Town of Richmond Hill News Releases
April 9, 2008

Town of Richmond Hill gets to know residents better

Socio-economic study reveals interesting facts and trends

Richmond Hill, April 9, 2008 - Who is Richmond Hill? What opportunities are there for Richmond Hill in the future? These are questions that framed the Town of Richmond Hill's recent socio-economic study conducted in support of the People Plan project and aimed at gaining a more in-depth understanding of the community as well as ideas for possible
directions for the Town's future.

“We know our community well, but this study helps to draw a clearer picture of exactly who we are, what our lives are like and helps us think about what we might need in the future,” said Mayor Dave Barrow. “The information generated from the study allows us to think about opportunities for the Town's social and economic development in the next
25 years. The study has also helped identify some of the Town's issues and highlights some surprising and somewhat out-of-sight matters such as poverty and housing development and affordability.”

The Town's socio-economic study was conducted with the goal of learning more about the Town's residents, businesses and growth patterns in conjunction with the People Plan process that began last fall. Based on a sample of questions provided by the Town, the study uncovered interesting facts about the Town's demographic profile, economic
density, housing profile, housing affordability and poverty, quality of life, trends that would influence Town services as well as factors influencing the economic and housing and development profiles.

Highlights of the study include:

Richmond Hill experienced the sixth fastest growth among large urban municipalities in Ontario over the past five years.

Richmond Hill is ethnically diverse, young and well-educated.

Richmond Hill is a leader in wholesale trade and professional, scientific and technical services.

Richmond Hill's emerging “urban growth centre” at Yonge Street and Highway 7 offers expanded business services, retail, finance and food and accommodation.

Housing affordability and poverty is increasingly affecting residents.

“Richmond Hill is known for its young and highly educated demographic, but as the study revealed, poverty and housing affordability are also becoming growing issues we can't ignore,” said Mayor Barrow. The research for this study also shows that as the income gap between owners and renters grow, those at the lower end of the income spectrum would
become less likely to afford housing. Identifying these concerns allows Council and staff to consider ways to address it.

This study was conducted by SHS Consulting, a Richmond Hill consulting firm specializing in public policy and community development. The complete socio-economic study findings are available on the Town's Website at www.richmondhill.ca/peopleplan.

The People Plan project considers the needs of the community and will result in two important documents - an updated Strategic Plan, which focuses on the goals and aspirations of the people of Richmond Hill and a new Official Plan, which describes land-use policies, such as new housing, businesses, schools, etc. People Plan was launched in October 2007 and residents are encouraged to participate in the process by visiting www.richmondhill.ca/peopleplan.

Contact: Dan Olding, Manager of Grants and Strategic Initiatives, (905) 771-5505

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