Richmond Hill Mayor David West and York University president and vice-chancellor Rhonda Lenton have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to set a path forward on shared goals to benefit Richmond Hill residents and businesses.
The MOU will provide a number of new opportunities for the city and university faculty and students with a focus on new research projects that support business and entrepreneurship; new experiential learning opportunities at the city for York students; professional development and training opportunities for staff within the city; and additional education opportunities for the community, a City of Richmond Hill news release stated.
In addition, the MOU will support local economic development initiatives, including continued collaboration related to York University’s Food Business Incubator and ELLA Women Accelerator programs.
“I am truly excited about this opportunity to further collaborate with York University. York is a top international teaching and research university and a driving force for positive change in our region. By deepening our partnership, we are bringing a lot of smart people together to work on developing shared projects that will ultimately benefit our community as a whole. I am looking forward to this next chapter and seeing where it takes us," said West.
"Richmond Hill has a long history of welcoming York University graduates and faculty to the community. This new partnership builds on shared goals of community building, business development, environmental sustainability and continuous improvement and innovation for which the city and York University each pursue a wide range of initiatives and projects," the release stated.
"With a shared focus on advancing sustainability, societal well-being and economic prosperity, we are well-positioned to create meaningful change. I want to thank the City of Richmond Hill for partnering with us. I am confident that together, we can realize a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for us all," Lenton said.
York University is a modern, multi-campus, urban university with three campuses in the Greater Toronto Area, including Keele and Markham, in the heart York Region.
York's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.