Partners in Heritage Conservation

There are many individuals and organizations that can contribute to Markham heritage conservation efforts including municipal and community organizations as well as provincial and federal associations.

Municipal Partners
Within the Town, there are a number of groups and organizations involved in heritage conservation:

• Heritage Markham is Council’s advisory committee on heritage properties.
  
  
• Heritage Section staff of Markham’s Development Services Commission co-ordinates and implements the Town’s heritage conservation program.
  
  
• The Town Historian is also very knowledgeable of historic issues.
  Email Lorne Smith lorne.smith@sympatico
  
  
• The Main Street Markham Committee helps to promote and protect the village character of Markham Village
  
  
• Town staff and community organizations help operate a number of municipally owned heritage properties
  
  

Local Research Facilities
Historical information is available at these local research facilities:

• The Markham Library offers books and resources on local history as well as the Lunau Collection
  
  
• The Markham Museum and Archives offers an extensive archival collection of historical research materials.
  
  
• The Thornhill Archives  offers a growing collection of historical information focussed on the Thornhill area.
  
  
• Educational research can be found at the Heritage Schoolhouse in Buttonville .
  

Local Heritage Groups
Want to know more about local history? Consider joining one of these organizations:

• Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill – SPOHT
  
  
• Markham Historical Society
  
  
• Markham Village Conservancy 
  
  
• Markham Berczy Settlers Association
  
  
• Pennsylvania German Folklore Society of Ontario (York Chapter) 
  
  
• Pomona Mills Park Conservations
  
  
• Unionville Historical Society - email: unionville150@bellnet.ca
  
  

Property Owners Associations
A number of property owners associations have a special interest in protecting and preserving the heritage character and resources within their specific boundaries. Find out more by contacting:

• Ward 1 South Thornhill Ratepayers Inc. 
  
• Thornhill Conservation District Ratepayers Association
  
• Unionville Villagers Association
  
• Old Markham Village Ratepayers
  
• Vinegar Hill Ratepayers

See list of Markham Ratepayers Associations

Business Improvement Area Associations
The Town has two BIA associations which are located within the Markham Village and Unionville heritage conservation districts and both are excellent heritage partners:

• Markham Village BIA 
  
  
• Unionville BIA 
  
  

Other Heritage Groups/Organizations (non-governmental)

• Community Heritage Ontario
  (the umbrella organization for municipal heritage committees in the province of Ontario)
  
  
• Architectural Conservancy of Ontario   
  
  
• Ontario Historical Society
  
  
• Ontario Genealogical Society  
  
  
• Ontario Genealogical Society (York Region Branch)
  (provides services for local family history research)  
  
  
• Friends of the Ontario Archives 
  (Supporters of Ontario Archives)
  
  
• Archives Association of Ontario
  (provides access to Ontario’s Archival Information Network)
  
  
• Heritage Canada Foundation 
  (Canada’s national non-government voice of heritage conservation)
  
  
• Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals 
  (professional heritage consultants on a wide variety of heritage subject matter)
  
  
• ICOMOS Canada
  (Canadian National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites)
  
  

Provincial and Federal Partners

• Rouge Park Cultural Heritage
  
  
• Ontario Ministry of Culture – Heritage
  
  
• Ontario Heritage Trust
  (an agency of the provincial government preserving and protecting provincially significant sites)
  
  
• Archives of Ontario
  (preserves the province’s documentary heritage and makes it available to the public)
  
  
• Department of Canadian Heritage 
  
  
• National Archives of Canada