The Belleville Accessibility Advisory Committee (BAAC) is comprised of members of council, members of our community, and staff representatives. The majority of community member representatives must be individuals with lived experience of disability.
We support the City to uphold our responsibilities under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. Our goal is to create an inclusive community, free from discrimination, where all people have equal opportunity to participate in community life. With this in mind, we offer feedback and advice on a wide range of municipal activities.
National AccessAbility Week Events
May 25 to 31 was National AccessAbility Week – a time to celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of persons with disabilities in Canada, the work of allies, organizations and communities that are removing barriers, and the ongoing efforts to become a more accessible and disability inclusive Canada. In honour of this year’s celebration, the City of Belleville is hosted three special events throughout the week:
Belleville Accessibility Excellence Awards Ceremony |
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Held on Tuesday, May 27 at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre Congratulations to all of the 2025 Accessibility Excellence Award winners! Learn more about the awards at: Belleville Accessibility Excellence Awards |
New FM/ WIFI Assistive Listening Systems |
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The City of Belleville has received funding from the Federal Enabling Accessibility Fund- Youth Component to purchase three new assistive listening systems. The one in City Hall Council Chambers is installed and working, the other two are to be installed at the 50+ Centre and Multipurpose Room at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre (QSWC). Stay tuned for information as to when the ones at QSWC are ready for use. |
Iron Knee-Iron Will Book Reading with Scott Granville |
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Held on Friday, May 30 at the Belleville Public Library Scott read from his upcoming book, Iron Knee-Iron Will – an exercise book for the entire body and mind that he developed after dealing with several health issues, and back-to-back hit and run car crashes. ASL interpretation will be provided. |
Sign Languages of Canada Exhibition |
| Glanmore National Historic Site is hosting the Sign Languages of Canada Exhibition which will run at the museum until July 27. This insightful exhibit examines the breadth and diversity of sign languages in Canada and provides a valuable glimpse into the communities that use them. For more information and tickets, visit Glanmore.ca. |
Stay Informed
We encourage you to get involved, be active, and familiarize yourself with our accessible programs, services, and facilities.
Resources
| Income Tax and Benefit Return Information |
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The Belleville Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Belleville Public Library hosted guest speaker, Jeremy Bertrand, Senior Program Advisory Specialist from the Ontario Ministry of Finance | Advisory, Objections, Appeals & Services Branch | Public Education, Program Communication & Outreach Unit. His presentation, "Getting the Most Out of Your Personal Income and Benefit Return From a Disability Perspective" offered insightful and useful information. The tax return is your application form for various tax credits and benefits that you are entitled to, therefore, it is important to file a tax return even if you don’t owe tax or have income.
Helpful Canada Revenue Agency resources: There are many tax credits and benefits you should know about, including:
The Ontario Ministry of Finance runs a series of free webinars to help educate the public. You do need to register for the webinars such as:
The Federal Government also has a series of free and recorded tax webinars on issues such as:
Please note: The Accessibility Coordinator for the City of Belleville is unable to assist with any other tax information. For more information, please go to the links above or call the Ontario Ministry of Finance at 1-866-668-8297 or TTY at 1-800-263-7776. You can reach the Canada Revenue Agency Benefits line at 1-800-387-1193. |