Frequently Asked Questions

Strong Richmond Hill is a resident-led, non-partisan civic advocacy organization. We bring residents together to understand local issues and advocate for a financially resilient city with more housing choices, safer streets, better ways to get around, and stronger civic engagement.

Our work is carried out through the Strong Richmond Hill Civic Association, a registered not-for-profit corporation.

The group began with Richmond Hill residents who were concerned about different parts of how the city was planned: transportation and street safety, walkability, and the shortage of housing choices. Saeed’s difficulty finding an affordable home made the housing issue personal and led him to look for a broader explanation.

Read the full story of how Strong Richmond Hill began.

Strong Richmond Hill incorporated as the Strong Richmond Hill Civic Association, a registered not-for-profit corporation. This gives the group’s work a formal legal home for memberships, contributions, expenses, equipment, and future projects. It also helps the work continue beyond any one person.

The structure is new; the purpose remains the same: helping Richmond Hill become safer, more financially resilient, and easier to call home.

Strong Richmond Hill grew from a local conversation inspired by the ideas of the Strong Towns movement. Strong Towns does not fund our work. Some members of our group are also individual members of Strong Towns.

Our advocacy and activities are organized locally by Richmond Hill residents.

Our work has been supported by personal contributions from members. Incorporation gives the association a formal structure for handling contributions and expenses. Strong Towns does not fund us, and we do not have institutional sponsors.

No. Strong Richmond Hill is non-partisan and is not affiliated with a political party. We advocate for publicly stated priorities, but those priorities are not party endorsements.

Our election information is intended to help residents learn about candidates and compare their responses. A candidate’s participation in a questionnaire or display of a transparency badge indicates participation; it is not an endorsement or rating by Strong Richmond Hill.

Our priorities are financial solvency, no more highways, incremental housing, safe streets, no parking minimums, and engaged citizens. Together, they reflect our goal of a safer, more connected, more financially resilient city.

Explore our priorities in more detail.

No. Driving is important and sometimes necessary. We want people to have more practical choices, so driving is not the only way to reach work, school, shops, or community spaces.

Safer walking, cycling, and transit options can make a city work better for people who use them while helping make streets safer and more predictable for drivers too.

We support gradual, context-sensitive change—not growth without regard for a neighbourhood. That can include a wider range of homes, small local businesses, and safer streets, designed to fit the places where people already live.

Adding housing choices near services and improving ways to get around can help people meet more of their needs locally. Good planning matters; development should be considered alongside transportation, infrastructure, and the long-term cost to the city.

No. We are not calling for every suburban neighbourhood to become a high-rise downtown. We support modest, gradual changes—such as more housing options, local shops where they fit, and safer streets—that can make daily life more convenient while respecting the character of different neighbourhoods.

Well-designed cycling infrastructure can make street space clearer and reduce conflicts between people travelling in different ways. It can make roads safer and more predictable for everyone, including drivers.

When people have a safe option for short trips, some may choose to leave the car at home. The effect depends on the street and the design, but giving people more choices can help a transportation network work better.

No single municipal policy can solve housing affordability on its own. We support allowing more kinds of homes—such as secondary suites, duplexes, townhomes, and other modest infill—in suitable locations. Gradually adding housing choices can give more people a chance to find a home in Richmond Hill.

Safer streets and better transportation choices also matter because getting around can add substantially to a household’s cost of living.

We use the phrase as a metaphor for a financially fragile pattern: a city relies on borrowing or future growth to cover the ongoing costs of past expansion. It is not an accusation of criminal fraud.

The concern is that roads, pipes, and other infrastructure need maintenance long after they are built. If a city does not plan for those long-term costs, the burden can fall on future taxpayers and leave less money for other needs.

Strong Richmond Hill is a resident-led civic advocacy organization. StrongRH.ca is one of the platforms we use to promote our ideas, explain local issues, and invite residents into the conversation. It is not a traditional news organization or a neutral newsroom. Our content includes reporting, explainers, analysis, editorials, and guest views, all informed by our stated priorities. We aim to be transparent about that perspective and careful with the facts.

We aim to identify the sources behind our reporting, distinguish factual reporting from analysis and opinion, and be clear about what is known and what remains uncertain. If we find a material error, we will review it and correct the record as appropriate.

Our editorial approach, masthead, submission guidelines, and editorial standards are on the How We Report page.

You can join the local conversation, share feedback, volunteer, or attend our events. You do not need to be an expert—just someone who cares about Richmond Hill.

Join Strong Richmond Hill to hear about local issues, meetings, community walks, and ways to take part.