A Better Richmond Hill
Board of Directors
Chair, PHD, PMP
John is a senior engineer and has been a resident of Richmond Hill since 2003. He enjoys the city’s unique central location in GTA and its decent suburban quality of life. An application for an extreme, high-density development near Bernard Avenue and Yonge Street (Yonge-Bernard KDA) motivated him to get involved and engage with Richmond Hill Council. Working with other residents, he has led the way in what has turned into a five-year long struggle against the over-development in Richmond Hill. He is the founding member of Richmond Hill Umbrella Residents Group (RHURG) and president of the Yonge-Bernard Residents Association.
Over the past few years, John has realized that Richmond Hill Council is dominated by members who put the interests of developers ahead of residents. He wants to see responsible development, that enhances our communities. He continues to work for responsible government, demanding a Richmond Hill Council that is accountable to the people who live here. He will work to encourage everyone to pull together to vote for A Better Richmond Hill!
vice chair, MASc, PhD, PEng
Brian is a Professional Engineer who moved with his family to the Village Centre of old Richmond Hill in 2005, taken with the charm and character of this neighbourhood with heritage homes, mature trees, parks and trails.
In addition to his day job as a consulting engineer in noise, vibration and acoustics and lecturing part time in the Mechanical Engineering department at McMaster University, he has become involved in advocating for preservation and enhancement of the essential qualities of Richmond Hill, and is the Founder and Chair of the Village Core Residents Association (VCRA). Through these activities, Brian has experienced elements of the government and administration of Richmond Hill that consistently act in opposition to the interests of the community at large.
He has now joined forces with other community leaders to establish A Better Richmond Hill, helping support candidates for Richmond Hill Council whose priorities align with those of the residents who elect them.
Treasurer, CPA, CA, LPA, CPA (US), MBA
Wei is a partner at a boutique accounting firm in Richmond Hill. His firm serves the residents and small to medium-sized businesses in the GTA. In addition, Wei is a part-time tax professor for Centennial College, and past board member for Scarborough Business Association and York District Chartered Professional Accountants’ Association.
Wei has joined A Better Richmond Hill to foster a responsible city council that will protect the resident’s living Environment, promote the resident’s Social wellbeing, and ultimately ensure a balanced development and good Governance. This is not currently seen in the City Council where many of its councillors show an implacable bias in favour of developers to the detriment of and over the vocal objections of residents who voted them into office. This has to change!
Legal counsel, B.A., LL.B., Barrister & Solicitor
Since 1985, Arnold Schwisberg has specialized in sophisticated commercial litigation. Including judicial reviews of jurisdictional excesses of regulatory agencies and tribunals; interference with business and contractual relations between competitors; business disputes among shareholders and partners; wrongful insurance denials and bad faith; employment law including prosecuting and defending wrongful dismissals; marketing, distribution and licensing; trade mark and copyright infringement actions and defences; complex breaches of contract, financial and negligence matters; insolvencies; and giving counsel to a broad spectrum of highly successful and entrepreneurial businessmen. He has appeared at all levels of the Ontario Courts, at the Federal Court’s Trial and Appeal Divisions and in the Supreme Court of Canada. In particular, he is Canada’s top liquor-regulatory lawyer and its pre-eminent jewellery, fine art and specie insurance defence litigator and in the famous “Free The Beer” case in the Supreme Court.
In his personal capacity and passion, he has produced 36 jazz records for Universal Music and 5 major international music festivals, appearing on radio and television globally. From this Arnold has a great depth of marketing, strategic planning and organizational experience.
Arnold has been living in Richmond Hill for 30 years. He has been increasingly frustrated in his dealings with Richmond Hill building and bylaw departments, and with certain Councillors who he believes are not representing constituents’ interests. He has apprehended that there is a virtually insurmountable bias in favour of developers with almost complete disregard for residents’ rights, homes, peace of mind and property values. When his street became over-run by perpetual destructive infilling, replacing perfectly good residences with monster homes of five times the size and price pre-sold to foreign buyers and turning the street into a permanent partial construction zone, he could no longer remain silent.