Click here to read the previous edition of The Deputy Mayor's Exchange.

This week marks World Immunization Week and it is important to remember as we all try to secure our COVID-19 vaccines that the first vaccine available is the best vaccine.

At time of writing, the following people are eligible to book an appointment: more detail here:

Carefully review the "who can book" details to ensure you are selecting the clinic most appropriate for you - details here. Should you need help booking an appointment, please call the number listed under each clinic locations. The details also note what vaccine is being used at each clinic.

No matter which COVID-19 vaccine you are offered, you can rest assured that all Health Canada approved vaccines are safe, effective and provide protection against the potentially severe consequences of a COVID-19 infection.

The current State of Emergency and Stay-at-Home Order continue until May 21 in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19 variants and to protect hospital ICU capacity while vaccinations continue.

Everyone should be staying home except for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including getting vaccinated), for outdoor exercise, or for work that cannot be done remotely. Markham's recreation facilities including outdoor locations are closed with the exception of playgrounds for children. Outdoor gatherings are restricted to your immediate household. Stay home. Save lives. Every action counts. Learn more at markham.ca/covid19.

To protect yourself and others from COVID-19 while waiting for your vaccine, please continue to follow public health recommendations.

Stay home, stay safe. Limit interactions with those outside your household. More information about current public health guidelines, restrictions and closures can be found online at markham.ca/covid19 and york.ca/covid19.

As always should you require any assistance, please reach out to the City's Contact Centre. Please also remember that your local Ward Councillor is also available to assist if you don't know where to turn.

This innovative tool adds to York Region Public Health’s case management and contact tracing efforts, streamlining the data collection process allowing our contact tracers help more people and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Are you experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19? Have you been exposed to someone with COVID-19? Get tested at one of these local COVID-19 Assessment Centre by appointment:

Stay safe. Stay informed. Visit york.ca/COVID19.

There is no cost for eligible residents to stay at the Centre and each stay is entirely voluntary. During your stay, you will be housed in a clean, safe and private hotel room where you will have access to free internet, television and meals. Public Health recommends you remain at the Centre for the full duration of your isolation period to keep your loved ones safe. Learn more

On August 19 2005, the West Thornhill community was impacted by a severe rainstorm during which stormwater run-off exceeded the capacity of drainage systems and caused extensive flooding of private property and roadways. 

The West Thornhill Stormwater Flood Remediation Class Environmental Assessment Study identified system improvements to increase capacity and reduce the risk of flooding and an implementation strategy was adopted by Markham Council in October 2011 based on flood risk priorities.

Ward 1 Councillor, Keith Irish, will host a virtual West Thornhill Phase 3B and Phase 4A Construction - Community Information Meeting Wednesday May 5 from 7pm to 9pm.

Representatives from the City of Markham and the consultant will be present at the meeting to answer questions and discuss next steps. If you require more information please contact Paul Ahn, Manager, Infrastructure Capital Delivery at 416.899.6293 or email PAhn@markham.ca.

On Monday April 26 (tomorrow) at 6:30pm, Markham Council will hold a special DSC meeting with Metrolinx to discuss and review the status of the Yonge Street Subway Extension Project.

The virtual meeting will be live-streamed on the City's website - details here. You are able to make a presentation to the Committee by notifying the City Clerk in advance. More information about how to do that can be found here.

Ward 1 Councillor, Keith Irish, has a number of related resources on his website - markhamward1.ca.

This week I received an email from DME reader Cathy suggesting that it was time to put another reminder in the DME about the pests you can encounter when out for walks. Cathy had taken her dog for a walk on a local trail and found 2 ticks on her dog when they got home. The following day on another walk despite being fully covered, Cathy discovered a tick stuck on her own leg when she returned.

It a good idea to check yourself and your pets when you return from a walk. Blacklegged ticks are be found in the York Regional Forest and other local parks. 

Lyme disease is spread through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. For more detail including the safe removal of ticks, visit york.ca/LymeDisease.

More information about walking and cycling in Markham can be found here.

If you are building or doing home renovations you might need a permit. Whether the work being considered is inside or outside, before starting any work you need to check to see if a building permit is required.

Some common projects that require a permit are extending your driveway, concrete porches, installing a basement entrance, finishing basements, removing an interior wall, plumbing and electrical work and a garden shed larger than 100 square feet. If you are improving your landscaping or perhaps installing a pool, a road occupancy permit may be required. Your contractor is also required to adhere to City by-laws while working on your property.

For more information check out the by-law guide for homeowners. Before starting any home improvement project, it is best to contact the City at 905.475.4858 or buildingstandards@markham.ca to make sure you are in compliance with all the requirements. More information can be found here.

✔️4 days of fun online

✔️ Family-friendly drop-in activities

✔️ Mayor’s Youth Awards

✔️ Connect with other youth

This year join the City's biggest virtual youth festival which will run on May 1, 2, 6 and 7. Learn more

Markham's award winning textile recycling program has kept 20 million pounds of textiles out of landfill since the program started in 2017.

Markham’s first-of-its kind textile recycling program was launched as a response to findings that each household in the community was sending approximately 33 pounds (15 kilograms) of textiles to landfill every year when an estimated 95 per cent of this could be reused, resold or recycled into new products. In October 2016, City-managed donation bins were installed across Markham in high-traffic, convenient locations, replacing more than 200 unlicensed textile bins.

Learn more about the program here.

The Many Faces of Markham contest is an annual initiative to support the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The deadline for submissions have been extended to May 7.

Submissions can be made in the following formats: writing, video, artwork or spoken word. The contest is open to students who live in Markham, from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Learn more and apply here.

Transportation for the future: What do you want to see? York Region is updating its Transportation Master Plan and they need your input. Have your say about the future of transportation by completing the survey.

The results will help the Region plan for safe reliable travel and efficient movement of people and goods. Whether you would typically walk, bike, drive or take transit provide your feedback about your current experiences, what's changing and what you would like to see. Learn more and take the survey here.

The Markham Group of Artists is wrapping up their Artists’ Choice Spring Show. View it now until April 30 here and where you can also purchase the paintings you see too.

MGA welcomes artists of all levels from beginners to professional. They are preparing an art-inspired line up of activities for artists and artists-at-heart for the spring and summer. Soon you will be seeing their artists painting their favorite scenes in Markham and Unionville. Also, when it is safe to gather, you will be seeing MGA artists gathering at Milne Dam Park to paint and critique each other’s work. Want to get out and paint? Consider joining MGA at the reduced spring and summer rate of $40. Click here to join.  

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be distributed and administered, there continues to be some confusion as to who is responsible for what.

Looking for something fun to keep busy this spring?

The City is offering virtual programs to help keep you active and engaged while staying safe.

Learn more and register now at markham.ca/recreation.

The Markham Arts Council is currently accepting applications for their Board of Directors.

If you are interested in enriching the lives of Markham residents through arts and cultural programming, learn more and apply here by April 30.

Are you planning to do some work outside this year? Don't forget you must contact Ontario One Call if you are planting a tree, building a fence or a deck, digging a new garden, or doing any project that requires you to dig ... at least 5 days before.

Ontario One Call will notify buried infrastructure owners that you plan to dig. Reps from each underground buried infrastructure owner will come out to mark the location of buried underground lines and cables on your property so that you can dig safely.

Keep your neighbourhood from outages and yourself from harm. Call 1.800.400.2255 or click OntarioOneCall.ca before you dig for big or small projects.

as of April 23, 2021 at 7pm - click title or on chart for full report

These Markham specific COVID-19 details are provided by MFES

and the City of Markham Executive Leadership Team.

More information about Markham's response to COVID-19 can be found here.

York Region's COVID-19 dashboard now includes suspect and confirmed cases in schools. The interactive dashboard is updated seven days a week at 5pm and provides detailed information about COVID-19 in York Region including a breakdown of specific Markham data. Details can be found at york.ca/covid19data.

More information about Markham's response to COVID-19 can be found here.

All meetings are now being conducted electronically and Council members along with staff are participating remotely. All facilities remain closed. As always, members of the public are encouraged to participate in these meetings. Written deputations can be sent by email to clerkspublic@markham.ca. If you would like to make a virtual deputation you can register here or phone the Clerk's office at 905-477-7000 x3638. All meetings can be viewed online by clicking the details noted above.

York Region Council meetings and live streaming details can be found here. Details of upcoming YR meetings and past sessions are available here. 

I'd be pleased to highlight other community meetings in future newsletters.

Please forward the details to dhamilton@markham.ca