Richmond Hill Focused On Being A Sustainable Community

RICHMOND HILL – Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow delivered his annual “State of the Town” address at the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce Annual Mayor’s Luncheon & Member Showcase held on October 21 at the Richmond Hill Country Club.

Despite being amid turbulent financial news from around the world, Mayor Barrow spoke confidently to the audience of mostly small business owners about Richmond Hill’s many recent initiatives and its prosperous future ahead.

Themed around the topic of sustainability, the Mayor’s speech focused on fiscal responsibility, social and cultural enrichment, and environmental stewardship.

“To us, sustainability is more than just ‘greening’ our natural environment and buildings,” said Mayor Barrow. It’s a broader definition that’s about the capacity to endure. It means thinking about the long-term effects of our actions, and considering the environmental, economic and social implications of our choices.”

The Mayor stressed that sustainability is an evolving process about making choices that endure the test of time. He relayed how the Town’s two most important and guiding plans, the Strategic Plan and the Official Plan, speak to a sustainable future in Richmond Hill.

“Our Strategic Plan, which helps guide our decision making at the Town, identifies the importance of the principles of sustainability,” said Mayor Barrow. “In the Official Plan, sustainability reaches well beyond green building requirements or environmental considerations alone. Our Official plan aims to connect us to the landscape through shared systems and multi-purpose solutions that conserve resources and promote economic prosperity.”

Leading with a focus on fiscal responsibility, the Mayor spoke about the Town’s economy and financial situation saying that Richmond Hill has one of the lowest tax rates in the GTA and is one of very few area municipalities that remains debt-free. Mayor Barrow said that the local economy continues to expand and is largely supported by small business, with over 4,000 businesses calling Richmond Hill home, including many national and international corporate headquarters.

“The careful and prudent financial planning of Council and staff, our educated and diverse workforce, our debt-free status, attractive location, and grant sourcing have a combined impact on the Town in helping us move towards being a more sustainable community, enduring and prospering over time,” said Mayor Barrow.

Mayor Barrow discussed the recent social and cultural advancements that the Town has undertaken that focus around equity, social inclusion, security and adaptability.

“Richmond Hill is a community made up of a mosaic of cultures, languages and faiths that values its rich heritage. We are involved citizens who take pride in our record of community involvement in recreation, volunteer service and the arts,” said Mayor Barrow. “Proof of just how committed and engaged our community is was seen earlier this year when we received the most applications ever wanting to join a Town committee!”

As part of the effort to bringing together and channeling this passion for the arts and community involvement, the Mayor outlined how Richmond Hill recently embarked on its Cultural Plan this year. The Draft Cultural Plan is a direct result of hearing from many members of the community about what culture means to them and how it can be manifested. The Mayor reminded the audience that the Draft Cultural Plan is now available for public comment. The final draft will be the framework for building a more attractive, welcoming, economically prosperous community and culturally vibrant Richmond Hill over the next 10 years.

For his last topic, Mayor Barrow told the audience of the priority that the municipality places on the natural environment and the many recent Town environmental stewardship initiatives.

“While we’ve been working hard to become leaders in protecting our planet, we took it a step further by aligning all of our environmental initiatives with the creation of a new Environmental Services Division,” said Mayor Barrow.

He described how the new division is responsible for the integration of all of the Town’s green initiatives into one focused program, specifically in coordinating the alignment of the Town’s environmental plans, including the Clean Air Local Action Plan, Energy Management Plan, Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan, and Pedestrian & Cycling Master Plan.

Further building on the Town’s commitment to preserving and integrating with the natural environment, the Mayor highlighted the Town’s latest and biggest project in this regard.

“If there is one recent project that demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, it is the new Oak Ridges Community Centre,” declared Mayor Barrow. “The Centre will be a landmark facility within an integrated site that achieves the sensitive balance between much-needed recreational services and the natural environment. It will offer dramatic views of Lake Wilcox while providing ecological benefits to the lake and the Oak Ridges Moraine.”

Before wrapping up, the Mayor proudly announced some of the recent awards that Richmond Hill has garnered over the past year, such as: DiverseCity onBoard recognizing the Town for embracing diversity in board governance and making it a priority to recruit board members from diverse backgrounds; the Strategic Plan being awarded honorable recognition by the Association for Strategic Planning; and fDi magazine declaring Richmond Hill a leading ‘City of the Future.’

With a positive outlook to the future, Mayor Barrow concluded by talking about what’s next for Richmond Hill and how the Town will continue to work with residents and businesses in building that future.

“As we move forward during the next three years of the Council’s term, we know that we need to continue our commitment to sustainability. The implementation of both our Strategic Plan and Official Plan will play a key role in making this happen and so will a number of other important Town projects and initiatives, said Mayor Barrow. “We will work to involve you in key projects and initiatives in order to best understand the issues affecting our community and how to approach them. This collaboration is the continual and evolving process towards becoming a sustainable community and building the future we all envision for ourselves, our families and friends and neighbours.”

2011 Mayor’s “State of the Town” Address [PDF]

2011 Mayor’s “State of the Town” Presentation [PDF]