Volunteers in Richmond Hill - Building a Vibrant Community One Act at a Time

For many reasons, I have always been proud to call Richmond Hill home. Like many towns and cities in the GTA we are a growing community with all the benefits and challenges that go along with it. Our success provides many opportunities today, and in the future. Success also presents challenges, and it is those challenges that we must always address to ensure that we remain a vibrant community. A good part of our success is due to many residents contributing to our community in so many ways, each and every day.

Individual actions by so many volunteers better connect us to our friends, families, and neighbours, and this creates the foundation of a great community. Volunteers also provide much needed services and opportunities to celebrate various aspects of our collective culture and community. There are many citizens who volunteer to coach youth sports, and in doing so leave a lasting positive mark on children. There are those that volunteer to run countless community events that so many of us enjoy. There are those that help out in schools, not only for their own children and grandchildren, but for the benefit of all the children in that school. There are people who volunteer to lead a myriad of charity and not for profit organizations that do their good and important work in our community. We also have volunteers that work to support those that need help in our community. This work makes a positive difference in people's lives. If you ask any dedicated volunteer they will also tell you that the volunteer often gets as much benefit from their work as they give. Volunteering is definitely a two way street.

I have always admired the work that volunteers do in our community as they provide enormous value to all of us. There have been those that have attempted to determine how much monetary value volunteers bring to the community. I know it is a very big number, that we likely can't afford, but the way that volunteers do their job, reacting to a need in the community when they see it, and the love and passion that they put into this work, makes volunteers, and their actions, irreplaceable.

The engagement of so many of our citizens does not end with volunteering. So many of us also take opportunities to be engaged and involved in the decisions that all levels of government make on our behalf. In doing so they further shape our community of Richmond Hill. There have been many examples where citizens have come out in large numbers to express their views on a potential Council decision. I always appreciate the care and passion that people show in attending Council meetings or reaching out to me, as an elected representative, to express views on issues and needs in the community. Individually and collectively citizens continue to actively participate in decisions of Council and in doing so shape the community in which we call home. It is a true honour to hear from citizens. Given all the volunteer and civic engagement actions that happen in Richmond Hill every day I have hope that we will continue to be a strong and vibrant community in the future because it is clear that people care about their community.

Contained in this e newsletter is information about some of the key decisions and directions of Council and information about a number of interesting events that are taking place in Richmond Hill over the coming weeks and months. Below is also a link to a Provincial government survey seeking input on the future of Richmond Hill and the Region of York. I would encourage you to participate in this survey as the Provincial government undergoes its Regional Governance Review. 

Finally after decades of waiting, an announcement has been made by the Provincial Government that they are committed to begin construction on the Yonge Street Subway extension from Finch Station to Richmond Hill. Council has been advocating for this much needed project for years and it would now appear that the project is one step closer to becoming a reality. More detail about this recent announcement is contained below.

As always I would invite you to contact me if you have any comments, questions, or concerns about any information in this e newsletter or any matter in Richmond Hill.

 

David West 

Ward 4 Councillor Richmond Hill

Cell -416-346-3090

Office 905-771-2480

Banner Photo - Twickenham Trees by Chris Robart

2. Land Acknowledgement Motion

Richmond Hill Council failed to pass the motion I introduced to begin Richmond Hill Council meetings with a traditional Land Acknowledgement honouring the First Nations people who have occupied what we call Richmond Hill, and Canada, for many centuries. I was very disappointed that Council did not take what I would consider, a positive leadership role on this initiative. Approving this motion would have provided Richmond Hill with Council's leadership in working towards the goals of the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission and our desire, as a community to move towards reconciliation with First Nations communities. Passing a motion to do a Land Acknowledgement before Council meetings would have also expressed a positive desire to join many governments, organizations and businesses that begin their gatherings by honouring the First Nations who have lived on the land we now call home. There were many citizens who took the time to write and speak to Council in support of this motion and as such it is very clear that our residents are passionate and committed to this action. 

While I firmly disagree with the decision that was made I also made a promise, in my comments to Council, that I will personally continue to support activities that help our community and country walk along the path of reconciliation with First Nations People and in doing so support the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation final report. As a proud Canadian, I have no doubt that this work is important in making a stronger and more united country. It would be my hope that Council will eventually change its view on this issue and in doing so, join so many other municipalities, faith groups, community organizations (and even the Winnipeg Jets) in beginning meetings and gatherings with a Land Acknowledgement.  Council's actions were well reported by a number of publications from across the country. To learn more about this issue please see the links below. 

To learn more visit 

3. Repeal of Downtown Secondary Plan

In December Council considered a motion that would effectively repeal the Downtown Secondary Plan and allow for increased density for redevelopment in this area. This motion evolved over the last few months and was recently approved by Council.

The current Downtown Secondary Plan was approved in 2017. It provided a plan for revitalization of the Village Core while respecting the heritage buildings and other constraints to development in this area. The plan outlined added detail to the  development  permissions that are already  available in the Official Plan related to the Village Core while providing a co-ordinated approach to pedestrian accessibility, parking, and transportation requirements. After passing the Secondary Plan, it became clear that there were land owners in the area that were not in favour of the development restrictions embedded in the plan, and several of them launched appeals to the Secondary Plan under the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (LPAT). 

While I understand the reasons for their objections, I am also cognizant of the extensive public consultation from both land owners and the public that occurred in the lead up to the approval of this plan in 2017. I am also aware of the very real constraints to development that exist in this area. The existing Secondary Plan took these constraints into account, and any new plan must do the same. The constraints include the fact that the Village Core area is significantly confined due to two well established neighbourhoods on each side of Yonge Street. Any overdevelopment of this area could negatively impact the residential areas with increased traffic and congestion. Further, there are historic buildings in the Village Core that must be protected and revitalized within any development permissions. Finally, Yonge Street will always be quite narrow in that area of our community and this must be considered before any new plan is put in place. Due to these constraints, there is a limit to how much density that can be realistically accommodated, and these limits must be respected. 

Like many residents I would very much like to see a revitalized Village Core and all the benefits to the community and businesses that meeting this goal will achieve.  It is my expectation that Council will approve a new plan after repeating a public process that will ultimately  achieve  a new plan for the area. 

This process will be open to the public and stakeholders and will be designed to solicit opinions and input toward the goal of a new Secondary Plan. I would encourage you to stay tuned to see how you can be involved in these consultations related to this important part of our community.

The schedule for yard waste collection is changing. Yard waste will no longer be collected on Mondays, it will now be collected on the regular waste collection day as follows:

-          Starting on April 16 to October 11- Yard waste will be collected every other week on the garbage collection day

-          From October 15 to December 6 - Yard waste will be collected weekly on the waste collection day

   

Residents are asked to set-out their yard waste, along with the other applicable waste streams, in a Kraft paper bag or in an open top reusable container labeled with a yellow yard waste sticker, available for free at Operations Center, 1200 Elgin Mills Road East and at Access Richmond Hill located at 225 East Beaver Creek Road).

Richmond Hill is organizing the annual Clean Up, Green Up Weeks to give our Town a spring cleaning. In 2018, with the help of 7,744 volunteers, we cleaned more than 100 parks, trails, and streets in our community. We are proud to see Richmond Hill come together again in 2019 for this event. 

 

During the weeks of April 22 to May 6, community groups and schools throughout the Town will help pick up litter in our parks, boulevards, and other areas. Groups can register online until April 5 by visiting RichmondHill.ca/CleanUpWeeks.