David West
Richmond Hill Ward 4 Councillor
Monthly Newsletter
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10 Things to Know During the
COVID-19 Situation
This is a very difficult and unprecedented time for all of us in Richmond Hill. To use a nautical term we are in “uncharted waters” and it's “all hands on deck”.
At no other time in my life has it been more obvious that we are all connected. Because of this connectedness each of us has a real and substantive role to play in helping ourselves, the ones we love, and our friends and neighbours, all at the same time.
Now more than ever we need to follow the lead of our Public Health Experts and co-operate with their guidance and orders. Its all hands on deck so lets help those that are helping us focus on the task at hand!
1. Take Care of Yourself.
To paraphrase Canada’s Chief Public Officer of Health, Dr. Tam, by taking care of yourself you are taking care of others. Keeping ourselves healthy will help others. We also need to get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, and keep physically active and most importantly wash you hands (your mom was always right – imagine that!), practice physical distancing, and all other directives from public health. (see
www.Canada.ca
or
www.york.ca/covid19
for complete details).
2. Go out Only When Necessary.
Avoid non-essential trips. For now shopping is not a social activity. One trip once a week with only one person from the household is best. When you need to go out to get essential supplies be meticulously proactive on all best practices of physical distancing and personal hygiene. (for a reminder of best practices for physical distancing and hygiene visit -
https://www.york.ca/COVID19
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uBq_3eaagg&feature=youtu.be
3. Quarantine Yourself if you Have Symptoms of COVID19,
or if you belong to a household with a member with COVID-19, or have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, or if you just returned to Canada from a trip. Ask someone to get the necessary groceries and supplies that you will need during isolation. Going out while you are in quarantine poses a significant risk to others and it is not helpful toward solving this crisis. (for more info visit
www.york.ca/COVID19
or
www.canada.ca
(if you need to seek medical help for COVID-19 symptoms click
here
)
4. Stay Connected to Family and Friends
via any technological method available (perhaps it’s even a good opportunity to learn a new technology). Reach out if you need help or just want to talk to someone. There are community supports available if needed (a good local Facebook Group that has formed to help others @richmondhillgoodneighbours)
5. Shop Local.
This is always important because it is local businesses that quietly support our community in good times and they need our support now. These local businesses are our neighbours and friends and we need them to be here when this is all over. There are local restaurants that have transitioned to “take out” so we have choices for “non contact” delivery to our door. The Richmond Hill Board of Trade has a new website to help you pick a restaurant - perhaps an old favourite or a new favourite. Please visit
www.shoplocalrichmondhill.ca
6. Support our First Responders and Medical Professionals.
These people are always super heroes but now more than ever they need our kudos and support. Help them by staying home and remaining healthy in order to reduce their burden. You can also reach out to anyone you know working in these fields and say “Thank You”! For more information on how you can specifically help Mackenzie Health Hospital see the section below.
7. Pay Your Property Taxes if You’re Able.
Richmond Hill Council recently passed a motion to allow residents and businesses to waive penalties and interest, until January 1, 2021, on tax and water payments that need to be paid past the due date. This initiative will help families struggling to make ends meet during this crisis. However, if you are financially able to pay your taxes on time please do so. Paying on time will help Richmond Hill to provide the important services that we all need and expect, and that will help us all to help those that need it the most. For more information visit
www.richmondhill.ca/en/our-services/Property-Tax-Billings.aspx
8. Properly Dispose of Your Waste.
Of course this is always important but especially so during this crisis. Please do not flush disposable wipes down the toilet. These wipes do not break down like toilet paper, and as a result they have the potential to clog sewer pipes. (As a Councillor I have learned far more than I ever wanted to know about sewer pipes – please don’t make me learn any more on this subject ☺) Also if you are using masks, wipes, or gloves please dispose of them in the garbage, not in the recycle bin and certainly not on the ground. Also keep in mind that the start of Yard Waste Collection has been delayed by one week to April 21st (Blue Zone) or April 28th (Yellow Zone) so keep your yard waste at the side of your house or in a garage until then. For more information click
here
.
9. Be Patient and Kind to Your Fellow Citizens.
Right now everyone is under stress and we may not all be strong and positive at the same time. If we lean on each other when needed we will compensate for all of our collective moments of weakness. Also, when you are out in the community remember to smile and say “hi” from 2 meters further than you would normally. A smile from a stranger is always a subtle but powerful message for the giver and the receiver.
10. Be positive! We will Get Through This.
Negative thoughts and actions will not change the outcome but they will change the journey for others and us. If you find some extra time on your hands try to appreciate the small things in life. It is a difficult time for all of us but there are opportunities to see the world around us differently and perhaps see it better than we did before.
It is important that we stay well informed from sources supplying accurate and constantly updated information. Being informed is always an important responsibility of citizenship but especially now it will help us make the best choices for our community and ourselves. Below are four web sites that will supply all the information you need :
To learn more about what Richmond Hill is doing to help navigate this situation and how you can do your part to help us all, visit
www.richmondhill.ca
for more detailed information.
Finally, be a proud and positive Richmond Hill resident, a proud Ontarian, and Canadian. This is a national emergency like no other that we have experienced (at least in my life time). During times like this we can all demonstrate our commitment and love for our home by working hard to protect all that we value and hold dear. As always I am here to help and would invite you to feel free to contact me at any time!
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Sincerely,
David West
Ward 4 Councillor Richmond Hill
Cell 416-346-3090
Office 905-771-2480
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Richmond Hill Board of Trade
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Shop local and help out our restaurants during these difficult times! For more info on the Board of Trade visit RHBOT.ca
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Richmond Hill Council News
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Get the latest information on COVID-19
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Mackenzie Health Hospital is an important part of our community at the best of times but their contribution is crucial to our community at the moment. I have had a number of calls from residents asking how they can help and support the medical staff at our Hospital.
The Mackenzie Health Foundation has been coordinating all donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and has a system in place to do so. The email to contact the Foundation is
foundation@mackenziehealth.ca.
Residents can send an email and staff will get back to them within 48 hours. The response from the community has been incredibly generous to date for both PPE and monetary donations.
To learn more about the hospital efforts please click
here,
and to
learn how to donate please visit the above page and scroll down to “How Can you Support our Front-line Staff”
For the latest Mackenzie Health Insider newsletter click
here
.
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City Parks Closed - Important Information during COVID-19
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Richmond Hill park closures include, but are not limited to playgrounds, outdoor exercise equipment, sports fields, dog parks, tennis/basketball courts, skate parks, park shelters, tables and benches. Parks and trails remain open for walkthrough access only.
If you are visiting a park or trail, please practice physical distancing, do not use any park amenities and do not congregate in groups. By-law officers are patrolling the city to ensure compliance. Those continuing to use closed park amenities and/or congregate in groups could receive a $750 ticket. I would ask for your co operation and patience at this time.
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Yonge Bernard Key Development Area Plan
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As most residents that live in the Brookside Canyon Hill and Yonge St area know, there have been ongoing Council, Community, and Stakeholder discussions to plan for the Key Development Area that straddles Yonge St. in this area. (To learn more about this issue please click
here
).
In fact, in 2017 a plan was approved by Council that included significant community and stakeholder input to provide a Secondary Plan for the area that would guide future intensification of the area.
In 2018 a motion was put forward by the current Council to direct staff to provide a new plan that would provide additional residential and commercial density to the original plan.
I remain opposed to this move as I am confident that the original plan, passed by Council in 2017, struck an acceptable balance of intensification for the area and was consistent with the current Richmond Hill Official Plan. Further, I still believe it is inappropriate and unnecessary to add additional density to the recently approved plan.
In any case, Richmond Hill Council will soon be presented with this new intensified KDA plan for their consideration.
When the 2017 KDA Plan was approved by the previous Council several land owners in the area appealed the plan to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). As such there is an LPAT hearing scheduled for the end of June and beginning of July of this year to hear these appeals. Council must make a decision on the KDA Plan before this hearing date in order to prepare for this LPAT Hearing. LPAT has adjourned all hearings up to June 30th in response to the COVID-19 situation, but has not confirmed if the KDA hearing, that straddles the adjournment time frame, will go ahead or be rescheduled.
It is quite problematic that Richmond Hill Council may need, at this time, to provide direction to our Planning staff in the form of a Council approved KDA plan in order to defend a Council position at the LPAT hearing. Under the Current COVID-19 situation if the hearing is to go ahead as planned, Richmond Hill would be forced to approve this plan at a time where our Council meetings are held remotely and the Public has relatively little opportunity to directly participate in these meetings due to the COVID-19 shutdown at the City.
I have reached out to both of Richmond Hill's Members of Provincial Parliament to ask that they work to have this LPAT hearing deferred so that the Council's consideration of this KDA plan may then also be deferred until the public has a better opportunity to provide input.
This delay is crucially important given that so many members of the public have worked hard over the years on this plan and that there is a great deal of public concern related to this issue. The public needs to be able to participate as fully as possible and this is not possible under these difficult circumstances.
I will do my best to keep the area residents informed about the dates for this plan to come to Council but at the present moment this item is tentatively scheduled to be considered at the Council meeting on April 22nd.
For full information on this KDA Plan please click
here
to view the dedicated page on the Richmond Hill website.
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Powell and Wright Street Reconstruction
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I recently hosted a community meeting regarding a proposed Wright Street and Powell Street road reconstruction and Local Improvement project. This meeting allowed residents an additional opportunity to discuss the details of this project with staff and myself. I want to thank all of the residents who came out to this meeting.
At a recent Council meeting this project was approved by Council. To read the staff report that provides details of this project please click
here
.
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Richmond Hill Expands Tax Relief for Residents in Need
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Richmond Hill recognizes the current challenges faced by many residents and businesses and is continuing to put measures in place to help those most in need. Building on the interim measures announced March 26, Richmond Hill Council voted to expand tax and water bill relief measures to support those in the community dealing with financial hardship due to COVID-19. These include:
- No penalty and interest charges on late property tax payments until January 1, 2021
- No penalty and interest charges for late payment of water bills until January 1, 2021
- Maintaining 2019 water/wastewater rates until further notice, providing York Region waives their wholesale rate increase
- Maintaining 2019 stormwater rates until 2021
- Waiving the City’s NSF (non-sufficient funds) fee of $45 for the remainder of 2020
In an effort to come together to get through this difficult time, residents and businesses who are able are strongly encouraged to pay their property taxes on the scheduled due dates. This will help Richmond Hill continue providing essential services such as fire and emergency service, waste collection and safe drinking water, while supporting residents and businesses who are facing financial challenges due to COVID-19. The next property tax instalment is due June 1, 2020.
Account holders on the City’s pre-authorized payment plan who are unable to make their payment can withdraw from the program by providing written notice at least five business days prior to the next scheduled draw. More information can be found online at
RichmondHill.ca/COVID19
or by calling Access Richmond Hill during business hours at 905-771-8800.
Richmond Hill is also looking ahead to helping local businesses recover. Staff will present a plan to create a “Recover Richmond Hill” Economic Recovery Task Force to Council April 8. The Task Force will coordinate continued support for the local economy to set Richmond Hill back on the path to prosperity. For more information on current business supports, visit
RichmondHill.ca/BusinessHelp
.
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Richmond Hill Asks for Residents’ Help to Keep Community Safe
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In a continued effort to protect the community and stop the spread of COVID-19, the City has extended the closure of facilities to the public until May 31 and cancelled all City-led and Council festivals and events until June 30.
All permits for third-party events until June 30 are also cancelled and no new permits will be issued until further notice. All performances and bookings at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts are cancelled until May 31.
Residents are urged to support these efforts by respecting the closures of outdoor park amenities, such as playgrounds, outdoor exercise equipment, sports fields, dog parks, tennis/basketball courts, skate parks, park shelters, tables and benches. Parks and trails remain open for walk through access only. Anyone who is visiting a park or trail should practice physical distancing. By-law officers are patrolling the City to ensure compliance and those continuing to used closed park amenities and/or congregate in groups could receive a $750 ticket.
In addition, while garbage, recycling and organics collection continue as scheduled, yard waste collection is delayed until the April 21st for those in the Blue Zone and April 28th for those in the yellow zone. (to learn what zone you live in click
here
.
Yard waste should be safely stored (preferably in a garage or shed) until collection begins.
Residents can help keep our community and contracted waste collection staff safe by following these waste collection safety guidelines:
Carefully bag and tie all garbage and green bin materials in plastic bags
Dispose of masks, gloves, wipes and other hygiene products in the garbage, not blue box. If these items are
found in the blue box, recycling will not be collected
Do not flush any wipes down the toilet. Sewer blockages can occur
Wash your hands before and after handling waste and waste containers. Regularly clean your containers
using soap and water
Support our collection staff by keeping the required 2 metre physical distancing
Do not litter
If you are sick or have tested positive for COVID-19 place all disposable items you use in the garbage, not the blue box or green bin
Residents are also encouraged to subscribe to
RichmondHill.ca/Waste
for updates or download the Recycle Coach app from the App Store or Google Play.
@myRichmondHill.
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Sadly in the late winter this year two of our Mill Pond Swans died while living at the Swan enclosure at the north end of the Mill Pond. The veterinarian suspects the cause of death to be a bird based virus.
At that time the third swan was taken to a wildlife reserve facility for observation but has since been returned to the Mill Pond and appears to be in good health.
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Development Application Yeda Major Mackenzie Inc. - 58 Major Mackenzie Drive West
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This development application was scheduled to come to a Council Public Hearing on April 1st but was rescheduled to a later date due to the COVID-19 related shutdowns. The new
Council Public Meeting
date that has been set is
May 6, 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 measures in place, all Council meetings will be held electronically and citizens can make their views known on this, or any other Council issue, by writing an email to Clerks@richmondhill.ca. Keep in mind I am always happy to speak to you about any issue as well.
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Council Meetings while Under COVID-19
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During the COVID-19 situation all facilities in Richmond Hill remain closed to the public. As such, and to maintain proper physical distancing measures between staff, the public and members of Council, any Council meeting or Committee meetings will be held remotely by video conference. Citizens can still access the live stream of Council meetings by going to the Richmond Hill web site home page at
www.richmondhill.ca
and hovering the mouse over the Mayor and Council tab and then clicking on the "Watch Livestream" tab.
During this time residents who want to express their view to Council must do so in writing by sending an email to
clerks@richmondhill.ca
.
I have been supporting and encouraging staff to find a way that we might be able to accommodate live presentations by members of the public during this time, and I expect to hear about progress in this regard in the near future.
Please bear with us during this difficult time. It is always important to me to be able to facilitate all residents wanting to participate in any Council decision and this includes during these challenging times.
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Latest update from York Region Public Health Department
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It is important to stay up to date with the latest news from the York Region Public Health Department in order to keep yourself, your family, and everyone else in our community safe.
To watch a video message from Dr. Karim Kurji, the York Region Chief Medical Officer of Health related to the latest news from York Region Public Health please click on the link below.
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Short Term Rental Report Considered by Council
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Council recently considered a staff report that explored how Richmond Hill might address community concerns related to short term rental accommodations in our community.
Over the last few years I have received a number of calls from area residents frustrated by the use of neighbouring properties as Short Term Rental Accommodations. These concerns relate to a number of factors including excessive noise and disruption from some Short Term Rental properties.
During the Council deliberations a motion was put forth by Councillor Chan that I seconded. This motion would have directed staff to assemble a package of recommendations that Richmond Hill staff might be able to use to help to regulate Short Term Rentals in our community. I believe the direction this motion would have supplied would provide more certainty around the rules for both renters and community members living in the area of these rentals.
Unfortunately Councillor Chan's motion was voted down by a majority of Council and instead the decision was made to wait to begin any further action on the issue of regulating Short Term Rentals until a Divisional Court Challenge in Toronto on this subject is complete.
Other municipalities like Vaughan are already taking actions toward Short Term Rentals that I believe we need to explore these options in more detail right away. I will continue to advocate that Richmond Hill needs to provide more leadership on this issue in order to provide more certainty for members of the community.
The full staff report can be found by clicking
here
.
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Richmond Hill Investigates Regional Fire Service Amalgamation
At a recent Council meeting Richmond Hill Council unanimously passed a motion to have York Region perform a study to investigate the possibility of amalgamating all municipal fire departments in York Region into one Region wide service.
I presented an amendment to this motion to ensure that our staff also report back to Richmond Hill Council with a report further to the Regional report, to ensure that all details and implications of a potential amalgamation will be clear to Richmond Hill Council and citizens. This is important to ensure that whatever decision is finally made will be in the best interests of Richmond Hill taxpayers in both the short and longer terms. To read the Council staff report please click
here
.
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Strides for Stroke to benefit Mackenzie Health
POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER 17
Saturday, May 2nd
Sign up before April 30 and save $10 on your registration fee.
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225 East Beaver Creek Rd, Richmond Hill,
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