Richmond Hill Council Meeting: June 10

Richmond Hill council's June 10 meeting focused on a disputed telecommunications tower application at 1124 Elgin Mills Road East, where the proponent and residents argued over whether council had followed its own antenna-siting protocol and whether it should issue a letter of concurrence or non-concurrence. Council also approved an events strategy, added a request for more information on how environmental sustainability will be reflected in city-run events, approved the Community and Cultural Grant Program, and received updates on an award-winning drainage project and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference.

Topics Discussed

1. Telecommunications tower at 1124 Elgin Mills Road East

Audrey Burella of Shared Tower, Inc. asked council to revisit its handling of the proposed radio telecommunications broadcasting antenna system at 1124 Elgin Mills Road East. She argued the issue was procedural, saying council had not completed the step required under its own protocol by the May 16 deadline. Burella told council, "I would like to respectfully assert that neglecting to follow the protocol the council of Richmond Hill has adopted is not only unfair to us as the proponent but unjust to community members that rely on their counselors to dutifully follow the protocols and procedures their counselors have put into place."

Residents opposing the application raised concerns about visual impact, consultation, missing information, and liability. Joyce Fox said, "The landowner York Region has not adequately answered questions relating to appropriate insurance coverage and risk of litigation."

Speakers said Richmond Hill's protocol requires council to provide either a letter of concurrence or non-concurrence, rather than simply receive a staff report. Staff confirmed that point, telling council: "Should council wish not to issue a letter of concurrence, council must issue a letter of non-concurrence. This is outlined in section 8 of the city of Richmond Hill's protocol under dispute resolution, as well as several other parts of the protocol." A July 16 federal feedback deadline was referenced during the discussion.

2. Events strategy and shift to city-administered events

Council debated and approved an events strategy that would move away from individually organized council events toward a city-administered model.

Mayor David West argued for adopting a broader framework first, saying, "if we don't have a strategy, then any road will take you where you want to go, right? What we are trying to achieve here is the maximum efficiency, the maximum bang for the buck and the maximum quality of of events."

Councillor Joe DiPaola supported a baseline funding allocation tied to the transition, saying, "I agree with the $50,000 allocation. I I think that should serve as a minimum." He added that future decisions about expanding city-run events would come through budget talks: "it's up to council to to decide through the budget process um what what types of events we want to have going forward."

Discussion included whether future programming could include new city-led events and how those would be funded and staffed. Councillor Scott Thompson also spoke in favour of a gala-style event to replace some councillor-led fundraising, saying it could "raise money for a city project" without costing taxpayers extra.

3. Sustainability in events

A significant part of the events debate focused on how environmental sustainability would appear in the strategy's implementation.

Councillor Karen Cilevitz asked for clarity on the intent of the amendment, saying, "is E suggesting that we implement events with sustainability in mind or are we suggesting the events are about sustainability?" City staff responded that the proposed direction was "specifically about environmental sustainability and how it is addressed through city events."

Councillor Thompson said he wanted more detail because sustainability had been identified as a priority in the strategy. He said, "Rather what I'm trying to do here is uh because I believe that there would be value in receiving a future report outlining sustainability uh focused programming and events that fit within the broader implementation of the strategy." He later added, "I support the work that's gone into the strategy. You know what I wasn't satisfied with was that council had actually received the complete explanation regarding how sustainability was intended to be reflected."

Mayor West framed the amendment as a request for more information rather than a commitment to a new event. Councillor Simon Cui made the same point, saying, "I think that the what E is doing is it is not committing to anything. It's a request for information."

Council ultimately approved the strategy with added direction for staff to report back on how environmental sustainability objectives will be reflected in implementation.

4. Community and Cultural Grant Program

Council approved the Community and Cultural Grant Program. The meeting notes indicate Councillor Thompson and Councillor Carol Davidson disclosed interests in the item and did not participate in discussion or voting. Councillor Castro Liu had pulled the item for questions, but the item proceeded after those questions were addressed.

5. Infrastructure, climate resilience and conference updates

Council recognized the Mill Street and Altamira Road Drainage Improvement Project, which received the Ontario Public Works Association 2026 Environmental Project of the Year Award. Mayor West said the project stood out because he remembered "walking in in the area that was affected by this and and seeing ducks swimming around in the backyard."

He connected the project to broader climate resilience planning, saying the city regularly delivers strong engineering work and needs to be prepared for severe weather.

Council also heard updates from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference. Deputy Mayor Godwin Chan discussed sessions covering housing affordability, transit oriented communities, and artificial intelligence utilization for service improvement and economic development.

Motions

• Community and Cultural Grant Program — Passed
• Event Strategy — Passed, with added direction for staff to report back on how environmental sustainability objectives will be reflected in implementation
• Item 15.3.7 / 15.3.7.7 — Passed
• Bylaws 181-184 and confirmatory bylaw — Passed

Attendees

Council members identified in the meeting notes:

• Mayor David West
• Deputy Mayor Godwin Chan
• Councillor Scott Thompson
• Councillor Carol Davidson
• Councillor Castro Liu
• Councillor Joe DiPaola
• Councillor Karen Cilevitz
• Councillor Simon Cui

Additional speakers identified in the notes:

• Audrey Burella, Shared Tower, Inc.
• Joyce Fox, resident and volunteer