YorkRegionGovt:
1971: York County becomes The Regional Municipality of York
YorkRegionGovt:
1971: The first Regional Chair, Garfield Wright
YorkRegionGovt:
1976: Highway 404 extends to Highway 7. The annual average daily traffic volume is 152,000 vehicles (2012)
YorkRegionGovt:
1981: Canada’s Wonderland opens in the Town of Vaughan
YorkRegionGovt:
1982: York Region southern-most border confirmed at the north side of Steeles Avenue
YorkRegionGovt:
1988: York Region’s first Non-Profit Housing Corporation begins; Housing York Inc. is now the seventh largest social housing provider in Ontario and the largest in York Region with 2,441 units (2016)
YorkRegionGovt:
1994: 911 system begins for York Paramedic services
YorkRegionGovt:
1994: Official opening of the York Region Administrative Centre in the Town of Newmarket
YorkRegionGovt:
1997: York Region goes online with original www.region.york.on.ca. URL is updated to york.ca in 2006
YorkRegionGovt:
1997: York Region and Durham Region take full ownership of the Duffin Creek Plant from the province, and now serves approximately one million York Region residents today
YorkRegionGovt:
1998: Water for Tomorrow launches, saving 26 million litres of water each day, or enough water for 126,000 people each year
YorkRegionGovt:
1998: Georgina Waste Transfer Station opens in the Town of Georgina. In 2015, the transfer station collected 21,158 tonnes of w
YorkRegionGovt:
1998: Markham Household Hazardous Waste Depot opens in the City of Markham; in 2015, 851 tonnes were collected.
YorkRegionGovt:
1998: Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Depot opens in Town of East Gwillimbury; in 2015, 993 tonnes are collected.
YorkRegionGovt:
2000: York Regional Forest Receives Forest Stewardship Council certification (first public forest in Canada to achieve this certification)
YorkRegionGovt:
2000: Province downloads Paramedic Services; 77,770 paramedic calls in 2015
YorkRegionGovt:
2001: Five municipal transit systems amalgamate to form York Region Transit (YRT); 22.1 million revenue riders in 2015
YorkRegionGovt:
2001: York Region Greening Strategy approved by Council. In 2015, almost 95,000 trees are planted
YorkRegionGovt:
2003: Asian Long-horned beetle infestation results in “regulated” area in City of Vaughan
YorkRegionGovt:
2004: York Region begins processing green bin organics. In 2015, 96,593 tonnes of green bin material was collected for processing
YorkRegionGovt:
2005: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) begins; York Region’s first of two accessible forest trails opens in 2010, the first to be constructed to AODA standards
YorkRegionGovt:
2005: Viva, York Region's bus rapid transit service, launched in September 2005. Viva service was designed to be faster than conventional service, reliable and customer-friendly
YorkRegionGovt:
2005: York Region Waste Management Centre begins operations in the Town of East Gwillimbury
YorkRegionGovt:
2006: Regional Councils of York and Durham endorse the concept of constructing a jointly-owned energy from waste facility to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. In 2015, 93,438 tonnes were diverted from landfill
YorkRegionGovt:
2009: McCleary Court Community Environmental Centre opens in the City of Vaughan; in 2015, 9,328 tonnes of recyclables and waste were collected
YorkRegionGovt:
2009: York Region’s first family shelter, Leeder Place Family Shelter opens in the Town of East Gwillimbury
YorkRegionGovt:
2010: York Region settlement strategy launches to create welcoming and inclusive communities for all residents
YorkRegionGovt:
2011: Elgin Mills Community Environmental Centre opens in the Town of Richmond Hill; in 2015 16,148 tonnes of recycling and waste were collected
YorkRegionGovt:
2011: YorkSafe inspection disclosures now posted at york.ca/yorksafe make it easy for residents to access reports. Mandate for inspections has increased beyond restaurant inspections to encompass spas, tattoo parlours, daycares, pools and seniors’ residen
YorkRegionGovt:
2011: York Region launches social media channels on Facebook (YorkRegionGovt) and Twitter (@YorkRegionGovt)
