York Region is one of four upper-tier municipalities in the Greater Toronto area. Hard work and focus make it a great place to live, work and play. Residents enjoy an attractive quality of life, and business owners appreciate its economic vibrancy. Perhaps for these reasons, York Region remains one of Canada’s fastest growing communities. As of December 2004, almost 890,000 people and more than 26,000 businesses called York Region their home.

In 2004, York Region’s budget was $1.7 billion. Priorities for 2004 included service enhancements for York Regional Police, York Region Transit (YRT), significant capital infrastructure for Regional roads, water and wastewater, health care and social services.

FOCUS ON ESSENTIAL SERVICES
York Region continuously focuses on improving the following essential services to almost 890,000 people and 26,000 businesses:

REFLECTING THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
Reflecting the face of our ever-changing community remains a top priority for York Regional Police. Building on recruiting successes in 2003, last year saw the hiring of 139 police officers who bring a wealth of life experience, education and community involvement to us including the linguistic skills of Cantonese, Mandarin, Gujarati, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Dutch, Korean, French and Sign Language among others. As a result of targeted recruiting in these communities, York Regional Police is proud to advise that diversity within the service has risen from 8.9% in 2003 to 12.3% in 2004.

TOTAL CONSTRUCTION VALUE IN 2004	TOTAL HOUSING COMPLETIONS IN 2004
Industrial, commercial, institutional construction made up 34% of the total construction value in 2004.