Richmond Hill News
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Coyote Safety Guidelines
- Habits: Coyotes are active year-round, often seen at dawn or dusk.
- Prevention: Avoid leaving food on your property; leash dogs, keep cats indoors, and supervise children/pets.
- Encounter Tips:
- Don’t run; back away slowly.
- Stand tall, make noise, and wave hands to scare it away.
- Use a flashlight at night.
Tree Replacement – Notice of Fulfillment
To fulfill tree replacement conditions related to your tree permit or make a cash-in-lieu payment, please complete our online form . Complete forms are vital for a quick tree replacement review.
Report any illegal tree removal to Richmond Hill’s By-law and Licensing Enforcement section at 905-771-0198, helping protect our trees. Explore our Tree Preservation Information for guidelines on construction near trees, arborist reports, and their role during the development process. Thank you for your commitment to preserving our urban forest. Read More
Recycle Responsibly with Us!
Discover the easy way to recycle and dispose of waste correctly in Richmond Hill. Visit our Recycling Information page to find out what, where, and how to recycle. Join us in protecting our environment and building a greener, sustainable community. Together, we can make a positive impact!
RICHMOND HILL PARTNERS WITH LOCAL CANADIAN TIRE STORES
Post on Nov 1, 2023
Richmond Hill is excited to announce its partnership with two local Canadian Tire stores at 250 Silver Linden Drive and 11720 Yonge Street. These stores are committed to supporting community recreation, and their branding can now be seen at Ed Sackfield Arena and Fitness Centre and Tom Graham Arena.
As the “Presenting Partner” of the City’s Adventure Series, the partnership will introduce children aged 6-13 to outdoor skills like orienteering, rock climbing, hiking, fire making, and shelter building. This multi-year sponsorship reflects a shared dedication to the community and its residents.
Canadian Tire will also host free indoor community public skates over the next two winters. Check the schedule at RichmondHill.ca/Skating for details.
Community business sponsorships, like this one, enrich programs and services for residents. Local businesses are encouraged to support City-run events and initiatives. Find out more at RichmondHill.ca/Partnerships.
We’re excited about the positive impact this partnership will have on our community’s recreation and culture.
York Region News
York Region’s 2022 Public Health Report Highlights Achievements and Future Priorities
Post on Nov 1, 2023
In the latest annual report, York Region Public Health celebrates 2022 successes and outlines future goals. Key accomplishments include digital tools for mental health support, an anti-vaping awareness campaign, and a secure system for reporting animal bites. The report emphasizes York Region’s commitment to health and well-being, learning from the pandemic, and addressing evolving community needs.
For more details on public health programs and services, visit york.ca/health.
Read More: 2023 to 2027 Strategic Plan
Read More: Orginal Media Release
About York Region: This region comprises nine local cities and towns, offering programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 55,600 businesses with over 615,000 employees. Learn more at york.ca/regionalservices.
York Region Renewing Commitment To Help Seniors
Update on October 31, 2023
York Region is renewing its commitment to help seniors in the face of a growing senior population. They’re introducing a 2023-2027 plan to support seniors and promote healthy aging. By 2051, one in four residents will be over 65. The plan builds on previous successes and aims to enhance senior well-being, considering their individual needs. Input from residents and stakeholders has shaped this plan. It focuses on advocacy, collaboration, and addressing senior-related issues. The plan will be presented to the Regional Council in early 2024, with updates every four years. For more information, visit york.ca/PlanForSeniors.
Provincial Regulatory Updates
Updates on Nov 20, 2023
Open for Comment
MMAH is seeking feedback on Bill 150, the Planning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023, which is currently in the legislature and ordered for second reading. A list of modifications is provided with those applying to York Region beginning on page 10. Comments are due December 16.
The Province is initiating a renewal of the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan (2012) to address the ongoing and increasing threat of invasive species in Ontario. Comments are due January 4.
There is a proposal on changes Real Estate Management Act, 2023 – Centralization of Broader Real Estate Authority (CBREA) Phase 2. Comments are due December 31, 2023.
Provincial:
The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing introduced Bill 150, Planning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023, which will roll back changes to the Official Plan Adjustments Act and the Planning Act. This includes changes made to the Region of York Official plan adopted pursuant to By-law 2022-40, including that Map 1B, Urban System Overlays be modified by deleting the Gormley GO Major Transit Station Area symbol and that OP policy 4.4.43 is deleted in its entirety which had set out higher density targets in the Langstaff GO-Bridge Station and Richmond Hill Centre Subway Station by Ministerial Zoning Order. AMO President Colin Best sent a letter to the Minister about this bill.
The Minister of Labour, Training, Immigration and Skills Development introduced Bill 149, Working for Workers Four Act, 2023, which if approved would require employers to include compensation ranges in all job postings, disclose if artificial intelligence is used to screen applicants, and retain copies of every publicly advertised job posting and any associated application form for three years after access to the posting by the general public is removed. It also establishes, for firefighters and fire investigators, primary-site esophageal cancer as a presumed occupational disease that occurs due to the nature of the worker’s employment unless the contrary is shown.
The Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, tasked by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with reviewing regional governance, agreed that the committee meet for public hearings in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Simcoe county, Waterloo and York in at least two locations in each region with specific dates and times to be determined at future meetings of the committee.
Note: The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is conducting a survey of municipal employees to inform their efforts on workforce development in the sector. If you are interested, you can participate here.
Federal:
The House of Commons referred C-53 An Act respecting the recognition of certain Métis governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan, to give effect to treaties with those governments and to make consequential amendments to other Acts to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs for review. If this bill, brought forward by the Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations, receives Royal Assent, it will provide a framework for the implementation of treaties entered into by Métis governments and Canada.
Updates on Nov 3, 2023
Provincial:
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance introduced Bill 146, Building a Strong Ontario Together Act (Budget Measures), 2023 and presented the Fall Economic Statement (2023 Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Building a Strong Ontario Together). This also kicks off public consultation on the 2024 Provincial Budget, with feedback open until January 31, 2024.
If passed, Bill 146 will make amendments to a number of statutes, including some relevant to municipalities:
- The Fuel Tax Act and Gasoline Tax Act: Extending the current reduction in tax on fuel that began in July 2022 to June 20, 2024.
- The Construction Act: Amended to introduce regulation-making authority to allow for lower minimum bonding requirements for large public infrastructure projects that do not involve private financing.
The Fall Economic Statement reviewed a number of initiatives relevant to municipalities:
- The previously announced removal of the provincial portion of the HST on for qualifying new purpose-built rental housing, complimenting the federal removal of their portion of the HST.
- Launch of the Ontario Infrastructure Bank, a new agency responsible for attracting public-sector pension plans and other institutional investors to participate in large-scale critical infrastructure projects, with proposed initial funding of $3 billion from the government. Per the Municipal Finance Officers Association, project investments will initially be focused on new long-term care homes, energy infrastructure, affordable housing, municipal and community infrastructure and transportation.
- Investing $200 million over three years in a new Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund, for the repair, rehabilitation and expansion of a variety of municipal water infrastructure projects.
- Investment more than $1 billion over three years in the Skilled Trades Strategy, as well as $860 million in the Training Stream and $224 million in the Capital Stream of the Skills Development Fund.
Of special note to Richmond Hill, the government took this opportunity to highlight that in April 2023, it had issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Advance Tunnel Contract for the Yonge North Subway Extension, which includes constructing the tunnels and building the launch and extraction shafts used for the tunnel boring machines. Upgrades at Finch Station, which will include improvements made to the electrical system that powers the rails, are underway. The Greater Golden Horseshoe Transit Map included in the Fall Economic Statement (see here) includes YNSE with stations at Steeles, Clark, Royal Orchard, Bridge and High Tech as well as a potential station at Cummer.
The Province announced the following key changes to its 2023/24 projections:
- Revenues are projected to be $2.6B lower than budget,
- Expenses are projected to be $1.7B higher than budget, and
- The deficit is projected to be $5.6B, a $4.3B increase from budget. Despite this the Minister of Finance says the province still plans to have a balanced budget by 2025-26.
Other analysis/commentary of the Fall Economic Statement:
In other provincial news, the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy has taken on the Minister of Municipal Affairs request to undertake the study of regional governance that previously was assigned to facilitators. The committee has scheduled a hearing on this on November 6 in Barrie.
Federal:
In October, the Supreme Court ruled that parts of the Impact Assessment Act, which outlines a planning and decision-making tool used to assess the positive and negative environmental, economic, health, and social effects of proposed projects as well as impacts to Indigenous groups and rights of Indigenous peoples, are unconstitutional, specifically by encroaching on projects that should be within provincial jurisdiction. The government issued a response from the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) issued a statement ahead of the federal Fall Economic Statement about municipal priorities including housing and infrastructure: “All orders of government need to work together to solve Canada’s housing crisis. That starts with a recognition of—and commitment to solve—the very real but often unseen challenge of ensuring Canada’s public infrastructure can support the housing growth Canadians expect. The federal government has signaled that new details about their next generation of infrastructure funding are coming soon. Those details, and the upcoming Fall Economic Statement, must commit to infrastructure funding that not only meets the scope of our current challenges, but also recognizes the immense work and investment ahead if we are to meet the CMHC home building targets of 5.8 million homes by 2030—roughly doubling the annual rate of housing construction.”
Updates on Oct 31, 2023
Open for Comment
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has released a proposal on changes to the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act that would remove the requirement to publish notices in newspapers for Niagara Escarpment Plan amendment proposals and associated hearings and instead publish these notices on a Government of Ontario website or the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) website; expand the Minister’s regulation-making powers to allow broader exemptions for low-risk activities (maintenance or repairs of existing structures where minimum setbacks from sensitive features are maintained, some routine activities carried out by conservation organizations, such as constructing footbridges on existing trails, and establishing size limits for accessory buildings) and broaden the range of compliance tools and powers to provide NEC staff greater abilities to inspect and address non-compliant development activities. Comments are due December 4, 2023.
And a reminder on some significant matters from last week’s updates:
- The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has released a proposal for returning lands to the Greenbelt, under the Greenbelt Statute Law Amendment Act (2023). This would introduce restorative legislation to 15 parcels of land that were redesignated/removed from the Greenbelt in late 2022. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until November 30.
- The Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism has released a proposal regarding the Ontario Heritage Act and making certain alteration requests for various sites. This would amend O.Reg 385/21 (General) to allow for religious organizations and Indigenous communities or organizations to move forward with their proposed alterations where the requirements of the provision are met. For more information, or to submit a comment, please visit the hyperlink. Comments can be submitted until December 3.