About Richmond
Awards
Our City Council, and City Staff, are proud and grateful to have been recognized for many of our achievements in recent years:| Year | Awarding Body | Name of Award |
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| 2012 | The World Leisure Organization (WLO) |
Innovation Award |
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The City of Richmond has won a prestigious Innovation Award from the World Leisure Organization for its development of Terra Nova Rural Park. It’s the sixth major award the City has received since 2007 for Terra Nova Rural Park, including provincial, national and international honours. Founded in 1952, the World Leisure Organization is a world-wide, non-governmental association of persons and organizations dedicated to discovering and fostering those conditions best permitting leisure to serve as a force for human growth, development and well-being. Richmond was honoured along other local governments and organizations from all over the globe who have found innovative and extraordinary ways to engage their communities in healthy and meaningful leisure activities. |
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| 2012 | BC Hydro |
Power Smart Awards – Leadership Excellence |
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The City of Richmond is focused on energy conservation, energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction, and incorporating renewable energy into the energy system. Most recently, the City has saved an estimated 1.8 gigawatt hours (2.0 per cent reduction) in one year through corporate initiatives. This is equal to enough power for approximately 60 homes in BC for one year. |
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| 2012 |
Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) |
Leadership & Innovation, Large Community - Honourable Mention |
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“The City has been awarded the Leadership & Innovation Award for the Alexandra District Energy Geothermal System. Union of BC Municipalities’ Community Excellence Awards program is an opportunity to showcase municipalities and regional districts who "lead the pack", take risks to innovate, establish new partnerships, question established ways of doing business and pioneer new customer service practices.” |
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| 2012 |
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) |
Regional Merit Award |
| The City has been awarded the Regional Merit Award in design for the Middle Arm Waterfront Greenway. The Middle Arm Waterfront Greenway combines multiple objectives that include development of public amenities, climate change response and environmental enhancement. It evokes the braided alluvial forms of the Fraser River Delta along 1 km of riverfront, and features accessible trails, gathering spaces, play areas, public art, intertidal vegetation enhancements, piers, and spectator facilities for events such as competitive rowing. The completed project is integrated with flood protection improvements, and is now a popular destination on the City’s burgeoning downtown waterfront.
The Merit Award in the Design category was given for work that demonstrates excellence in the newly constructed or renovated works of landscape architectural design. The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Awards of Excellence honour distinctive design, ground-breaking research, sustainable landscape management and much more. |
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| 2012 | International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS), International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) |
IOC/IAKS Gold Medal and IPC/IAKS Distinction Award |
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The City of Richmond and Cannon Design Architecture, owners and architects respectively for the Oval, received the International Olympic Committee (IOC)/International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) Gold Medal for exemplary design and function. The City and Cannon also received the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)/International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS) Distinction Award for sports facilities suitable for persons with a disability. The IOC/IAKS Award is the only international architecture prize for sports and leisure facilities already in operation. The Gold Medal is the highest level presented.The Oval was the only one of the 135 entries into this worldwide competition to have won both the IOC/IAKS Gold Medal and the IPC/IAKS Award of Distinction. Judged by a jury of international experts and peers, this award is considered to be the most prestigious international award for sport and leisure facilities. The IPC/IAKS Award of Distinction aims to promote accessibility to sports facilities and all other buildings in order to give people with a disability the opportunity to practise or view sport without limitation or barriers. |
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| 2012 | City of Richmond |
Lulu Award - Public Open Space category |
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Garden City Community Park – Play Environment designed by space2place design inc. This innovative park design has won numerous awards, and was created in collaboration with community members and elementary school students. The vision for this park was to create a place where children could use all five of their senses and enjoy nature. The play environment at Garden City Park has changed the way parks are planned, designed, and constructed and provides residents and visitors with an extraordinary outdoor place that is unique within the city, and perhaps even the local region. |
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| 2012 | Architecture Canada: Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Canadian Institute of Planners, and Canadian Society of Landscape Architects | Certificate of Merit in the Civic Design Category for the 2012 National Urban |
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Garden City Park has once again received an award for its design at the 2012 National Urban Design Awards. The design was created by space2place design inc., along with POD Design. Garden City Play Environment is a public place designed for children near the city centre of Richmond. The play environment provides an experientially rich play environment that fosters children's physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. The park is an organic, flowing space where the structures and systems combine to create a setting that invokes the natural world and reflects the regional character of the Pacific Northwest. Interaction with elements and processes such as water, stone, sand, salvaged tree limbs and ribbons of perennial vegetation provides children with a connection to larger natural systems, while nurturing long-term environmental stewardship. According to the jury: |
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| 2012 | The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) of British Columbia | Award of Excellence |
| The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (ACEC) of British Columbia has awarded the City of Richmond the 2012 Award of Excellence in the municipal category for the No. 4 Road Drainage Pump Station Project. The Awards for Engineering Excellence celebrate technical excellence and recognize innovation in engineering that is simply a cut above the rest. The Awards have grown more prestigious since the inception of the program 22 years ago, and significantly raise the profile of the recipients. They provide municipalities and consulting engineers the opportunity to showcase their projects throughout the Province. The City’s No. 4 Road drainage pump station’s pumping capacity was doubled to better protect the City’s residents and businesses from flooding and transformed an industrial style building to an architectural marvel, for all residents and visitors to enjoy. The City received substantial grant funding from the provincial and federal governments for this project and the work was completed on schedule and on budget. |
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| 2012 | Government Financial Officers Association of North America | Canadian Award for Financial Reporting |
| The City of Richmond has again won a pair of awards for financial reporting from the Government Financial Officers Association of North America for its 2010 Annual Report. Richmond has received the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for the ninth consecutive year. The City also received the association’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting for the second year in a row. The City’s Annual Report plays an important part in fulfilling our commitment to financial transparency and accountability and our continued efforts to develop a more condensed, user-friendly publication focused on profiling key services provided by the City to the community. Richmond’s Annual Report is written, designed and printed entirely in-house through the efforts of the City’s Financial Services, Communications and Production Centre teams. |
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| 2011 | Public Works Association of BC (PWABC) |
Project of the Year |
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The Public Works Association of BC has awarded the City of Richmond for the No. 4 Road Drainage Pump Station and Park Plaza. The City’s No. 4 Road drainage pump station’s pumping capacity was doubled to better protect the City’s residents and businesses from flooding and transformed an industrial style building to an architectural marvel, for all residents and visitors to enjoy. The City received substantial grant funding from the provincial and federal governments for this project and the work was completed on schedule and on budget. The Project of the Year is a province wide competition awarded to the municipality which, in the opinion of the Public Works Association of BC Executive, commissions, engineers, and constructs a major and complex public works or utilities project which deserves special merit because of its unique features or complexity relative to the resources of the community. Factors that are considered during the award process are many, the most significant of which are benefit to the community, sustainability, environmental/social benefit, innovation, complexity and quality of final works. |
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| 2011 | fDi (foreign direct investment) Magazine |
Top 10 American Cities of the Future -- Best infrastructure category for cities of its size |
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The City of Richmond has been ranked within the top 10 in the first “American Cities of the Future” list compiled by Foreign Direct Investment Magazine.Richmond was selected for its combination of strategic location which, coupled with a strong business climate and local business-friendly policies, creates a vibrant economic structure recognizable across the continent. Cities are judged by a panel examining expert opinion and independent data. The ranking for the infrastructure category is based on the number of international destinations served by the city’s infrastructure, environmental performance, speed of building infrastructure, and other criteria. The transportation and logistics infrastructure in the City of Richmond offers businesses a competitive advantage. In addition to being on the forefront of the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Richmond is centrally positioned within the region and is highly accessible to the rest of Canada, the United States and visitors from across the globe. Home to the Vancouver International Airport—recently ranked as the best airport in North America—and deep sea multi-modal port facilities, Richmond is also only a short 20-minute drive to the US border. The Canada Line, a rapid transit connection between Richmond and downtown Vancouver and the airport, is one of the latest infrastructure additions to facilitate access for businesses, goods and employees. Later this year, a new interchange will be open at Nelson Road to connect Port Metro Vancouver’s Richmond properties directly to Highway 99, which serves as the North-South transportation and trade corridor for the West Coast of Canada. |
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| 2011 | International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organization |
International Eco-Safety Demonstrative City |
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Richmond has been recognized as an “International Eco-Safety Demonstrative City.” The First World Eco-Safety Assembly, organized by the International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organization, a United Nations affiliate, presented Richmond with the award at a meeting in Cambodia in December, 2010. The directors of the International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organization have been interested in Richmond since 2006 when they toured the city while attending the UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum in Vancouver. Selection criteria for the award included leadership, innovation, participation and impact. |
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| 2011 | BC Ministry of Children and Family Development | Child Care Award of Excellence |
| The City of Richmond is one of only two municipal/regional governments to receive the 2011 Child Care Award of Excellence. This award recognizes outstanding contributions made by child-care professionals, innovative individuals, organizations and local governments who support child-care initiatives in their communities. Richmond has an active Child Care Advisory Committee, a Child Care Development Policy and statutory reserve fund, as well as city-owned child care facilities. For more information on the award, please visit www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/childcare/awards/index.htm. For more information on child care in Richmond and Richmond’s child care initiatives, please visit www.richmond.ca/services/socialplan/childcare/overview.htm. |
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| 2011 | Government Financial Officers Association of North America | Canadian Award for Financial Reporting Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting |
| For the eighth straight year, Richmond has received the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for its Annual Report. This year, the City also received the association’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting. Richmond’s Annual Report is written, designed and printed entirely in-house through the efforts of the City’s Financial Services, Communications and Production Centre teams. The 2009 report saw the introduction of a new, condensed, more user-friendly Annual Report focused on profiling key services provided by the City to the community. |
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| 2010 | Canadian Public Works Association | 2010 National Public Works Week First Time Entry, Medium Centre |
| Every day, Richmond’s Public Works staff are busy repairing potholes, constructing roads, ensuring a safe water supply and responding quickly to emergency situations. While most days they quietly go about their jobs, once a year they take time to celebrate their accomplishments with the community. “It is a real testament to the events, educational outreach, and the quality of the programs involved in their National Public Works Week awareness campaign, that the City of Richmond won the ‘first time entry’ and ‘medium centre’ categories,” says CPWA NPWW chairperson Randy Borsa. “The Engineering and Public Works Department did an excellent job of presenting and illustrating the importance of public works in community life at the open house, and it was impressive the City had a large number of departmental staff participate in some aspect of the campaign.” |
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| 2010 | Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) | Community Excellence Award |
| The innovative partnership between the City of Richmond and Tourism Richmond in marketing the 2010 Olympic Winter Games has won a Community Excellence Award from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). Richmond was named as the winner in the Partnerships -Tourism category of this year’s awards, which were presented at the UBCM’s annual convention in Whistler last week. The category honours two or more partners who have collaborated on a joint venture or initiative with outstanding results. |
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| 2010 | Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police / Motorola | Award for Excellence in Emergency Preparedness |
| “The City of Richmond took a lead role in planning the live scenario for Exercise Gold,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “Emergency Programs and Richmond Fire-Rescue staff worked closely with Emergency Management BC and Public Safety Canada to create a realistic scenario that would test both the first responders as well as the various levels of governments’ ability to respond to and communicate during such a large event.” The City gratefully acknowledges the financial contribution from Public Safety Canada and Chemical, Biological, Radiological-Nuclear, and Explosives Research and Technology Initiative for Exercise Gold and the expertise of International Safety Research in scenario design and exercise coordination. Richmond continues its commitment to Emergency Preparedness by working with first responders and government partners on a variety of initiatives. |
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| 2010 | BC Recreation and Parks Association | 2010 BCRPA Provincial Award |
| What’s the secret to building a multi-award winning park? Allow children to be involved in the design so they can add elements most adults wouldn’t think of - banks of sand, rock and water channels and old growth stumps and logs. “Garden City Community Park Play Environment is a true gem in Richmond’s city centre,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The vision for this park was to create a place where children could use all five of their senses and enjoy nature. While the park has won numerous awards, the biggest reward is seeing so many children climbing, laughing and playing.” |
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| 2010 | British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects | Corporate Community Service Award |
| The British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects presented Richmond with its Corporate Community Service Award at a ceremony on April 24, 2010. The criteria for winning this award include consistently providing a high quality environment as part if its everyday activities and doing an outstanding job of integrating business activities and facilities into the fabric of the city. City projects highlighted in the award include Richmond’s new City Centre Area Plan that takes into consideration the optimum population that the City Centre can support at full build out, incorporating transit oriented development principles, sustainability best practices and encouragement of green infrastructure. |
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| 2009 | Canadian Wood Council / BC Wood WORKS! | Wood Design Award - Institutional Wood Design |
| Canadian Wood Council / BC Wood WORKS! awarded the Richmond Olympic Oval with the 2009 Institutional Wood Design Award for the and inviting aesthetics of the wood roof . Fast & Epp Structural Engineers received the award. The BC Wood WORKS! 2009 Wood Design Awards competition demonstrates how wood can deliver everything from warmth and beauty to leading-edge technological solutions - meeting the needs of any project, large or small. Wood WORKS! is a national industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council, with a goal to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood and wood products. | ||
| 2009 | Canadian Institute of Steel Construction | BC 2009 Steel Design Award of Excellence in Engineering |
| This annual award was given to the Richmond Olympic Oval. It is presented to steel structures that showcase efficient use of steel in unique applications, in the categories of architecture, engineering and sustainability. | ||
| 2009 | Wood Design and Building Magazine | 2009 Wood Design Awards - Honour Award |
| The 2009 Wood Design and Building Awards is a North American-wide award that celebrates wood building innovation and achievement. A jury of industry leaders selected the Richmond Olympic Oval as an Honour Award recipient, the highest level of achievement possible, because of its use of wood to achieve a “structural feat driven by cultural and sustainability criteria. Wood was used to connect with the First Nations building aesthetic and showcase the province’s resources on a world stage.The Wood Design Awards and Wood Design & Building magazine are produced by the Canadian Wood Council. | ||
| 2009 | Institution of Structural Engineers | Structural Award for Sports or Leisure Structures |
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The Richmond Olympic Oval has captured Gold in a showdown between the most acclaimed venues of the 2008 and 2010 Olympic Games. |
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| 2009 | Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada | Canadian Award for Financial Reporting |
| The City of Richmond has received the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for the sixth consecutive year. The award is for its 2007 annual financial report. The award winning report was designed, written, and economically produced, printed and bound exclusively by City staff, without using out-of-house resources. Established by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, the award encourages municipal governments to publish high quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. |
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| 2009 | Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee (VANOC) | Sustainability Star |
| The Richmond Olympic Oval, recognized worldwide as a hallmark of sustainable design and construction unique to a large-scale facility, was awarded a Sustainability Star by the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee (VANOC). “The Sustainability Star program has been created to recognize our partners who have demonstrated excellence in rising to the challenge of creating projects with positive and measurable social, economic and environmental assets that are new to the Games or Host Region,” said Ann Duffy, VANOC’s corporate sustainability officer. “We’re continuing to work towards improving the sustainability performance of the Olympic and Paralympic Games by leaving a living legacy that continues long after the Games here are done.” |
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| 2009 | Royal Architectural Institute of Canada | Award of Excellence Architectural Innovation Category |
| The jury praised the Oval and Cannon Design, the international firm which designed the structure, for its innovative use of pine beetle-killed wood spanning the “elegant” roof and the seamless integration of the mechanical systems, as well as the building’s transparency, which maximizes daylight. “We are honoured and thrilled that the Richmond Olympic Oval and Cannon Design have been recognized for its innovation by such a distinguished Canadian organization,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “From conception our vision was to create a facility that would serve the residents of Richmond long after the Games had concluded. Cannon Design shared our goal and to achieve it, they introduced the many innovative and sustainable features that have made the Oval a showcase of cutting-edge green building practices.” The Richmond Olympic Oval won one of three awards in the Architectural Innovation category. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada is the leading voice of architecture in Canada. It issues a call for submissions every two years for its Awards of Excellence. |
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| 2008 | Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards Society | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role 26th Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards |
| This award was presented to Celine Stubel for My Chernobyl presented at the Gateway Theatre This was one of eleven nominations received by Gateway Theatre for this season's productions, the greatest number garnered in company history. Nominations were for the 07/08 Jessie Richardson Awards which celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of the Metro Vancouver Professional Theatre community. The Jessie Awards Ceremony took place June 30 2008. We congratulate our nominees: Karyn McCallum - Outstanding Set Design, My Fair Lady Lois Anderson - Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role, Shirley Valentine My Chernobyl (now nicknamed The Little Reactor That Could) was nominated for nine awards, more than any other theatre company in the Small Theatre category. Nominees are: Outstanding Production - Gateway Theatre Outstanding Original Script - Aaron Bushkowsky Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role - Celine Stubel Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Colleen Wheeler Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role - Allan Morgan Outstanding Direction - Britt Small Outstanding Set Design - Janis Ward Outstanding Costume Design - Janis Ward Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition - Britt Small & Jacob Richmond |
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| 2008 | Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators | (CAMA) Environmental Award |
| The City of Richmond’s Terra Nova Rural Park project was recognized for its innovative planning approach and use of community partnerships to develop a major new City park, while carefully protecting key natural and historic elements of the site. Terra Nova Rural Park is "so much more than the traditional city park,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “It is really four parks in one. It will provide great public amenities while preserving elements of the area’s farming and fishing heritage and the area’s critical natural environment. We will even be taking the extraordinary step of safely breaching the dyke so that the Fraser River can once again feed the waterways within the site." “As well, programs like the Edible Schoolyard and Richmond Sharing Farm are examples of the community working together to not only enjoy this great new park, but use it to provide assistance to others, promote urban agriculture and educate the next generation.” Key elements of the Terra Nova Rural Park plan including preserving the historic remnants of farming and fishing heritage within the site, preserving and restoring existing and natural habitats and promoting urban agriculture through community gardens and other programs, while weaving public amenities such as trails and picnic areas carefully into the natural environment Significant development of the new park plan began in 2006 and is about 60 per cent completed. The CAMA Awards recognize the achievements of local governments and their chief administrators in the development and implementation of successful programs, projects or services. The CAMA Awards are considered among the prestigious awards for municipal governments in Canada. This is the fourth CAMA Award won by Richmond. The Terra Nova Park project has also received numerous other national and international honours. Last year, the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association honoured the City with its 2007 Award of Excellence for Innovation for the Terra Nova park project. And, the Terra Nova project was one of the centrepieces of Richmond’s entry in the prestigious 2007 International Liveable Communities Awards, where the City captured first and second place trophies in the United Nations-supported competition. |
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| 2008 | DiverseCity Community Resource Society | Cultural DiverseCity Award for Business Not-For-Profit Category |
| Richmond is a culturally diverse community, with many unique stories to tell. The Richmond Museum Society has committed itself to telling these stories, with exhibits such as “Colours of Asia,” “Hong Wo Store” and the “Heritage of Faith.” These exhibits, as well as the Richmond/Delta Regional Heritage Fair, have earned the society this recognition. The awards committee was impressed that the Museum's exhibits have repeatedly been a showcase for the community's rich cultural diversity. The museum's "Colours of Asia" exhibit was an excellent opportunity to highlight some of the Museum's phenomenal Asian collection, to reach out and consult with Richmond’s Asian residents and to explore the diversity of traditions and values that characterize this community. The "Heritage of Faith" exhibit explained and explored the many religious groups that make Richmond their home. It focused on the over 20 temples, mosques and churches along No. 5 Road, also known as "the highway to heaven." The awards committee was also impressed with how the Museum's school programs reflect the multiculturalism of our area, especially with the Richmond/Delta Regional Heritage Fair where over 200 Richmond and Delta students come together and celebrate Canadian history, heritage and diversity. |
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| 2008 | American Public Works Association | International Project of the Year Award |
| With provincial and federal government grant funding of $1.4 million, the City of Richmond was able to complete approximately one kilometre of dyke improvements deemed necessary in relation to the 2007 spring freshet regional flooding concerns. The City’s multiple objectives and sustainable approach were key factors in winning the award. The City assembled an interdisciplinary planning team, including engineering and ecological expertise, and developed an innovative design to meet both the flood management and ecological needs of the site. The design avoided the typical long-term ecological impairment to the riparian and intertidal areas along the dyke and resulted in a ‘Net Plus’ environmental impact – a vast improvement over conventional dyke design. |
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| 2007 | Suburban Newspapers of America | Best Young People’s Coverage |
| Since 2006, Richmond youth have been using the art of writing to have a voice in the community, and breakdown stereotypes of youth. Founded in October 2006, R-View is a youth written and driven publication that is produced in partnership with Richmond Review staff. R-View was one of only a handful of Canadian publications to win this Editorial award in the field of predominately American award winners. “This recognition for R-View is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of the youth who make up the R-View team,” explains Wayne Yee, Youth Services Advisor for the City of Richmond. “We also want to extend our sincere thanks to Bhreandain Clugston and Martin van den Hemel, from the Richmond Review, who volunteer hours of their own time providing journalistic and technical mentoring. Their mentorship fully illustrates how adults can support and enrich the sparks, like writing, that all youth in our community have.” The purpose of R-View is to develop a journalism based, work experience for youth roughly 13-19 yrs |
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| 2007 | International Awards for Liveable Communities UN Environment Programme |
LivCom: Winner Healthy Lifestyles & 2nd Place Whole City Categories |
| The City of Richmond was presented two prestigious awards at the International Awards for Liveable Communities in London, UK. In this annual competition, referred to as the LivCom Awards, Richmond was named the overall winner for the Healthy Lifestyles award – beating all other finalists in all size categories. Richmond also earned second place in its size category for the Whole City Award and received Gold level status for the overall judging. The LivCom Awards were launched in 1997 and are endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme. LivCom is the world’s only Awards Competition focusing on Best Practice regarding the management of the local environment. The objective of LivCom is to improve the quality of life of individual citizens through the creation of liveable communities. Richmond was one of eight finalists for the Whole City Award in the category for communities with populations between 75,001 and 200,000. Ipswich was awarded first place and Oshawa came in third for the Whole City Award in this size category. The LivCom Awards were formally known as the International Nations In Bloom. Richmond previously won this competition in 2000. |
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| 2007 | Canadian Parks & Recreation Association (CPRA) | Award of Excellence for Innovation |
| The uniqueness of Terra Nova was recognized by this award presented the City of Richmond for the Terra Nova Rural Park Plan: The Power of Community Engagement. Terra Nova Rural Park has become a special place for people to experience Richmond’s natural and cultural landscape. On any given day, residents can be seen cycling along the dyke or tending to their gardens. The remnants of pioneer settlers’ homes provide a reflection of the early days of Richmond while the community gardens allow school children and volunteers to experience our agricultural tradition.” The park features a community garden and farm where volunteers grow and harvest organic fruit and vegetables for the local food bank. The volunteers also run school programs to give children hands-on gardening experience and teach them about food security while providing them the opportunity to grow food from seed to harvest. The City received this award for the planning and development of this rural park. The CPRA recognized the community’s mobilization to protect the area from residential development and the City’s leadership in purchasing the land. The CPRA also appreciated how the biodiversity elements of the park were identified and the community was engaged in planning the development of the park |
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| 2007 | Community Energy Association’s | Honourable Mention Energy Aware Awards |
| The Hamilton and Sea Island fire halls in Richmond are not like traditional fire halls - both were built to exceed nationally set sustainable high performance building standards. Both fire halls, which opened this spring, were built to North American LEED standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and when certification on the two are complete, the Hamilton fire hall is expected to be the first LEED Gold level fire hall in Canada. The many energy saving features incorporated into the design, construction, and operation of the fire halls are achieving savings up to 60 per cent. They include:
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. |
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| 2007 | Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | Finalist Seven Wonders of Canada |
| Richmond's No. 5 Road, otherwise known as the "Highway to Heaven" was selected as one of 52 finalists in the 2007 Seven Wonders of Canada contest organized by the CBC's The National and Sounds Like Canada CBC Radio program to choose Canada's most outstanding features. No. 5 Road features numerous churches, temples and other places of worship, representing a multitude of different religious faiths, all congregated in a short strip of this Richmond roadway. It was selected as a finalist to represent Canada's multiculturalism and the ability of Canadians to coexist peacefully regardless of religion, race or culture. It will be judged against 51 other competitors in a contest that will consider both a popular vote and judged criteria with the winner to be announced later in 2007. Other contestants range from natural wonders such as Niagara Falls and the Northern Lights to manmade wonders such as the CN Tower and cultural icons such as the igloo. |
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| 2007 | BC Hydro | Power Smart Excellence Award |
| The 15th Annual Power Smart Excellence Awards recognize customers and partners who are leading the way in implementing Power Smart solutions in the design, construction and renovation of buildings; applying innovative energy-efficient process improvements; or providing leadership in environmentally responsible practices and community involvement. Awarded for Excellence in Energy Management, BC Hydro recognized Richmond' for outstanding achievements in energy efficiency and innovation. The City of Richmond earned the honor by embedding a culture of conservation throughout their operations. Everyone, from the Mayor on down is involved in conservation. Richmond incorporates higher energy performance into new and existing buildings, performs energy audits in all medium and large facilities and is investigating new technologies including web-based sports field lighting controls and LED streetlights. Richmond also approved the concept of creating, operating and owning a district energy utility to use waste heat and other sustainable energy sources to heat buildings. |
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| 2007 | Bell Canada | True Sport Community Award |
| Richmond was the recipient of this prestigious award at the Canadian Sport Awards held March 23, 2007 at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. The Bell True Sport Community Award promotes the importance of values based sport and publicly recognizes those communities that are living examples of fair and ethical sport initiatives. Richmond’s True Sport Community Award submission highlighted five best practices examples of how the City of Richmond, Richmond Sport Council and community sport groups work together to provide opportunities for Richmond residents to experience the many benefits that come with participating in sport activities in the community. |
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| 2006 | BC Hydro | Power Smart Honourable Mention |
| The City of Richmond received a honourable mention for excellence in energy management at BC Hydro’s annual awards banquet where organizations from throughout the Province were honoured for leadership in energy efficiency. Richmond, one of nine BC Hydro Power Smart Certified clients, continues to be the only Power Smart Certified municipality in the province. Richmond has held this status since 2003 thanks to its outstanding record and continuing commitment to reducing energy use. |
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| 2006 | International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences | 2006 Webby Awards Official Honoree |
 The Webby Awards, the leading international award program for websites, recently recognized The City of Richmond Website as an Official Honoree, a distinction that recognizes sites exhibiting remarkable achievement.Hailed as the “Online Oscars” by Time Magazine, The Webby Awards are determined by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization with a membership that includes musician David Bowie, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria. “The Webby Awards honours the outstanding websites that are setting the standards for the internet,” said Tiffany Shlain, founder and ambassador of The Webby Awards. “Richmond’s Official Honoree selection is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.” |
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| 2006 | Government Finance Officers Association | Canadian Award for Financial Reporting |
| Richmond has received this award for the third consecutive year. The award is for its 2004 annual financial report. Established by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, the award encourages municipal governments to publish high quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. The City of Richmond’s award winning report was designed, written, and economically produced, printed and bound exclusively by City staff without using out-of-house resources. |
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| 2005 | International Quality & Productivity Centre | CUBIC (Corporate University Best In Class) Corporate University Leader of the Year Award (First Place) |
| Presented to Rick Thomas, EdD, Manager, People and Organization Development, November 2005, for leadership and implementation of corporate university vision, strategy, alignment, integration, and program innovation. | ||
| 2005 | International Coach Federation 2005 | Prism Award Finalist |
| Presented for Excellence in Business Achievement through Coaching in an organization in February, 2005. | ||
| 2005 | Insights Learning & Development | Practical Insights Award for Excellence |
| The Practical Insights Award for Excellence has been presented for the first time to an Insights client who exhibits leadership in the area of solution development and implementation, while demonstrating a true spirit of collaboration. The City of Richmond exemplified this vision as it successfully integrated the Insights Learning & Development Transformational Leadership into its Richmond Corporate University. The City of Richmond recently developed the Richmond Corporate University to provide in-house leadership training for the organization’s future leaders. The new leadership development program was designed around providing eight core competencies for leaders. At around the same time, Insights Learning & Development’s Vancouver Learning Centre began working with the recently developed Transformational Leadership Program. This program also built on eight core leadership competencies. The award was presented earlier this year to Rick Thomas, the City’s Manager, People and Organization Development, who led development of the new leadership program. |
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| 2005 | Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) | Community Excellence Awards for Best Practices Websites Category |
| This is the third time that Richmond has received the UBCM’s award for local government websites in BC. Richmond was previously honoured in 2000 and 2001. This time Richmond tied for first place with the City of Duncan. The Community Excellence Award winners were announced at the UBCM convention in Vancouver in September. | ||
| 2005 | BC Hydro | Lighting Redesign Award |
| This award was presented to Quantum Lighting Incorporated for their work on behalf of the City. The recent lighting redesign of the Steveston branch of the Richmond Public Library resulted in a 74 per cent reduction in energy use at the Library. The project was led for the City by Kay Ferguson of Quantum Lighting Incorporated, who received the first annual Lighting Redesign Award presented by BC Hydro Power Smart and the BC Section of the Illuminating Society of North America. The savings came from the introduction of more energy efficient fluorescent fixtures and lamps and automated light controls. The City of Richmond is BC’s first certified Power Smart municipality. Through energy efficient measures, the City has accumulated $500,000 in annual energy savings since 1997 and has committed to a further 15 per cent reduction from 2002 levels over the next four years. |
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| 2005 | Canadian Urban Institute | Brownie Award |
| The London Landing project in Richmond recently received a 2004 Brownie Award for the Canadian Urban Institute. The Brownie Awards honour leadership, innovation and environmental sustainability in brownfields design across Canada. London Landing was honoured for its "imaginative reworking" of former industrial properties to create a mixed use development that complements its historical setting and provides new public amenities. In a presentation to Council, Developer Dana Westermark saluted the City of Richmond for its support in providing the land use approvals and other support necessary to bring the project to fruition. |
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| 2005 | Richmond Sunrise Rotary Club | Paul Harris Fellowship Award |
| Greg Buss, Chief Librarian of the Richmond Public Library was recently honored with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award. This prestigious award was presented by the Richmond Sunrise Rotary Club, and acknowledges Buss' enormous contributions to the community. "During his time at the Library Greg has been in the forefront of developing new and innovative services, especially in the areas of information technology and customer service. Under Greg's leadership the Richmond Public Library has grown from a small community library to an award winning library system modeled by libraries across North America," said Tung Chan, Chair of the Library Board. |
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| 2005 | Government Financial Officers Association of North America | Canadian Award for Financial Reporting |
| The City of Richmond received the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting for its annual financial report for the second consecutive year. The Canadian Award for Financial Reporting program, established by the Government Financial Officers Association of North America, encourages municipal governments throughout Canada to publish high quality financial reports, and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. The Canadian Award for Financial Reporting Achievement has been awarded to the City of Richmond and the staff team responsible for preparing the 2003 award-winning report. Further, this report was efficiently produced, printed and bound exclusively by City staff without using out-of-house resources. |
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| 2005 | Public Library Association | Highsmith Innovation Award |
| Richmond Public Library was recently awarded the 2005 Public Library Association/Highsmith Library Innovation Award for a creative community program. The library won for their "Reading for Success" ESL Book Club Program. The $2,000 U.S. award was presented at the American Library Association Conference in Chicago at the end of June. “Reading for Success” is an innovative service program aimed at promoting literacy, reading and computer skills within the community. It involves offering Chinese computer classes to raise revenue for the purchase of an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) reading club collection at the library. Wendy Jang, Coordinator of Multilingual Services worked closely with the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Richmond Youth Group to develop this program. This is the second time that Richmond Public Library has won this prestigious award. |
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| 2004 | The Safe Communities Foundation of Canada | Safe Community |
| The City of Richmond was designated as a Safe Community for its efforts related to injury prevention at home, work, and play. The designation, one of the first two in B.C.,included a grant to further Richmond’s injury prevention, safety education, and crime prevention programs. | ||
| 2004 | Environment Canada | 1-Tonne Challenge Community |
| Richmond was awarded the status of being named one of Canada’s 1-Tonne Challenge Communities for the collaborative efforts of the City, the School District, the Vancouver Airport Authority, and private businesses in energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction activities. As a federal government initiative, this designation comes with an Environment Canada grant and other forms of support over the next two years. |
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| 2004 | Volunteer Richmond | Volunteers Are Stars Award |
| The City of Richmond was recognized for 125 years of volunteer involvement at the 4th Annual Volunteers Are Stars Awards. The awards, presented by Volunteer Richmond and Coast Capital Savings, recognize the outstanding contributions of 1000's of volunteers in Richmond, and specifically recognize 8 outstanding recipients for exceptional leadership. Throughout its history the City of Richmond has always viewed volunteers as partners, whose contributions to the community are valued and respected. The City has worked hard to build its relationships with the many community agencies that provide services through voluntarism and with coordinating groups like Volunteer Richmond. The theme of the 2004 awards was "Celebrating the Spirit", and with this, the City was recognized for this outstanding commitment and milestone. Mayor Malcolm Brodie accepted the award for the City of Richmond from Frances Lorenz, President Volunteer Richmond Information Services. |
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| 2004 | Richmond Chamber of Commerce | Excellence in Business - Newsmaker of the Year Category |
| The City of Richmond was selected as the inaugural Newsmaker of the Year for its successful effort in landing the Olympic Speed Skating Oval for the 2010 Winter Games. "We had three months to put together a proposal while our competition had three years," Mayor Malcolm Brodie said. "It took an extraordinary effort but we kept our faith that it was a good idea." |
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| 2004 | VFA | Customer Advocate Award |
| This award distinguishes Richmond for "Innovation in Facilities Capital Planning and Management" it was presented October 12th by VFA, Inc., the leading provider of software and services for facilities management and capital planning. VFA established this award to recognize its customers for their achievements in implementing strategic capital planning and management processes. The City of Richmond was selected as the recipient from more than 250 customers worldwide who have deployed VFA’s Capital Planning and Management Solutions (CPMS) approach. A VFA client since 2000, the City of Richmond has helped influence leading capital asset planning and management strategies and advance innovation in the facilities management industry as a whole. |
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| 2004 | Government Finance Officers Association | Canadian Award for Financial Reporting |
| The Canadian Award for Financial Reporting has been awarded to the City of Richmond for its annual financial report. This Award program was established by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada to encourage municipal governments throughout Canada to publish high quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. Its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. |
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| 2003 | CivicInfo | CivicInfo BC Local Government E-Service Innovation Award |
| The City of Richmond's Geographic Information Systems Inquiry Mapping Tool has received an honourable mention in CivicInfo BC's first annual Local Government E-Service Innovation Award. The City of Richmond's GIS Inquiry Mapping tool links geographic with descriptive property related information and makes it available on the desktops of each staff person and accessible to the public at anytime via the City's web site, thereby eliminating the need to rely on a few highly trained experts. | ||
| 2003 | BC Hydro | First Power Smart Certified Municipality in British Columbia |
| The City has accumulated $500,000 in annual electricity savings since 1997 and has committed to an aggressive target of a further 15 per cent reduction over the next four years, relative to 2002 levels. The Power Smart Certified classification is a new initiative by BC Hydro to recognize organizations that demonstrate energy efficiency within their industries or sectors. "The City of Richmond has demonstrated longstanding commitment and leadership in the field of energy conservation, says Larry Bell, Chair and CEO of BC Hydro. Richmond has always been among the first organizations to adopt new energy-efficient technologies and it has made energy efficiency a regular part of its operations. In this way, the City of Richmond is showing what municipalities can achieve and setting an example for others to follow. | ||
| 2003 | Canadian Library Association and Information Today Incorporated | CLA/Information Today Award for Innovative Technology |
| The award recognizes the Richmond Public Libraries unique applications of innovative technology and in particular, recognizes its collection of online interactive resources. The resources, which are located on the library's Web site www.yourlibrary.ca include: the Canadian Citizenship Practice Test; the BC Practice Driving Test; Speak, Read, Succeed Interactive Checklist; the Online Purchase Suggestion Form; and My Picks. | ||
| 2003 | Tourism BC | Best Tourism Marketing Campaign |
| Presented in 2003 the award was for the City's hosting of Richmond Tall Ships 2002. The award was accepted by the Tall Ships organizing committee and Brain Communications for the highly successful marketing campaign for Richmond's first Tall Ships Festival. Richmond Tall Ships 2002 was a hugely popular maritime-themed festival in the summer of 2002, which was highlighted by the visit to historic Steveston Harbour of more than 20 Tall Ships from around the world. An estimated 400,000 people attended the five-day event, shattering organizers original expectations of 250,000. The British Columbia Awards were presented Thursday in Kamloops at Tourism BCs annual conference. | ||
| 2003 | Gale Group | Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services |
| Presented to the Richmond Public Library, the $3000 US award recognizes the library's outstanding collection of online interactive resources. Richmond Public Library created this collection of unique online interactive resources to help residents within the Richmond community and beyond, to locate specific, practical information. | ||
| 2002 | Richmond District School Board - Board of Directors | Certificate of Community Partnership |
| Ted Townsend, Sandy Webster, Shawn Issel, Steve McClurg and Rick Kostyniuk from the City, and Penny Lewis, Marnie Ridout, Carol Borthwick and Ken Levenstein from the Richmond School District were presented with this certificate of recognition for their contribution to Project WET: Project WET is a partnership program between the City of Richmond and the Richmond School District that provides elementary school children with the opportunity to learn about the importance of our natural resources (water). City staff collaborated with teachers in a science-based environment to create a hands-on interactive program to inform, educate and entertain students on the importance of water quality and supply. | ||
| 2002 | Public Works Association | Manager of the Year |
| The Public Works Manager of the Year award was presented was presented to Director of Operations for the Engineering and Public Works Division, Eric Gillfillan. The award is given to an individual who has best exemplified the spirit and professionalism of the Public Works Association of British Columbia. When the award was presented in September of 2002 Eric had contributed 34 years of service in the Public Sector. | ||
| 2002 | Tourism Richmond | 2002 Gateway Award |
| The award was in response to the City's hosting of Richmond Tall Ships 2002, which was called an unqualified success. Awarded to the Tall Ships organizers for their outstanding contribution in the Tourism Industry. This new award program is meant to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the Tourism Industry states Tourism Richmond President Gary Rudin. The city will reap the benefits of Richmond Tall Ships 2002 for many years to come. The awareness legacy for Richmond's Tourism Industry will provide us with the type of publicity and promotional image that would normally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, says Rudin. The fact that we hosted an event with close to 400,000 visitors proved that the volunteers, city staff and business community can pull together to make something of this magnitude happen. It is an honour to recognize the Tall Ships organizers with the Gateway Award! A Gateway award was also presented to the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. The site commemorates the history of the west coast fishing industry. |
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| 2002 | American Sail Training Association (ASTA) | 2002 Port City of the Year Award |
| The award was based on the City's hosting of Richmond Tall Ships 2002, which was called an unqualified success by ASTAs Race Director Steve Baker. Richmond was a great host for ASTA and the tall ships, said Baker. The organizing committee, City staff and volunteers worked amazingly hard. The enthusiastic welcome the tall ships received from the people of Richmond was just astounding. The Richmond festival was part of ASTAs 2002 Tall Ships Challenge Series, which also included stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as a trans-Pacific race from Japan to Canada. |
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| 2002 | BCMA | British Columbia Medical Associations Award of Excellence in Health Promotions |
| The City was honoured for its diverse efforts throughout the community, which promote good physical and mental health. The City of Richmond has made a determined effort to promote healthy living throughout our community, says Alison Dennis, the City's Wellness coordinator. This award shows our efforts are making a difference. The purpose of the BCMA Health Promotion Award program is to highlight specific efforts of individuals and organizations working towards a positive, long-term impact on the health and safety of groups and individuals in BC. In recognizing these efforts, the association hopes to encourage others to undertake similar health promotion activities. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to collaborate with others to promote health and wellness around the province. | ||
| 2002 | Canada Post | Canada Post Literacy Award for Community Leadership |
| In recognition for the nearly 1,900 programs sponsored by Richmond Public Library to serve the diverse needs of the Richmond community. Over 55,000 learners took part in programs including ESL conversation circles, after-school tutoring for youngsters, a reading buddies program, programs in computer literacy, a writing contest for young adults, and an immigrant orientation program. This award recognizes Richmond Public Library for contributing to literacy in our community. | ||
| 2002 | Library Journal | Library Journal Movers and Shakers |
| In recognition of Cate McNeely, Deputy Chief Librarian, Richmond Public Library, for her leadership in the library field in the category of Visionaries. This nomination recognizes "those individuals who are enhancing the way we provide service, who are making us think about what we do and how we do it, who are creating new models for others to use". | ||
| 2002 | ExplorASIAN | ExplorASIAN Canadian Heritage Award for Community Building Through Arts & Culture |
| In recognition of Richmond Public Library's significant contribution to strengthening the community infrastructure for culture and the arts in Richmond. | ||
| 2002 | Royal Architecture Institute of Canada & Canada Council for the Arts | Governor General's Medal for Architecture |
 Richmond City Hall has been named as one of 12 winners of the 2002 Governor Generals Medals in Architecture, as selected by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, presented the medals to the architects of the 12 winning built projects at a May 23rd ceremony at Rideau Hall to be attended by Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and representatives of the project architects, Hotson Bakker / Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Associated Architects. |
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| 2002 | BC Human Resources Management Association | Award of Excellence |
George Duncan, Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Richmond, March 5 1997 to July 31 2002, and August 2003 to present, was honoured with a prestigious 2002 Award of Excellence from the British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA).  The BC HRMA Award of Excellence honours outstanding individuals, teams and organizations whose people practices reflect the leadership and innovation that deliver strategic advantage with sustainable results. Duncan was one of four winners honoured at the 2002 awards ceremony on March 26, 2002.Duncan was cited for his innovative leadership, strategic thinking and consistent commitment to creating a positive work environment for City staff. |
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| 2002 | British Columbia Technology Industry Association | Award for the Best Application of Web Technology |
| The City of Richmond has won another award for its unique use of wireless technology to monitor its extensive dikes and drainage network. Richmond uses Information Builders WebFOCUS application to support up-to-the-minute mobile monitoring of its critical pumping system, which helps prevents low-lying Richmond from the Fraser River. Richmond has about 40 pumping stations installed along the dikes surrounding the islands that make up the city. The pumps operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep water out and protect the City's storm drainage system. The WebFOCUS application allows staff of the City's Engineering and Public Works Division to efficiently and effectively respond to alerts, track pump status and monitor trends via wireless devices |
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| 2002 | Burns Bog Society | Spirit of the Cranes Award for Environmental Excellence in Education. |
| School Program Coordinator for the Richmond Nature Park, Lori Bartley, was presented with this award on March 9th, in recognition of significant contributions to the environment. She was recognized for her "devotion to her craft as demonstrated by her continual search for innovative program ideas and opportunities to raise the profile of the Richmond Nature Park." | ||
| 2002 | The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects | Regional Honour Award |
| The greening of Richmond's No. 3 Road has won recognition from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA). The City was recipient of this award for the landscape design associated with the introduction of the 98 B-Line bus service along No. 3 Road, Richmond's primary traffic corridor. A new bus way was constructed along No.3 Road to provide dedicated access for the new 98 B-Line enhanced bus service. At the same time, extensive new landscaping features and attractive street furnishings were also introduced to No. 3 Road. The effect was aimed at creating a more people-friendly scale and environmentally-attractive look to the City's main street. Council and City staff have made it our goal for Richmond to be the most appealing and livable City in Canada, said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. |
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| 2002 | Mediacorp Canada Inc., | One of Canada's Top 100 Employers |
| The City of Richmond has been named in Macleans magazine as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. Toronto-based Mediacorp Canada Inc., has ranked 42,000 companies to select the top 100 for a guide book to be released in bookstores. Although there were numerous measures used to create the list, Company president Tony Meehan said two were overriding: the company could not have laid anyone off in the past year, and it had to be a leader in its field. |
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| 2002 | Information Builders | I-Business Innovative Use of Technology |
| The City was one of three winners of the new i-business awards, presented by Information Builders, a leader in web-based intelligence. Richmond was honoured for most innovative use of technology. The City uses Information Builders' WebFocus application to support up-to-the-minute mobile monitoring of its critical pumping system, which helps keep drainage water flowing out into the Fraser River to prevent flooding in Richmond. Richmond has about 40 pumping stations installed along the dikes surrounding the islands that make up the city. The pumps operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep water out and protect the City's storm drainage system. | ||
| 2001 | Union of BC Municipalities | Best Local Government Internet Web Site Award |
| The City of Richmond Web Site was the second time Winner in the Large Community category with populations of 50,000 or more. These awards are presented to recognize programs that are successful in raising awareness of local government in the community. | ||
| 2001 | Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators | Environmental Award |
| The City of Richmond has received two prestigious national honours for its Environmental Purchasing Guide, a manual that encourages City staff to think "green" when making purchases. The Guide has captured the Environmental Award in the 2001 Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators - USFilter awards program for excellence in municipal administration. In addition, the Guide received an honourable mention for a FCM - CH2M HILL Sustainable Community Award for excellence in service delivery. When making everyday buying decisions City staff are encouraged to choose competitively-priced products that limit the use of natural resources and maximize the use of recycled materials. |
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| 2001 | Heritage Society of BC Award | Award of Honour |
| Presented for the Heritage Inventory Online project. The Award was presented at the annual conference held on June 2nd. The Inventory is a database of the important heritage resources in Richmond. It can include anything of a physical, cultural or social nature that is unique to, and valued by a community that can be passed from generation to generation. | ||
| 2001 | Richmond Chamber of Commerce | City of Richmond Executive of the Year Award - Public Sector |
| Awarded to Greg Buss, Chief Librarian, Richmond Public Library. This award is in recognition for outstanding achievement in the Public Sector and is sponsored by Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the City of Richmond. | ||
| 2001 | British Columbia Library Association (BCLA) | Achievement in Library Services Award |
| Cate McNeely, the Deputy Chief of Richmond Public Library, was presented with this award which recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding and substantial contribution to librarianship in B.C. McNeely "has been instrumental in planning and implementing new library programs and services for several years, and is unequalled in her dedication to promoting libraries," said library board chair Perry Mazzone. "Cate's visionary approach to library service enabled the new Ironwood Branch - "The Library of the Future" - to become a reality, and she has brought our state-of-the-art services and collections to the attention of libraries worldwide," added Mazzone. | ||
| 2001 | B.C. Library Association | Keith Sacre Library Champion Award |
| Awarded to Richmond Public Library's most dedicated library supporter - Kwok-Chu Lee (Master Lam Chun) - in recognition of his strong support and outstanding contribution to libraries. Mr. Lee has been one of the library's strongest and most esteemed library supporters. Since 1995, Mr. Lee's cash donations have well exceeded $125,000 and his donation of Chinese language books totals over 30,000 books. No single donor has made as significant a contribution to the Library as Mr. Lee. The Library's Chinese language collection contains over 65,000 books and is one of the largest of its kind in Canada. | ||
| 2001 | Jessie Richardson Theatre Society | Jessie Richardson Award |
| The Gateway production of Be Still captured awards in the Small Theatre category for "Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role" and "Outstanding Set Design". | ||
| 2001 | Canadian Institute of Mining | Order of Sancta Barbara |
| Mary Keen, President of the Friends of the Richmond Archives, has won this prestigious national award. The Canadian Institute of Mining noted Keen's many years of volunteer activities in communities across Canada. She has also contributed her volunteer time and interest in Richmond's past through research and the publication of local history. Her book, "We Will Remember Them, The lives behind the Richmond Cenotaph," won an award from the Richmond Heritage Commission earlier the same year. Keen has had two previous works of local history published: "Meeting Places - Richmond's Town Halls 1879-1995" and "No Idle Hands - From the Parlour to the Rec Room: Leisure Choices in Richmond, 1875-1955." | ||
| 2000 | International Nations in Bloom Competition | Most Beautiful City Award |
| First Place for medium sized cities (population 50,000 to 300,000) in the prestigious international NATIONS IN BLOOM competition. The awards were judged by six international experts in the field of horticulture and the environment. Among the issues addressed were: Richmond's unique location at the mouth of the Fraser River on the Pacific Flyway; managing rapid population growth, with its attendant traffic challenges; preservation of heritage sites; extensive community involvement in recycling & Partners in Beautification initiatives; the installation and maintenance of beautiful medians, boulevards, street banners, and the successful annual city garden contest; careful stewardship of environmentally sensitive areas and parks. | ||
| 2000 | Union of BC Municipalities | Best Local Government Internet Web Site Award |
| The City of Richmond Web Site was Winner in the Large Community category with populations of 50,000 or more. In making the award the following remarks were made: "Our Local Government Awareness Committee was very impressed by your site, and also by the excellent submission that really gave them a sense of what you were trying to do with your site and why it has been changing.... They were also quite impressed by the extensive use of e-commerce." | ||
| 2000 | Vancouver Regional Construction Association | Awards Presented to Contractors |
| Contractors were recognized for their excellent work on the Richmond City Hall Construction Project. Smith Bros and Wilson, our concrete trade, won the award for best trade contractor and Dominion took second place for best general contractor in the over $10M category. | ||
| 2000 | B.C. Recreation & Parks Association | Facility Excellence Award |
| Watermania Aquatic Centre has received the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association's Facility Excellence Award 2000. Presented as Provincial recognition for excellence in facility concept, design, development, maintenance, or operation. The winning facility must demonstrate outstanding and/or innovative aspects that have made or could make significant impact in the Recreation/Parks field. | ||
| 2000 | Canadian Library Association | CLA Information Today Award |
| The Richmond Public Library has received the Canadian Library Association/Information Today Award for Innovation for development of the Library Online product. This prestigious award, which consists of $500 U.S. and a plaque, recognizes Library Online as the most important technological innovation in a Canadian library during the past year, and is sponsored by the publishing company Information Today. Library Online gives library customers access to service from home, school or office and is easily accessible via the Web at: www.yourlibrary.ca. Library Online enables customers to reserve Internet Stations, register and pay for courses, apply for a library card online, and pay any charges they might have. Library Online not only provides better access to library users, but frees up staff to provide better customer service. Awarded in Edmonton June 2000. | ||
| 2000 | BC Library Trustees Association | Nancy Bennett Award of Merit |
| The Nancy Bennett Award is given to honour a Library Trustee who has made significant and lasting contribution to a Library Board. The honour went to Corisande Percival-Smith of the Richmond Public Library Board. Awarded in Kelowna May 2000 . | ||
| 2000 | American Library Association | Best of Show for Public Relations |
| Richmond Public Library was awarded honourable mention for its Annual Report. | ||
| 2000 | Jessie Richardson Theatre Society | Jesse Richardson Award |
| Richmond Gateway Theatre's production of Forever Plaid was honoured with several Jesse awards including "Significant Achievement, Ensemble Performance". | ||
| 1999 | Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) Royal Bank Awards |
Willis Award for Excellence and Exceptional Innovation in Canadian Municipal Administration |
| The Willis Award is the highest honour presented to a local government administration. The 1999 winner, for the unprecedented second consecutive year, is the City of Richmond, whose submissions included the Ironwood Branch of the Richmond Public Library, which was highlighted for top honours; the Civic Beautification Strategy, and the Partners in Beautification Program. The Ironwood "Library of the Future," which is being modeled as a prototype for branch libraries across North America, provides a unique combination of the latest in retail design, extensive digital technology for the public, and an emphasis on automation that has resulted in a new standard for customer service and staff efficiency. The judges indicated that they were extremely impressed with all three submissions, and commented on the excellence of the entire package being a key factor in giving the Willis Award to Richmond. |
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| 1999 | National Commercial Building Incentive Program (CBIP) | CBIP Award |
| Design award for Energy Management for a building design that has reduced energy consumption by 25 percent or more. Included is a $65,000 prize. | ||
| 1999 | B.C. Recreation & Parks Association | Program Excellence Richmond Teen Program |
| This award was received for a joint project between the City, the community associations, and the Vancouver Foundation to hire full time youth coordinators in six community areas. The project implements goals of the Youth Strategy Report which states our commitment to involving youth in planning services and programs that affect them. | ||
| 1999 | American Library Association | Highsmith Library Innovation |
| The award was for use of technology in library programs. The award also recognized the library's web site. The award included $2,000 US prize. | ||
| 1999 | BC Library Association | BLCA Merit Award |
| For the Library's design and planning of the Ironwood Branch. | ||
| 1999 | BC Library Trustee Association | Super Trustee Award |
| The Super Trustee Award was given to former Library Board chair Jim Chu for his contribution to the success of Richmond Public Library | ||
| 1999 | American Library Association | Highsmith Award |
| This award was given for creative programs and services using technology and for the Library's Internet training initiatives that benefited communities across BC. | ||
| 1999 | Canadian Library Association | Faxon Award |
| This award was given for public relations and marketing. | ||
| 1999 | Vancouver Natural History Society | Beamish Award |
| Recognizing achievements of those who have contributed to the field of environmental education. Awarded to Kris Bauder, of the Richmond Nature Park, in recognition of her "significant contribution in the field of nature education". | ||
| 1998 | Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) Royal Bank Awards |
Willis Award for Excellence and Exceptional Innovation in Canadian Municipal Administration |
| Willis award for innovation received by the City for developing a fully integrated system which enables the public - via telephone, internet or an internet based multi-purpose interactive public access kiosk - to access City information or make payments to the City related to property taxes, utility bills, parking tickets, or the purchase of garbage tags. Richmond was one of only two municipalities across Canada to receive an award in 1998, and the only municipality with a population of more than 20,000. | ||
| 1998 | National Communities in Bloom Contest | Most Beautiful City Award |
| First place for Cities between 100,000 - 300,000 population across Canada with "Special Mention for Heritage Conservation". Based on efforts related to the management, planning, maintenance and innovative approaches towards the City's appearance, with particular emphasis in the areas of tidiness, landscaping, community involvement, environmental protection, heritage resources, and urban forestry. The National Chairman commented "The pride, sense of community and feeling of accomplishment generated through participation was most evident." | ||
| 1998 | Federation of Canadian Municipalities | Race Relations Award: Honourable Mention for Leadership in Promoting Social Harmony |
| First honourable mention in 1998 for "pursuing over many years a program of activities towards achieving inclusive government". | ||
| 1998 | Heritage Society of BC | Outstanding Achievement Award |
| Award for outstanding achievement for a heritage project was presented to the Britannia Heritage Shipyard, with particular emphasis on the Murakami Visitors Centre project, including the quality of research, involvement of the Japanese/Canadian family, and the interpretation aspects of the centre. | ||
| 1998 | BC Hydro | 10th BC Hydro Power Smart Excellence Award |
| For pursuing opportunities to improve energy-efficiency by upgrading buildings, designing new buildings to optimize efficiency, and adopting innovative technologies to monitor and control energy use. | ||
| 1998 | Canadian Architectural Magazine | 1998 Canadian Architect Award of Merit for Architectural Design |
| Awarded to Hotson Bakker/Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects for their design of the new Richmond City Hall to be opened in March of 2000. | ||
| 1998 | BC Library Association | BCLA Merit Award |
| For outstanding service. This award focuses on the accomplishments and leadership of the Library's Internet training, education and services. | ||
| 1997 | PC Docs | Docs Summit Award for Outstanding Docs Open Solution |
| Industry award by PC DOCS for the best application of their product world-wide (best of 15 submitted). Presented to the City in recognition of the technological solution developed by the City's REDMS ( Richmond Enterprise Document Management System) Team, for scanning invoices and their supporting documentation into digital format, and integrating this with the City's PeopleSoft financial system. It was noted that "the City had created an atmosphere which allowed its employees to take creative innovative risks." | ||
| 1997 | BC Hydro | 10th BC Hydro Power Smart Excellence Award |
| For pursuing opportunities to improve energy-efficiency by upgrading buildings, designing new buildings to optimize efficiency, and adopting innovative technologies to monitor and control energy use. | ||
| 1997 | American Library Association | Young Adult Writing Contest |
| Recognized by the American Library Association as one of the top North American Library Programs. | ||
| 1997 | Jessie Richardson Theatre Society | Jessie Richardson Award |
| Awarded to the Gateway Theatre in the category of Significant Achievement in Community Outreach, for the production of Fault Lines, by Betty Quan. | ||
The City of Richmond was once again recognized with the Leadership Excellence Award by BC Hydro’s Power Smart program. This award is presented to Power Smart Leaders, which the City has been since the program’s inception in 2003. Richmond remains the only municipality in BC to achieve this high level of recognition for corporate energy efficiency and conservation work.