WHEREAS the City has a tradition of protecting its natural environment and working with residents, partners, and other levels of governments to build a more resilient and sustainable community;
WHEREAS the City is committed to pursuing greater environmental sustainability and climate resilience through the goals, targets, and actions in its Environment Strategy, Community Energy and Emissions Plan, Climate Change Framework, and related plans and policies;
WHEREAS the concept of sustainability – encompassing three interconnected “pillars” supportive of social, environmental, and economic sustainability – is increasingly informing the City’s core documents, such as the Strategic Plan and Official Plan, and its approach to land use planning;
WHEREAS Richmond Hill supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to improve social outcomes across the globe by holistically addressing issues of inequality and environmental degradation, and finds alignment with applicable “urban SDGs” – notably #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities;
WHEREAS the Urban Economy Forum (UEF) (an international organization that engages with the United Nations (UN) to lead global dialogue on sustainable urban resources), in partnership with UN-Habitat and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, launched the Toronto-based World Urban Pavilion (Pavilion) in 2020 as a knowledge-exchange hub to share best practices, innovation and research in urban development and revitalization from countries around the world;
WHEREAS UEF has invited the City of Richmond Hill to participate in the Pavilion’s flagship program, Canada: Frontrunner of Urban SDGs, which aims to build on existing initiatives and work with cities to identify, design and implement pilot projects to address significant urban challenges and share lessons learned from around the world; and
WHEREAS Richmond Hill’s participation entails identification of existing projects, programs and initiatives that can be showcased as exemplary urban SDG achievements, and identification of planned projects that can be pursued with World Urban Pavilion support for future showcasing.
Now Therefore Be It Resolved That:
a) The Council of the City of Richmond Hill agrees to collaborate with the Urban Economy Forum and World Urban Pavilion as a participant in the Canada: Frontrunner of Urban SDGs program, by signing an agreed upon Letter of Intent;
b) Staff be directed to work with the Urban Economy Forum and World Urban Pavilion to create and promote an Urban Transformation Profile for Richmond Hill as part of the Frontrunner City Program;
c) Staff be further directed to further explore the nature of this collaboration as a Canada: Frontrunner of Urban SDGs, with consideration of existing staff capacity and resources, in order to define the terms of participation in a jointly developed Memorandum of Understanding with the Urban Economy Forum and World Urban Pavilion; and,
d) A copy of this resolution be circulated to the Urban Economy Forum, World Urban Pavilion, UN University (Richmond Hill), and Richmond Hill’s Members of Parliament.