Top 5 inquiries made by Richmond Hill residents -- winter 2022 edition

Residents eager on vaccine, winter maintenance, outdoor skating, waste management

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 18, 2022
Yoyo Yan

The city's customer service centre, Access Richmond Hill, fields close to 100,000 inquiries each year. Here are five of the top winter-season questions asked by residents:

WHERE CAN I GET A COVID-19 VACCINE?

Visit york.ca/COVID19Vaccine for information about the vaccine and where you can get vaccinated. York Region currently has several vaccination clinics operating, including one at Richmond Green Sports Centre in Richmond Hill.

In addition to local York Region Public Health clinics, the vaccine and boosters are also available at pharmacies, select primary care offices and through the Provincial Booking System. Visit Ontario.ca/Covid19 or call 1-833-943-3900 for more information.

HOW CAN I REPLACE MY BROKEN WASTE BINS WHILE RICHMOND HILL FACILITIES ARE CLOSED?

Richmond Hill's Operations Centre reception and Access Richmond Hill are currently closed for in-person services due to COVID-19.

Waste bins and garbage tags are available for purchase/exchange online, with delivery to your home. Garbage tags are also available at any Richmond Hill library location. Visit RichmondHill.ca/BinsAndTags for more information.

WHEN WILL MY STREET BE PLOWED AFTER A SNOWSTORM?

Staff work hard to clear snow from more than 1,000 kilometres of roads and 800 kilometres of sidewalks as quickly and efficiently as possible. The goal is to have roads cleared within 16 hours and sidewalks cleared within 14 hours after the snow stops. Please note times may vary due to the length of the storm, time of day and staffing due to COVID-19.

Primary roads and sidewalks are plowed and salted first, followed by secondary roads and sidewalks. Major roads, such as Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street, are the responsibility of York Region, not the city.

Learn more about the city's winter maintenance activities, including how you can track the plows in your neighbourhood, by visiting RichmondHill.ca/WinterMaintenance.

DOES THE CITY HAVE ANY OUTDOOR SKATING RINKS?

Richmond Hill is home to one of the best outdoor skating trails in Ontario. The Richmond Green Skate Trail is a 250-metre looped skate trail with lights for evening skating. It is located at 1300 Elgin Mills Rd. E. and there is ample parking. Admission is free and registration is not required. Please note that you must bring your own skates -- rentals are not available. Visit RichmondHill.ca/OutdoorSkating for more details, including operating hours, and health and safety protocols. For skate trail conditions, call the city's hotline at 905-771-5490.

City staff are also planning to open natural ice rinks at Mill Pond and Lake Wilcox this winter if ice conditions and provincial COVID-19 restrictions permit.

Please note: Skating is prohibited on all Richmond Hill stormwater ponds. It is never safe to skate on stormwater ponds as factors such as water flow, fluctuating water levels and snow on the ice can contribute to unsafe conditions putting you and emergency responders at risk.

WHERE CAN I ACCESS RICHMOND HILL'S WASTE MANAGEMENT CALENDAR?

Print copies of the 2022 Waste Management Calendar were mailed to all Richmond Hill households in late December. It includes this year's waste collection schedule for your neighbourhood, in addition to other useful information. You can also view the digital version online at RichmondHill.ca/Waste or download the Recycle Coach app from the App Store or Google Play.

ABOUT ACCESS RICHMOND HILL

The Access Richmond Hill Contact Centre helps you with general inquiries and responds to questions or concerns about programs and services. It also offers translation assistance for residents who need services in languages other than English.

Access Richmond Hill is available to help Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. by phone at 905-771-8800, email access@richmondhill.ca. In-person services are currently not available. Residents can also use the online portal at AccessRH.RichmondHill.ca to submit general inquiries, report street lights that don't work, report trees that need maintenance, or book a pickup time for a large appliance.