Ball arrived in Cape Breton, Canada in 1788 with his wife and children and became involved in the government of the time.
He was appointed to the Executive Council in 1789 by Lieutenant Governor William Macarmick.
After 1795, Macarmick left the colony and Ball found himself in almost constant dispute with David Mathews, the new administrator.
No legislative assembly was in place and governing was done by the Executive Council which Matthews controlled.
He continued to have problems with succeeding administrations, ending up in jail at one point.