Richmond has always been one of the best places in Canada to raise a family. We have succeeded at maintaining and enhancing our family friendly character by recognizing that no two families are the same.
Creating policies, programs and services that are genuinely family friendly demands recognition of every form of family. Richmond welcomes and is enriched by families of every culture, language, faith tradition, orientation, family status, income and ability.
We have built a city that strives to meet the varied needs of all these diverse families, while resisting tendencies that would presume to put the definition of “family” in a box.
We have adopted and promoted anti-racism policies and initiatives that promote an includive, harmonious community
Richmond is one of Canada’s greatest hubs of outdoor and indoor recreation. We have natural environments that invite activity and the enjoyment of nature – rivers, trails, forests, the ocean – and a generations-long dedication to the finest civic infrastructure for healthy play and competitive sports – arenas, recreation centres, playing fields, aquatic centres. It’s a great place for families to live, work and play!
We are committed to ensuring access to all civic amenities regardless of ability or income – and we will continue to break down barriers to inclusion.
Richmond thrives at the heart of Metro Vancouver – one of the world’s most desirable, but also most expensive, places to live. Municipal governments have limited control over macroeconomic forces like living costs, but we have the power to ameliorate some of the burdens of this reality through innovative initiatives to make civic programs and services accessible regardless of income or other limitations. We have done much – and we will continue to drive progress – to respond to the larger economic challenges facing our residents.
Ensuring a family friendly environment requires assurances of safety. Richmond is one of North America’s safest cities of its size – and we view safety in a holistic way that surpasses freedom from crime. Safety includes preparedness for natural and human-made emergencies from house fires to earthquakes. It is also incumbent on us to plan far ahead, not only reducing the causes of climate change now but putting in place ameliorative strategies and infrastructures for the inevitability of climate-driven challenges such as flooding and more frequent extreme weather events.
