'I will be prudent': Richmond Hill Mayor David West responds after province's strong mayor powers announcement

Yorkregion.com
June 20, 2023

After the Ontario government’s announcement that strong mayor powers would be extended to Richmond Hill and 25 other large, fast-growing municipalities on July 1, Mayor David West released a statement assuring council that his priority would continue to be teamwork and collaboration.

“We started this term with a pledge taken by each member of the incoming Richmond Hill council, which outlined the values we would uphold,” he said. “I will be prudent regarding the strong mayor powers.

“To date, this council has worked to establish a healthy and productive environment that allows us to focus on serving our constituents and I believe that the principle of majority rule is how we will continue to best serve the residents of Richmond Hill.”

Strong mayor powers are intended to help heads of council speed up the delivery of key shared municipal-provincial priorities such as housing, transit and infrastructure. Mayors may choose to exercise these powers or not.

Richmond Hill is the third most populous city in York Region and has a population of more than 200,000. Council is working to meet its target of 27,000 housing units in the city by 2031, as part of the province’s More Homes, Built Faster Act, or Bill 23.