Richmond Hill takes action on illegal signs

Richmond Hill council briefs

Yorkregion.com
July 28, 2015

Starting in the spring, town staff began to see many illegal temporary signs spring up all around Richmond Hill - usually wire framed with plastic sheathing - and as a result fielded numerous complaints from residents.

A clean-up blitz was held by bylaw staff over four days at the end of April. A rough count puts the number of illegal signs removed at about 1,600 over four days, according to communications staff.

Another blitz was held Friday and part of Saturday in neighbourhoods south of Major Mackenzie Drive.

A similar sign-removal blitz will be scheduled in the north end of Richmond Hill in August.

Offenders will be prosecuted, when possible, according to the bylaw department.

The town cannot remove illegal signage from regional roads, but reports problem areas to the Region of York.

Residents are permitted to remove any illegal signs which appear on their private property and can report illegal signs on public property to the bylaw department via email to bylaw@richmondhill.ca or call 905-771-0198.

TOWN EARNS AWARDS

At a council meeting earlier this month, Mayor Dave Barrow accepted three Hermes Creative Awards and an AVA Digital Award on behalf of council.

Hermes Creative Awards recognized Richmond Hill for three projects in three separate categories. The town’s Spring & Summer 2015 Community Recreation Guide received a platinum award in the Program Guide category; the Responsible Pet Ownership Social Media Campaign won a gold award in the Communication/Marketing Campaign category plus an honourable mention for the town’s “Keep Calm and Plant On” Earth Day T-shirts in the T-Shirt Design category.

The town also received an AVA Digital Award for its video aimed at educating residents about the Emerald Ash Borer and how it is killing ash trees.

The video, available at Richmond Hill.ca/EAB and on the town’s YouTube channel, won a gold award. It outlines how property owners can identify an ash tree, the signs and symptoms of ash borer infestation, what Richmond Hill is doing to manage ash trees on public property and what residents should do if they have an ash tree on their property.

“It is an honour to be recognized not only for our creativity, but for the variety of communications materials we produce,” said Barrow. “Our creative team is a very talented group and they always strive for excellence.”