Key Issues and Community Updates
Clear positions. Practical action. Accountability for results.
Residents in Richmond Hill are facing real challenges, including rising costs, community safety concerns, traffic, development pressure, and questions about the quality and value of local services.
This page explains what I am hearing, where I stand, and the practical action I believe Richmond Hill should pursue.
This is not simply a list of promises.
It shows how I would approach the issues residents are raising across Ward 2 and Richmond Hill.
Property Taxes and Affordability
Residents are concerned about affordability and rising taxes.
A consultant report commissioned by the City warned that Richmond Hill may face property tax increases of 6 to 7 percent annually.
This is not a one-time concern. When increases continue year after year, the effect compounds and becomes a much heavier burden for homeowners, seniors, families, and small businesses.
When residents face financial pressure, they review priorities, delay non-essential spending, and focus on what they can realistically afford. City Hall should apply the same discipline before asking residents to pay more.
My Position
Tax increases must be justified, manageable, and tied to clear value for residents. Before asking residents to pay more, Council should demonstrate that it has reviewed non-essential spending, reduced unnecessary bureaucracy, and protected essential services.
What I Would Push For
- A line-by-line review of major spending pressures
- Clear separation between what is essential, what can wait, and what residents can realistically afford
- Full disclosure of how projects will be funded and what other priorities may be affected
- Careful review of long-term operating, maintenance, and replacement costs
- Better public reporting on reserves, reallocations, and financial trade-offs
Residents deserve affordability, transparency, and disciplined financial leadership.
Community Safety
Concerns Near the Youth Centre at Yonge and Crosby
Residents have raised ongoing concerns about safety and quality of life near the youth centre at Yonge and Crosby.
Concerns reported to me include discarded needles, suspected drug activity, petty crime, break-ins, trespassing, and public disturbances.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighbourhood. Residents, seniors, families, local businesses, and the people using support services all benefit when safety concerns are addressed early and responsibly.
My Position
This is not about turning our backs on vulnerable youth. It is about making sure support services are delivered responsibly, with proper supervision, community coordination, and respect for the surrounding neighbourhood. Compassion and public safety must go together.
What I Would Push For
- Direct coordination among the City, York Regional Police, service providers, residents, businesses, and the youth centre
- Stronger on-site supervision and visible safety measures
- Clear reporting and cleanup procedures for discarded needles and other hazards
- Regular monitoring of the surrounding area and meaningful updates to residents
- A review of whether the current location, operating model, safety measures, and neighbourhood supports are working as intended
Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Prevention
Some residents have told me they would like to establish Neighbourhood Watch programs but have struggled to find the support and follow-up needed to get started.
Community safety is not only about enforcement. It is also about prevention, communication, and neighbours working together to protect their homes, families, and local streets.
As Councillor, I would work with residents who want to establish Neighbourhood Watch groups and help connect them with York Regional Police and available community-safety resources.
I would also push for better communication among residents, Council, and local police so safety concerns are not ignored, delayed, or left without follow-up.
Residents deserve safer neighbourhoods, stronger communication, and practical support when they come forward with concerns.
Safer Streets and Sidewalks
Residents regularly raise concerns about speeding, traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, school-area safety, and the growing use of e-bikes and other motorized devices on sidewalks.
These issues affect how safely children walk to school, seniors cross the street, residents use sidewalks, and families move through their neighbourhoods.
Sidewalks should be safe for pedestrians. As e-bikes, scooters, and other motorized devices become more common, the City should review whether current rules, signage, enforcement, and public education reflect what residents are experiencing.
My Position
Richmond Hill needs a practical and responsive approach to street and sidewalk safety. The solution should fit the location, address the actual problem, and consider the effect on residents who live nearby.
Possible Tools
- Improved signs and pavement markings
- Traffic calming and speed cushions where appropriate
- Curb extensions and protected crossings
- School-zone improvements
- Public education and targeted enforcement
- Faster review of locations repeatedly identified by residents
Safety measures must also be designed carefully. Poorly planned changes can create new problems, including loss of needed parking, difficult visitor access, longer walking distances for seniors, and complications for emergency vehicles and snow clearing.
A safe city should not become an unfriendly city.
Good safety measures require consultation, proper design, common sense, and follow-through.
Development and Growth
Growth is coming to Richmond Hill, but it must be planned responsibly and managed properly.
Residents are not against development. They are concerned about development that adds density without enough attention to traffic, infrastructure, services, neighbourhood character, and quality of life.
Residents also become frustrated when projects are announced or approved but remain stalled for years without clear progress, visible benefits, or proper explanation.
My Position
Development should respect infrastructure capacity, community needs, and long-term planning. Growth should improve the community rather than simply add more pressure.
Questions the City Must Ask
- Can the surrounding roads and intersections handle the additional traffic?
- Are water, wastewater, parks, emergency services, and other infrastructure ready?
- How will the proposal affect the surrounding neighbourhood?
- What public spaces, services, commercial uses, or community benefits will be delivered?
- What happens if the project is approved but delayed for years?
- How will residents be kept informed before and after approval?
Responsible growth means planning for people, not just projects.
Residents deserve to know not only what has been proposed or approved, but what is actually being delivered. Announcements and approvals are only part of the story. Results matter.
Local Economy, Downtown, and Commercial Areas
A vibrant city needs more than housing. It needs places where people can shop, eat, work, gather, and support local businesses.
Richmond Hill should be honest about the condition of parts of its downtown. If we want a stronger local economy, we need cleaner streets, better streetscapes, safer public spaces, and planning that encourages restaurants, small businesses, and community-friendly destinations.
Parking and access also matter. On-street parking along Yonge Street can contribute to congestion, while limited parking on nearby streets makes it harder for residents and visitors to stop and support local businesses.
My Position
The City cannot force particular businesses to open, but it can create better conditions for business success. That means cleaner and safer commercial areas, attractive public spaces, practical parking and access, supportive planning tools, and events that bring customers into local business districts.
What Richmond Hill Should Explore
- A practical downtown parking and access strategy
- Cleaner streets and stronger streetscape maintenance
- Public spaces where residents feel comfortable visiting and spending time
- Planning tools that encourage restaurants, small businesses, and a better mix of uses
- Selected street festivals and events that bring customers directly into commercial areas
- Clear measurement of whether BIA spending is producing results for local businesses
A downtown cannot thrive if people avoid it.
Richmond Hill must create places where residents want to come, stay, dine, visit, and support local businesses.
Staying Connected
Good decisions come from real conversations.
I believe residents should be heard before decisions are made, not after problems appear. That means listening, following up, and keeping people informed.
Have Something to Share?
If you have a concern, question, or idea about Ward 2 or Richmond Hill, I would be pleased to hear from you.
Email: votesigmund@gmail.com
Phone: 416 833 4347
Want More Detail?
My Public Commentary contains detailed analysis, sources, and proposals on Richmond Hill issues.
If you live in Ward 2, I would be honoured to earn your support and your vote.
Vote Sigmund Lee for Ward 2. Practical leadership you can trust.