in Prince Edward County toward a more modern, environmentally responsible wastewater system in Wellington. The cash infusion to offset the cost of expanding the Wellington Extended Aeration Wastewater...
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THE TEACHER, THE TRADE WAR, AND BNL
Belleville teacher David Reed just wanted some Canadian music for his students to sing. What he ended up creating was a new high school musical with some unusual inspirations: a trade war, family grief, and Barenaked Ladies music. Reed, 51, is a...
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NEW YMCA CENTRE FOR LIFE BUILD TAKING SHAPE
An up-and-coming, $28-million YMCA Centre for Life is taking shape in Belleville's west end amid an ongoing capital fundraising campaign to make the project a reality. And key supporters couldn't be more thrilled as Canadian steel girders rise to the...
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SWEET RENDEZVOUS
Joanne Killick-Hill of Wellington places a newly-ribboned hat on the head of her granddaughter, Madelyn Hill, 3, of Belleville, as Madelyn's father, Michael Hill, holds her during the Gathering of Friends Rendezvous Friday, May 15 at Ameliasburgh...
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BELLEVILLE COUNCIL SOUNDLY REJECTS GREEN-SPACE GIVEAWAY TO CITY DEVELOPER
A request by a developer to acquire a city owned property for free adjacent Jane Forester Park has been soundly scrubbed by Belleville city council in convincing fashion. The open space at the corner of South John Street and Harbour Drive will remain...
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DIEHARD POP-CULTURE FANS FLOCK TO TRENTON COMICON EXHIBITORS
A one-day only Trenton Comicon gathering didn't disappoint diehard fans on the hunt for the latest and unusual creations celebrating all things pop culture. Enjoying a growing fan base over the years, comic conventions across North America have become...
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RETIRED JUDGE NAMED CITY'S FIRST HONORARY POLICE CHIEF
Retired Belleville judge Stephen Hunter is the city's first-ever honorary police chief. The veteran Ontario Court of Justice judge appeared Friday in his uniform during an investiture ceremony at Belleville Police Service headquarters at College...
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HART Hub's first tenants move into supportive housing in Belleville
Hastings and Prince Edward Counties' HART Hub has reached another milestone, with four clients moving into its new supportive housing this week, The Intelligencer has learned. The first two moved Monday into the Canadian Mental Health Association's...
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SEX OFFENDER ROBERT REID GETS 10 YEARS FOR ASSAULTS ON TWO GIRLS
A Belleville judge has sentenced an area man to 10 years in prison for committing years of sexual assault against two girls. Superior Court Justice Patrick Hurley on Monday issued the sentence against Brian Robert (Rob) Reid, 45. Hurley had, on Jan....
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SMILE COOKIES SUPPORT YMCA
Dave Allen, president and CEO of YMCA of Central East Ontario, centre, received a little help on Wed., April 29 from Belleville Coun. Garnet Thompson, left, and Mayor Neil Ellis to put happy faces on Tim Horton's Smile Cookies. Every cookie sold by May...
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BELLEVILLE CITY COUNCIL VOTES 7-2 AGAINST PAY RAISE
One can safely assume it's a municipal election year whenever a majority of an elected council agrees overwhelmingly in a recorded vote to turn down a self-awarded pay raise. And that's precisely what Belleville city council decided ahead of a trip to...
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