Belleville’s Downtown District wins provincial awards

By Charlotte Oduol

BELLEVILLE – The city’s Downtown District was recognized with two provincial awards at the 2021 Business Improvement Area Awards on Monday.

The awards were hosted by the Ontario BIA Association at its annual gala in Hamilton, Ont.

“We are very proud to hear of this provincial recognition for our wonderful Downtown District,”  Mayor Mitch Panciuk said in a news release Tuesday. “Through your efforts, we, as a community, enjoy our downtown in engaging and creative ways – for both the young and young at heart. Congratulations and thank you for your fresh ideas which bring such enjoyment to our community.”

The district’s Enchanted Holiday Market was given the special events and promotions award for creative ideas which kept the community engaged during a busy time of the year. The district’s Downtown Belleville Rebrand received the award for marketing and communications for creativity in working with local business to create a new brand for the downtown area.

“It was a real honour to be recognized with two prestigious awards from OBIAA at this year’s gala,” said Kathryn Brown, chair of the Belleville Downtown Improvement Area board of directors. “Recipients are selected by our peers from over 300 BIAs across Ontario, so it’s especially rewarding to be chosen, knowing how hard every BIA has worked throughout the pandemic.

“Congratulations to all our downtown members, our board of directors and, most importantly, our hardworking BIA staff, who proved that with the spirit of collaboration, we can accomplish great things together.”