Collaboration Continues Between the City and Belleville Chamber of Commerce

For years, the City of Belleville has contracted the Belleville Chamber of Commerce to provide several services, including events management. In 2024, the impact of inflation and costs of these events required scaling back. At the same time, the Chamber completed a strategic planning process that reaffirmed its primary focus to support community prosperity through its advocacy work. As a result of this strategic direction and the evolving scope of events management, the City will be securing new contracts to execute key community events.

Although an events management contract will not be renewed with the Chamber, the organizations will continue their partnership as the Chamber delivers visitor services – a service closely associated with chambers of commerce as a driver for economic development, business and resident attraction.

“Visitor services have been delivered through the Log Cabin since 1982, and the events management agreement was developed in 2007 under my earlier administration,” says Mayor Neil Ellis. “The City recognizes the shift that has occurred over the past few years and the need to reevaluate these agreements based on the priorities of each organization. We are thrilled to continue to partner with the Chamber to support visitor services and we look forward to the expansion of their advocacy work at the provincial and federal levels.”

City staff have provided council with an events management plan that supports strategic priorities, including the development of attractions, events, facilities and services that will draw visitors, as well as initiatives that support a culturally diverse community. This new direction aligns well with the creation of a new destination development plan for the City and assessment of tourism grant funding and City resources.

The events management plan supports the continued delivery of Canada Day, Family Fun Fest and the Santa Claus Parade, all of which were previously delivered through the events management contract with the Chamber of Commerce. With no contract in place to support the delivery of Belleville’s Waterfront Multicultural Festival, the City will look to incorporate elements of the event into the Canada Day celebrations and host a compressed multicultural celebration as part of Pop-ups on the Bay. The evolution of this signature event will be supported as the destination development plan for the city is completed.

“The Chamber has benefited from the experience and community engagement gained while supporting the events management agreement for the past 17 years, and looks forward to continuing to support visitor services for the City,” said Belleville Chamber of Commerce President Chris Auger. “As we turn our focus to the needs of our members, which represent a very diverse organizational landscape, we are optimistic that new opportunities to support the community at large will present themselves.”

Highlighted areas of focus of the Chamber of Commerce that support this new strategic direction include:

• Advocacy with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to increase funding to support mental health and addictions, including a community safety impact survey among chambers, as well as the launch of a research project in partnership with Loyalist College that will provide an analysis of community responses across Ontario, serving as a template to support funding requirements.
• Presentation of policy resolutions at the Ontario Chamber Conference to support funding for community colleges, facilitation of the provincial grant application process, and work with municipalities in developing roundabouts on provincially-managed intersections.

In addition to visitor services, the City and Chamber remain aligned as partners on workforce development; a critical area tied to youth retention and impacting business development and growth. Through an initial study last year with the Centre for Workforce Development, the results presented a far more balanced career space in Belleville, supporting the Chamber’s work in partnership with the Ontario Career Lab, to recruit coaches and introduce students to viable career considerations. 

Destination Development is a key strategic theme for the City. This work will support the evolution of new products and marquee festivals and events being developed that celebrate Belleville’s culture, foster inclusivity and support destination development priorities.