Chisholm-Sharon
Sharon Chisholm is a Richmond Hill Ward 4 council candidate. Her campaign materials highlight environmental planning, tree planting, walkable neighbourhoods, growth-related infrastructure, community events, public spaces, local business support, resident engagement, and full-time council service as central priorities for her campaign.
Quick Policy Snapshot
| Gentle Density | Strongly support city-wide permission |
|---|---|
| Parking Mandates | Neutral / undecided |
| Transportation | Strongly support reallocating space where needed |
| Public Safety | Public safety is mostly a police/regional responsibility, with a limited City role |
| Cutting Development Charges | Support only if the city identifies replacement funding |
Detailed Policy Positions
Housing & Growth
Gentle Density
Position: Strongly support city-wide permission
Priority: High priority
Development must respect the character of Richmond Hill's neigbourhoods while abiding by the density increases imposed by the Province. We need to grow at a pace that suits Richmond Hill, whether it's for more ""grandma"" mini-housing, LEGAL basement apartments, 4/6 plexes, low-rise apartments - BEFORE defaulting to mega-condos and creating condo-ghettos.<br />
Small Builders
Position: The City should support small developers, but only in selected areas or under strict design rules
Priority: High priority
My answer is actually in between ""the City making it easier"" and ""support small developers"" but also be mindful of location, tree coverage and design aesthetics<br />
Growth Corridors
Position: Prefer a balanced mix of corridor growth and gentle density
Priority: High priority
I have grave misgivings about the Bernard/Canyon Hill/Yonge Street area being designated as a transit hub and KDA, with a higher planning density than areas to the immediate north & south. The hub should actually be 500m to the south at the actual intersection of Yonge Street and Elgin Mills, both major thoroughfares. Why all the planning documents refer to the Bernard loop as a transit "station" continues to be a mystery. I am also concerned about the condo-ghetto planned for Yonge Street/Highway 7 and the over-build at Yonge Street and 16th Avenue. All of these developments do one thing at the moment- funnel people AWAY from the City of Richmond Hill and into Toronto, Markham, Vaughan, and Peel. Without a city-centre, Richmond Hill stands to become just another bedroom-community dot on the map.
Permit Reform
Position: Support faster permits, but not a fixed one-week target
Priority: Medium priority
The devil is always in the details. I'd like to propose something more along the lines of "no longer than a month" ( or whatever is doable and reasonable) than a fast turnaround that looks more like rubber-stamping than actual review.
Parking Mandates
Position: Neutral / undecided
Priority: Medium priority
If the goal is to build a walkable/liveable CITY of Richmond Hill and reduce the reliance on cars - hence reduce parking for condos & businesses - the entire city needs a massive transit/alternate transportation review and upgrade.
Transportation & Streets
Transportation Choices
Position: Strongly support reallocating space where needed
Priority: High priority
"I am in favour of anything that brings Richmond Hill residents into OUR city. I would love to see neighbourhood bike-trolleys or even rickshaws that get people to shopping/services<br />
without needing to take a vehicle. With bike lanes in almost every neighbourhood, widening them might facilitate such a program."
Street Safety Design
Position: Somewhat support, depending on location
Priority: Medium priority
We need to have a concise definition as to what is considered a "dangerous" street so that residents have a clear understanding as to how or why physical safety measures are needed and implemented.
Downtown & Main Street
Position: Strongly support downtown/main-street priority
Priority: Top priority
"I would first want an answer to several questions: ""Where is downtown Richmond Hill located?""<br />
1) If the 'Village of Richmond Hill"" is our official downtown, then we need to acknowledge that as a fact. <br />
2) What is Richmond Hill's identity as a city? Are we the ""Capital"" of York Region - due to our geographic location in the centre? Are we the science and innovation hub of York Region? <br />
There is no vision for the future when we can't say who we are today.<br />
Once these two questions are sorted, I would want to see our city with actual ""districts"" - for example, an Arts and Entertainment District; maybe an International Dining District; a Garden District;even a designated ""Financial"" District. The idea is to have identifiable areas where Richmond Hill residents can work/play/live, bring a fresh vibrancy to the city all the while being within walking/transit distance of home."
Public Safety
Public Safety
Position: Public safety is mostly a police/regional responsibility, with a limited City role
Priority: High priority
We have to walk a fine line between neighbourhood safety surveillance and personal privacy. While policing is a regional responsibility, the onus is on the city to identify areas of concern and to work with all vested parties - residents, Regional Council, and our police forces - to make sure that everyone is contributing to the over-all safety of the community.
CCTV Cameras
Position: Need more information
Priority: Medium priority
I would need to see a clear connection between the crime rate/type of crime stats before the CCTV camera installation and the crime rate after installation, as well as the length of time the camera(s) were installed. I would want to see actual numbers as opposed to statements that only speak to percentages. If an area had 10 break-ins in 2024, and had 5 break-ins in 2025, one could say that there was a 50% decrease in break-ins. It sounds great, but is in fact a misleading statement. Richmond Hill can't, nor should it want to, put a CCTV camera on every corner. As has been proven by the vandalism of the CCTV traffic cameras in Toronto, the cameras are easy to damage and expensive to continually replace.
Money & Services
Funding Growth
Position: Use a mix of taxes, fees, and development charges
Priority: High priority
If Richmond Hill is to persist and grow as a city, we need to develop a vision for what we want to be. Part of that vision has to include planning for a city that many of us will never see - the City of Richmond Hill of 2050 or even 2090. To get there, we need to lay the groundwork now, which means park improvements and allocations, regular improvement/upgrading of local roads, water conservation and more. If we are unwilling to invest in the future of our city, the Province may decide that
Cutting Development Charges
Position: Support only if the city identifies replacement funding
Priority: High priority
Tying reduced development charges to improving housing affordability without proof that the housing is actually available and affordable is of no benefit to anyone. Richmond Hill needs affordable housing but we also need to be clear as to what "affordable" actually means, and for whom this housing needs to be made available.
Public Spaces & Environment
Public Spaces
Position: Strongly support making this a core budget priority
Priority: High priority
One of the things to consider might be converting existing large boulevards into neighbourhood linear parks, some with permanent benches placed at convenient intervals, some with flower beds for polinators, and transferring the care to the city, relieving residents of the current boulevard maintenance. At the same time, the proposed new "linear parks" that have been baked into current planning documents need to be reviewed and expanded. ONE linear park planned for the SE corner of Bernard and Yonge Street is insufficient for the needs of the thousands of new residents intended to occupy that KDA.
Environment & Resilience
Position: Strongly support stronger action and dedicated funding
Priority: High priority
"Climate change is a reality and I am all in favour of low cost ways to mitigate heat, save money, and help make Richmond Hill a more climate change resilient city.<br />
According to Trees Canada, streets lined with a dense urban canopy experienced a lower ground level temperature, and roadside tree planting contributes to cooler air temperatures up to 20 storeys above the ground. Trees planted planted on the south and west-facing sides of homes and buildings are particularly effective, sheltering air conditioning units and windows from the most intense hours of sunlight and greatly reducing air conditioning requirements. <br />
Trees, individually and collectively as urban forests, also play a crucial role in stormwater management. tree roots stabilize the soil, improve soil structure and organic content, and increase the soil’s ability to absorb and filter water. This reduces the load on stormwater management infrastructure, streams, and ponds, lessens flood risks while mitigating erosion and sedimentation in waterways and greatly reduces homeowners risks for flooding.<br />
Transparency & Engagement
Transparency & Engagement
Position: Somewhat support better summaries and dashboards
Priority: High priority
I am a huge believer in Ethics and ethical behaviour/conduct; every action taken by Council needs to be transparent and defensible. Since the minutes of every Council meeting are posted by the City and are publicly available and most Council sessions are on YouTube, the voting records are already accessible. What needs to be made clearer is how development negotiations and major project trade-offs are derived and the information presented to residents sooner, rather than later, as a "done deal."