Richmond Hill Decreases Emissions and Improves Quality of Life
Air quality has an impact on our health and quality of life. By planning for and promoting more sustainable forms of energy use and transportation, Richmond Hill is contributing to improved quality of life for all residents. Council received the Town of Richmond Hill Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory Report which highlights the community’s achievement in reducing community GHG emissions by 32.6 per cent per capita between 2000 and 2012. Through this reduction, Richmond Hill completed Milestone 5 under the Partners for Climate Protection program, a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) program. A number of factors contributed to the reduction of community GHG emissions including increased availability and use of sustainable transportation routes such as bike lanes and trails, transit use, increased carpooling, more efficient energy production and consumption and increased recycling and composting. Council also reviewed and submitted comments to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) regarding Ontario’s Climate Change Discussion Paper 2015. For more information, contact Terry Ricketts, Director, Environment Services at 905-747-6504.

Village Core Façade Assistance Program Grant
Council awarded a Village Core Facade Assistance Grant to the owner of the property at 10154 Yonge Street for improvement to the exterior façade of the building. The grant is for 50 per cent of the cost of façade improvements, up to a maximum of $10,000. The property at 10154 Yonge Street is a 1950s commercial building with ground level retail and a second storey office unit. The proposed changes include refacing the building with new stone on the first floor and brick on the second floor. New signage will be added and some of the original elements of the building will be restored and cleaned including the aluminum storefront. The Village Core Façade Assistance Program is intended to encourage owners of commercial properties on Yonge Street in downtown Richmond Hill (Major Mackenzie Drive to Crosby/Benson Avenue) to improve the exterior of their buildings, which helps improve the overall visual character of the Village Core, making it more appealing for residents and visitors. For more information, contact Mathew Somerville, Heritage Urban Designer at 905-771-5529.

Richmond Hill Receives Award for its Commitment to Lifesaving Programs
Council congratulated Richmond Hill Aquatics staff for winning the David W. Pretty Cup for the 10th year in a row! The Lifesaving Society presents this annual award to the municipality with the largest lifesaving program in a community with a population between 100,000 and 250,000. Richmond Hill was commended for the ongoing support and delivery of lifesaving programs, which include water safety programs such as First Aid, CPR, bronze levels, instructor awards and lifeguard training. For more information, contact Melanie Baker, Manager, Aquatics and Fitness at 905-508-5995.

Unique Texting Competition Wins Best Youth Initiative
The Mayor and Members of Council were presented with the Best Youth Initiative Award from Festival & Events Ontario for Richmond Hill’s 2014 Canada Day Texting Competition. The Texting Competition was first introduced as part of the 2012 Canada Day Celebrations. In 2014, contestants competed in a four-round elimination process to determine the fastest texter. Some of the phrases the competitors had to text included “Happy CANADA Day!”, “WELCOME to the TEEN ZONE!” and in the final round, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The competition took place in the Teen Zone, an interactive area specifically programmed to attract and engage Richmond Hill’s youth population. For more information, contact Christine Morgan, Manager, Event Services at 905-771-5507.

June is Seniors’ Month
Council proclaimed the month of June as Seniors’ Month to recognize the significant contributions they make every day to our community. For the past 31 years, Richmond Hill has been showing their appreciation for seniors by hosting several events and activities in the community. This year will be even more exciting as the Town is hosting a barbecue, an ice cream social, bingo and badminton games, all promoting healthy living. For the full list of events taking place throughout June, visit RichmondHill.ca/Seniors. For more information, contact Lauren Steckley, Manager, Recreation Programs at 905-787-1441.

Dedicated to Making Our Railways Safe
Richmond Hill Council considers rail safety a priority issue and has adopted a resolution to support the work of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) National Municipal Rail Working Group. After looking at recent serious events, Council encouraged the Government of Canada to introduce a new legislation, Bill C-52 and Accountable Rail Act. This Bill would call for Transport Canada to require railway companies to: reroute tanks carrying dangerous goods outside urban areas, expedite the timeline for introducing improved tank cars and further reduce speed of cargo trains. If passed, this legislation would create new regulatory power for the Minister of Transport to require railway companies to share information with municipalities and address concerns of the FCM in hopes to mitigate risks and increase safety. For more information, contact Godwin Chan, Ward 6 Councillor at 905-771-2509.

Meeting agendas, minutes, staff reports and other correspondence can be found on the Town's website at RichmondHill.ca/Meetings or from the Council Support Services/Town Clerk Division.