Councillor Cui is Member of:
2023 Main Objectives:
2023 Community Activities:
In August, Emancipation Day takes place on August 1, commemorating the end of slavery in the British Empire. It is also a time to reflect on, learn about, and engage in the ongoing fight against anti-Black racism and discrimination. On August 9, It is International Day of the World’s Indigenous People with an estimated 476 million Indigenous peoples in the world living across 90 countries. As we continue on the path towards truth and reconciliation, it is important to recognize and celebrate the contributions Indigenous Peoples have made, and continue to make, in the Richmond Hill community and beyond.
September is a month filled with many cultural and religious celebrations. Those practicing Judaism will celebrate Rosh Hashanah from September 15 to September 17, as well as observe Yom Kippur from September 24 to September 25, and Sukkot from September 29 to October 6. The Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Cake Festival) occurs on September 29 and is celebrated widely across the Chinese community. It takes place when the moon is considered to be the biggest and brightest of the year. Similar holidays are also celebrated across various countries in East and Southeast Asia.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on September 30, commemorating and honouring the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. It coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous grassroots project that not only invites conversation on the tragic history of residential schools, but also honours the children who survived while remembering those who did not. You are welcome to join Council and ELT to raise the Every Child Matters flag in support of truth and reconciliation on September 27 in front of the main Municipal Offices at 9:00 a.m. Please wear an orange shirt if you can.
Finally, I want to share that World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on September 10. Seeking help and/or additional support is extremely important if you are experiencing feelings of distress. Richmond Hill offers several resources available through RHLink or by visiting worklifehealth.com, including the Employee and Family Assistance Program should you or your loved ones need it.
My office has received many concerns related to trees, trails, bushes, grass and park service through the summer. Working out with city staff, we have collected some of the questions and answers for residents to review including bylaw, grass height, branches overhanging, cutting timeline and service level etc. Please review the newsletter for details.
In our Ward 4, we relaunched the Neighborhood Watch program in Jefferson Community and Westbrook community from February 2023, we have completed 6 blocks from À to C in the past few weeks. 16 Whatsapp groups have been created. Please see details in this newsletter.
Thank you for your continuous support.
Simon Cui
Richmond Hill Ward 4 Councillor
Cellphone: 437-326-0206
Website: https://simoncui.ca
Email: simon.cui@richmondhill.ca
Uptown Asian Festival 2023
The Uptown Asian Festival is a highly anticipated three-day event that celebrates the rich traditions of the mid-autumn festival in Asian culture. The festival will feature captivating movie screenings, traditional Chinese performances, tantalizing pan-Asian food vendors, and exciting carnival games.
Date:
Address: Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park: 1300 Elgin Mills Rd E, Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1M5
Summer's End Garden Social
In lieu of an annual end of season key note speaker event, the City is hosting its first RH Blooms Summer's End Garden Social on Saturday, September 9 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Richmond Green Park (in the picnic shelter area), 1300 Elgin Mills Road East. Drop in to this booth-style interactive event for the opportunity to:
Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Address: Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park: 1300 Elgin Mills Rd E, Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1M5
Food Bank Harvest Days
This year, we’re providing our community allotment gardeners the chance to donate some of their harvest to the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank. All residents are also welcome to join. If you’d like to donate produce, such as fruits and vegetables (homegrown or purchased) to help someone in need, food bank volunteers will be at the Phyllis Rawlinson Park Community Garden (11715 Leslie Street) collecting donations on August 13 and 27, September 10 and 24 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Residents only need to bring produce. Containers will be supplied.
Date:
Address: Phyllis Rawlinson Park, 11715 Leslie Street
Heritage Summit
The Heritage Summit is an opportunity to appreciate and celebrate Richmond Hill's heritage, presented in partnership between the City and the Richmond Hill Historical Society. Tickets to this event are free! Registration is required for the evening guest speaker and will be available through the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.
Date: Sunday, September 10, 2023 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Address: Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts (10268 Yonge Street)
Moonlight Movies
Soak up the final nights of summer under the stars as we once again bring you Moonlight Movies. Pack up your chairs and blankets, gather the family and enjoy a new release or an old classic. Pre-show fun begins at 7 p.m. and all movies begin at dusk.
Date:
Location: Please visit https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/things-to-do/moonlight-movies.aspx.
Part-time Job Fair
Join us at a Richmond Hill Part-time Job Fair this September to learn about the wide variety of part-time opportunities available with the City – and apply on the spot!
Address: Elgin West Community Centre, 11099 Bathurst Street
https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/news/want-a-job-that-makes-a-difference-we-re-hiring.aspx
150 Walk and Learn – Gormley Heritage District
The Hamlet of Gormley is a gem in Richmond Hill. Settlement here began with the arrival of Pennsylvania German immigrants in the first decade of the 19th century. Our tour will focus on the heritage homes of this unique settlement that grew from a small farming community to a hamlet that was at one time a bustling stop for the railroad.
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2023 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Address: Meet at the corner Farmer Court and Gormley Street West.
Astronomy Tea
Celebrate Astronomy days at the Heritage Centre! You will enjoy our full service afternoon tea and members from the Royal Astronomical Society will share their knowledge about the cosmos. After tea, experience solar gazing in Amos Wright Park and learn about telescopes and how you can enjoy the night sky at home.
Date: Friday, September 22, 2023 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Address: 19 Church St N, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 3E6
2023 York Region Inclusive Information Fair
Children's Treatment Network (CTN) in partnership with the City of Richmond Hill will be hosting a York Region Inclusive Information Fair to provide community information to families of kids, youth and adults with disabilities and developmental needs ages 0 - 21.
With a focus on bringing information, resources and services that support all 6 F-Words of Childhood Development! Fun, Family, Friends, Function, Future and Fitness. There will be a variety of vendors from recreation (Fun), to transition to school (Future), to CTN’s Equipment Loan Program (Fitness), a parent networking room (Family), and many more!
All community service providers, educators, financial or funding representatives are welcome to attend. We also invite private vendors, transition support providers, recreation organizations, parent support and information groups to participate.
Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Address: Langstaff Community Centre 155 Red Maple Road Richmond Hill, ON
150 Walk and Learn – North Yonge Street
North Yonge Street in the village core is a unique part of the city featuring a history of politics, education, medicine and the arts!
Date: Tuesday, September 26, 2023 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Address: Meet at R.H. Centre for the Performing Arts, 10268 Yonge Street
Tress, Grass, Trail, Park service:
Q1: How many trails/streets/parks are we managing for grass cutting and what is the SLA?
A1: There are 165 parks in the city. City grounds maintenance crews have begun cutting the grass within our Parks and Open Spaces network with the follow frequencies:
To manage the rapid growth of grass during this time, some areas may not receive line trimming on the first round of maintenance. Crews will address this on the next round of maintenance. The City has contracted crews that cut grass along City boulevards and other low profile areas. First cutting cycles began in mid-April, which takes them approximately 14 days to complete. Crews work systematically through the City Blocks.
Q2: What is the bylaw requirement to cut the width of the grass/bushes from the walkway? Also trails/parks if branches/grasses/bushes reach the walkway and lead to safety concern?
A2: There is no by-law requirement for trimming vegetation from encroaching on a public walkway as this is a municipal maintenance responsibility and is governed by City service levels. The Trees on Town Streets By-law (Section 821.2.1 (e)) authorizes the City to “prune or cause to be pruned all trees located on private property, the branches of which extend over a City Street, including the pruning of branches which are hazardous or create an unsafe condition”.
Based on the best practice, grass is typically cut back 0.5m - 1.0m along the pathways and sidewalks depending on the location and the types of vegetation/trees adjacent to the pathways.
Grass and Weeds bylaw
The Grass and Weeds By-law allows Richmond Hill staff and contractors to access private property to remove grass and weeds, which do not comply with the By-law. The cost for any removal can be charge back to the property.
https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/our-services/Grass-and-Weed-Bylaw.aspx
Q3: how many FTE and contractor city has for grass / trails/ parks services in summer plus summer students etc?
A3: Currently the City has 13 FTE positions and 18 summer students/seasonal staff covering around 227.46 hectares of land. Contracted services cover up to 36.6 hectares of land, but we do not have details regarding the number of staff they use to deliver the service. Our staffing levels are structured to ensure efficient and timely maintenance while accommodating fluctuations in demand (due to seasonal and weather related factors) in various functions within Parks Section as well as specific project requirements.
Q4: what is the SLA for grass/trees/parks/trails cutting?
A4: Please see A1 for answers.
Q5 How can we get support from the community and residents to cut off the trees/branches in time?
A5: There are legal and safety concerns when engaging volunteers to do work on City property. City staff also need to be properly trained and need to have the resource capacity to lead groups of volunteers, often high school students, families and seniors, in maintenance and stewardship events as described.
Richmond Hill’s Community Stewardship Program offers residents the opportunity to participate in stewardship events which are aimed at maintaining previously planted restoration areas. Volunteers work with the City’s natural environment staff or one of our program partners who are trained and qualified to lead volunteers. They are also fully insured and covered by WSIB. Residents can learn about and sign up for these events on our website. The program does not facilitate volunteers in routine maintenance of city trails and infrastructure. Also, these areas are often not prescreened or assessed ahead of time when maintenance occurs and as a result we cannot ensure participant safety from hazardous plant material, failing trees, tree limbs or vegetation they may encounter, among other things.
Should residents have concerns about maintenance of city walkways and infrastructure they can put in a call to Access Richmond Hill and staff will be dispatched to inspect and address the areas as required, if routine maintenance is not already scheduled in the near future.
Q6: Should the city issue warnings and penalty when bushes/tree branches reach to neighbor’s property?
A6: There is no by-law violation that applies to this situation. This is a matter that needs to be worked out between neighbors. The Owner of a tree has no obligation to prevent branches or roots from growing into a neighboring property. The neighbor has the right to cut them off at the property line, but must do so in accordance with “good arboricultural practices” as defined in the Private Property Tree Preservation By-law. This generally requires a discussion between neighbors to work it out the best approach. A qualified arborist would be helpful in working out a solution.
Community Watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the country, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer. Neighborhood Watch is simply a program of neighbors watching out for each other during the workday, evenings, vacations or any other absence. The purpose of the Neighborhood Watch program is to create an alert neighborhood by using simple crime prevention methods.
We have started the Neighborhood Watch Program Re-launching program on Feb 18, 2023, we have received many support from our residents. We have finished our Stage 1 as online enrollment. If you are living in Jefferson Community and Westbrook community and have not registered this program yet, you are welcome to make your online registration.
Stage 2:
I have finished the virtual meetings with each block leaders, street leaders and street members. From this month, we will work with all leaders and volunteers to:
Successful factor:
Jefferson Community
Registration Link and QR Code:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5eTrATdGAyfVr4uzzznmeSkY33ZcnTcgCH3ZjWuy3Yhj14g/viewform
Westbrook Community
Registration Link and QR Code:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuqVLpvCYphe3NqvDELL0JcAp3RlmWubPjNP40pQsAKAPkBA/viewform
WhatsApp group for Jefferson Community:
Block A:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/JBBkpdn08so7xnBn9J9z6R
Block B:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/CJlkCYe6ib77l81OuKJXXD
Block C:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/EnONSOGU05EGt61oc9zcyM
Block D:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/HayZr3nigkIGHR3N0OzRuh
Block E:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/K2hRjasLsnr0Gdm5tQH7eq
Block F:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/C0vYxTzZO8i82lWLJHZKuQ
Block G:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/IYEGet1oKZILx9QI90yS6y
Block H:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/IB8ihsIi2Re5nnCfTzgvbF
WhatsApp group for Westbrook Community:
Block A:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FvFA3sKkjgKFSCYVCE7DTn
Block B:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/LiKXo0Bn8XJ8bRmhHQuE3W
Block C:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/HlwWcfYBz7xCBBOoh2WMTP
Block D:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BnnDcx8YT8GDH1TuDpeoCa
Block E:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/HtjnQxAmryCCZRk1j1fzBe
Block F:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/LYZhC2u8PzdAqoUJK0Yex3
Block G:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FdbTUL5BBY98tUTyALKx50
Block H:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BB5MpFBmaJHLH4kaiizI7M