Friendly city needs to live up to its name

By Melissa Murray

After the gold rush, Belleville was known as the Gateway to the Golden North.

After a Belleville Intelligencer contest, launched in 1914, the slogan for our city became “A Bigger and Better Belleville.”

In 1923, the chamber of commerce started an official search for a slogan. Some of the favourites included: Why not Belleville?  The United Empire Loyalist City and the City of opportunity.

Now, Belleville is known as the friendly city, and also nationally by another name.

A dangerous city. More accurately, according to Macleans annual survey, Canada’s 11th most dangerous, which is up from 15th last year.

But Belleville isn’t the only “friendly” city that made the list.

Guelph, also coined a friendly city, ranked 84th.

And Winnipeg beats out Belleville for ninth place because, “You are also most likely to be robbed in friendly city Winnipeg.”

Other friendly cities, however, held true to their names and didn’t appear on the list, including Woodstock, Ont. and Moose Jaw, Man.

Macleans magazine uses a methodology that examines aggravated assault, robbery, homicide, breaking and entering, auto thefts and sexual assaults.

What brought Belleville up to its highest ranking was its ranking in sexual assaults and break and enters. Although you are “Most likely to be sexually assaulted in St. John, N.B.,” Belleville comes in a close second.

But Belleville does claim the number one spot in break and enters.

The Belleville Intelligencer reported last week that police said break and enters are down 25 per cent, bringing them to a five-year low. If break-ins are down 25 per cent, and Macleans reported that a Belleville resident has a one in 86 chance of having their home broken into, what does that mean for past crime statistics?

Recent events reported by local media, including two knifepoint robberies, aren’t helping matters either.

The friendly city label can give a place the right reputation. It can promote tourism in a community that thrives off of a waterfront location and a vibrant fishing industry.  It can also promote a small town feel that welcomes new residents into a neighbourhood.

But what can happen if the dangerous city label is promoted? Tourism drops. People move away. Students choose other colleges.

Belleville may be coined the friendly city, but it needs to promote and live it, so as to not be overtaken by the dangerous city stigma that carries with it statistics and numbers that this community cannot ignore.