February 16 2020
The Deputy Mayor's Exchange
The Week in Review

I hope that you can find time to visit the Varley Art Gallery to see not one, not two, not three but four new exhibitions that opened this week. Admission is free courtesy of IBM Canada.

If you are a long term planner, mark Saturday December 5th 2020 in your calendar as the UBIA is moving the Unionville Olde Tyme Christmas Candlelight Parade from Friday night to Saturday night. HO HO HO!

It was standing room only in the Council Chamber on Tuesday afternoon as the Flag Raising debate went on for over 5 hours. The final Council vote was 8-5 in favour of continuing the practice of raising foreign country flags. According to City of Markham policy, any issue can be revisited again in the future so this may not be the last time this is in front of Council.

The Coronvirus scare continues to plague many Markham businesses, food stores and shopping malls. Pacific Mall held an education and support business session that I was pleased to attend with Councillors Lee and Ho. Asialicious has started. Please get out and do your part to support all of our local restaurants and businesses.

Councillor Reid McAlpine and I had a great time at the Unionville Seniors' Centre Valentines Day luncheon. What a lively group of seniors!

Have an enjoyable Family Day!

In this issue
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Update
- Kids Programs
- Family Day Programs
- YorkSafe Food Inspections
- Asialicious
- Markham Reads 2020
- Supporting Life and Living
- A World Voyage in Markham
- GO Metrolinx Meeting Tuesday
- Many Faces of Markham
- World Sustainability Ranking
- Early Years Support Services
- York Region Update
- Community Meetings and Events
- Q&A - Flag Day
Please forward this update to anyone that may find it of interest.

Make sure you are on the list for future updates.
Looking for more information?

Any of the blue text, blue buttons and most of the graphics have links to further detail.
My view of the Council Meeting on Tuesday
Click here to read the last edition of The Deputy Mayor's Exchange.

Coronavirus has been declared a emergency by the World Health Organization. There is no evidence of community spread in Canada and the risk of acquiring the virus in the community remains low for York Region residents. To date, there have been no confirmed cases in York Region.

York Region Public Health continues monitoring the Novel Coronavirus outbreak originating in Wuhan, China. They are working closely with Ontario’s Ministry of Health, our hospitals and community health care providers. More information is available here .

Do you have any questions about Novel Coronavirus? York Region Public Health has created a resource with up-to-date information and answers to some of your questions. Details can be found here.
More information on how to prevent COVID-19
Further information can be found at the Ministry of Health which is translated into 19 different languages.
Videos are available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi, French and Arabic
Public Health Officials have been hearing some wild myths about COVID-19.
For more information visit York.ca/coronavirus or WHO.int/coronavirus for more myth busters.

The City of Markham continues to offer day camps and drop-in programs in response to the following pending school closures:
  • Friday February 21 - All elementary and secondary schools

Programs will be offered across the City to provide convenient options to families that are impacted. A variety of fun, creative, active and educational opportunities are available for children. These include adventure camp, crafts, family movies, indoor playground, scavenger hunts, sensory room, skating, STEAM activities, story time, public swims and more. Drop-in programs are available on a first come, first served basis and regular fees apply. Parent/guardian accompaniment is required for all drop-in (ages 9 and under) and Library programs.

Registered programs are also available on a first come, first served basis. Register online through  ezReg , in person at your nearest community centre, or by calling the Contact Centre at 905.477.5530.

The City will closely monitor the strike situation and will increase participation numbers and programming, or cancel programs, depending on the situation. Fees will be refunded at no penalty if schools remain open. Any withdrawals prior to end of school closure will follow the City’s refund policy.

In the event of school closures, Markham crossing guards will not be on duty. Please remain safe while driving or walking through school zones. Obey stop signs, traffic signals, and school zone speed limits. Don’t drive distracted and keep an eye out for children.

The Ontario Government has announced financial support to families for childcare during school closures due to a strike. More details about eligibility and how to submit an application can be found on the Provincial government's site at here  or by calling the Helpline at 1.888.444.3770.

For a complete list of programs offered by the City of Markham and important information for parents, visit  markham.ca/SchoolClosures .

Monday February 17 - Make memories with your loved ones on Family Day! The City of Markham is offering a variety of registered and drop-in programs for you to enjoy.

Learn more:  markham.ca/FamilyDay

There are also a number of other events happening on Family Day. See the Community Events section below for additional information.

The reporting system for YorkSafe is being updated and as a result the data from inspections may not be available through this process. Details can be found here .

To view all locations in York Region and to find out if they have had a YorkSafe violation, click here.

Fear of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) continues to pervade in our community. In spite of the very low risk of contracting the disease, many have been staying away from restaurants, food stores and malls. 

To encourage people to go out to and shop and dine, the  Chinese Cuisine and Hospitality Association of Canada in cooperation with Federation of Canadian Chinese in Markham (FCCM) and the City of Markham have introduced Asialicious. It will run for the remainder of February. Participating locations and more information can be found here.

Which book do you want to read this summer?

It's time to cast your vote for this year's Markham Reads book! Vote online or at your local branch. The result will be announced in the spring and we are going to read the chosen book as a City. Vote now at  Markham Reads 2020

Evergreen Hospice has been providing support services to the communities of Markham, Stouffville and Thornhill for people and their families who are living with a life-threatening illness or coping with grief. 

More information is available here about Evergreen Hospice's free support services and volunteer opportunities.

Sunday March 1 at 2pm

Join the Markham Concert Band at the Flato Markham Theatre for their upcoming concert.

Enjoy music from the diverse cultures of our amazing world. Mambo Italiano, Souvenirs of Paris, Northwest Passage - who knows where the journey will take you?

Visit  tickets are available here  or call 905.305.7469.

Metrolinx (GO) has plans for the Stouffville GO corridor including twinning the tracks and electrification of the line. Thanks to Ward 3 Councillor Reid McAlpine for this report .

Learn more  at the upcoming  Public Meeting  on Tuesday February 18 at 6:30 pm at the Markham Village Community Centre (Highway 7 and Markham Road).

The City of Markham and the Markham Race Relations Committee present the Many Faces of Markham on April 19. This annual celebration is held to promote the elimination of racial discrimination and celebrates the community's ethno-cultural inclusiveness. This year's theme is "Eliminating Exclusion."

Does your child have a talent? The Many Faces of Markham event has an art, writing and video competition open to elementary school students in Markham. Any entries are due on March 13. Winners in each category are recognized during the Many Faces of Markham celebration. The event will also feature live cultural performances.

More information about the event and the competition can be found here. Did you attend last year's event? Pictures from last year's event can be found here.
York Region Ranked 12th and the City of Markham Ranked 13th in the World for Sustainability

The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has released a list of Intelligent Communities ranked by their ability to create an environmentally sustainable community. York Region and the City of Markham have been  ranked 12 and 13 respectively in the world for their sustainability efforts.

Promoting sustainability offers many benefits to a community, including protecting natural resources and improving quality of life for residents. Building sustainable communities is also a good business decision. As the world continues to adapt to environmental challenges, new companies – including many here in our community – are using technology to tackle these issues while creating employment and growth opportunities.

From reducing greenhouse gas emissions to increasing waste diversion, York Region and the City of Markham are proud to promote sustainability as a key pillar in many guiding strategic documents. Highlights and results include:
  • Planting more trees in 2019 and plans to do more in future years
  • Establishing a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target through Vision 2051
  • Reduced greenhouse gas emissions across operations through improved energy conservation measures and integrating hybrid/electric vehicles into their fleets
  • Diverting household waste away from landfills through enhanced recycling and composting efforts
To learn more, visit  intelligentcommunity.org

Are you a health, early learning and child care professional working with infants and children from birth to age six?

York Region has launched the  Early Years Support Services Registry. This is a newly developed resource for health, early learning and child care professionals in the Region who wish to refer a child from birth to age six or their family for support services. This collaboration with partners from across York Region will provide easy access to up-to-date information to the support services found in our community. More information
Co-hosted the Valentine's Day Event at Unionville Seniors' Centre
with Reid McAlpine
At the opening of the new exhibitions at the Varley Gallery on Saturday night
Keep Up Our Strength Event at Pacific Mall on Friday
Lunar New Year celebration last weekend
At the kick-off to Mon Sheong's new REACH for Aging Well program
At the Community Safety meeting hosted by MP Bob Soroya and MPP Billy Pang
Community Meetings and Events

All City of Markham meetings are listed on the City's website at Upcoming Council and Committee Meetings . Unless noted differently on the link above, meetings are held at the Markham Civic Centre and are open to the public. If you aren't able to attend in person, meetings are live streamed.

The calendar of York Region meetings is available here. You can listen to meetings on line. The details from past meetings are available online.


  • Upcoming Markham Public Library Events - here
  • Upcoming Varley Gallery Events - here

I'd be pleased to highlight other community meetings in future newsletters. Please forward the details to dhamilton@markham.ca

If you have a question that you would like answered, please email with your question .
Question : With all the controversy lately over flag raising, why doesn't the City of Markham have a special day for Canada's flag?

Answer:  There is a special national day appropriately called Flag Day on February 15th of each year which highlights Canada's flag. Test your knowledge with some  interesting facts about our flag.
Working together to make Markham better!
Don Hamilton - City of Markham
Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor
905- 415-7549
Connect with me