Richmond Hill Becomes a City

RICHMOND HILL – Richmond Hill Council reinforced its position in York Region and the Province as an urbanized and competitive municipality, voting to rename one of the largest towns in Ontario to the "City of Richmond Hill." 

The name change influences how the municipality sees itself and how others perceive it. “Richmond Hill has everything an urban place would have. Recognizing that, we need to look differently at our plans for the future,” said Richmond Hill’s Mayor Dave Barrow.

In Ontario, changing a municipality’s status is at the full discretion of the local government; its population is not a factor. Council believes that Richmond Hill needs to keep up with other municipalities and to be more competitive in terms of business attraction and job creation. “This name change will open doors to foreign investment and, at the same time, reflects our sophistication,” said the Mayor.

Council passed a motion at its February 4 Council meeting to discuss changing Richmond Hill’s status from a Town to a City. At the same time, they encouraged residents to learn more about the potential name change and to share their opinions with staff. “It was important to get the community involved in the discussion,” added the Mayor. “While we did not undertake a scientific poll, our decision to make the change reflects what we heard and what we think is best for our community.”  

“We’ve been thinking about the name for a while,” said Mayor Barrow. “When we designed Richmond Hill’s logo a few years ago, we consciously decided to refer to ourselves as “Richmond Hill,” knowing that someday we might change our name from a Town to a City. We understood that in doing so, we’d keep costs down if and when Council voted in favour of a name change.” Council anticipates little to no cost impact with Richmond Hill’s new City status.

Richmond Hill is steeped in history…from its early beginnings where settlers travelled up and down Yonge Street to the bustling home for community and commerce it is today. “People favouring ‘Town’ tend to think of a tight-knit community where neighbours know each other’s names and their kids play together in our parks. Those who think ‘City’, see an urban and competitive municipality. Richmond Hill is both and our new name won’t change that,” Barrow said.

This motion passed by a vote of seven to two.

Read the full Member Motion.

Quick Facts

• A change in status does not change Richmond Hill’s roles, responsibilities or obligations. 

• A name change does not affect Richmond Hill’s status as a lower-tier municipality. 

• Becoming a city does not affect the amount of funding available to Richmond Hill from other levels of government or agencies. 

• To change Richmond Hill’s legal name, Council must approve a by-law detailing the change. Staff will forward this By-law to the Director of Titles appointed under the Land Titles Act and to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This by-law will be passed at Council’s April 9 meeting.

Media Contact
For more information, contact:

• Dave Barrow, Mayor, 905-771-2493, dave.barrow@richmondhill.ca