Markham named one of Canada's Greenest Employers

MARKHAM, ON - April 19, 2018 -   Today the City of Markham was announced as one of Canada's Greenest Employers by the editors of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Markham is one of 100 Canadian employers that has created an environment in which staff from all areas and levels of the organization are encouraged to develop new opportunities to improve our sustainability and to get involved in minimizing the environmental impact of the City's operations.

In a media release distributed today, Mediacorp Canada Inc. explains, "Winning employers, selected by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, are evaluated using four main criteria: (1) the unique environmental initiatives or programs they have developed; (2) whether they have been successful in reducing their own environmental footprint; (3) whether their employees are involved in these programs and contribute any unique skills; and (4) whether their environmental initiatives have become linked to the employer’s public identity, attracting new employees and customers."

Markham has set out to become a net zero emissions community by 2050 and to achieve that, the City has created Greenprint, Markham's sustainability plan that covers green technology, energy conservation and efficiency, waste diversion and recycling, environmental enhancement, food security, wildlife protection and more.

"We've taken bold steps to help reduce climate change and reduce our carbon footprint," says Mayor Frank Scarpitti. "The City of Markham is a municipal leader in sustainability. Our goal is to achieve net zero energy, water, waste and emissions by 2050."

Last year, Markham became the first municipality in North America to divert textiles from landfills. Since then, we have diverted over 3 million pounds of textiles thanks to the support from Markham residents.

The City's solar portfolio is one of the largest in Canada and produces 1.8 megawatts of power, generating approximately $300,000 in annual revenue.

"Sustainability has become a core element of Markham's culture," says Graham Seaman, Director of Sustainability and Asset Management at the City of Markham. "Staff across the organization continually strive to make our operations more energy efficient, resulting in 6.9 per cent GHG per capita emissions intensity reduction from 2015-2016, and 17 per cent intensity reduction since 2012."

The Civic Centre was selected by Alectra Utilities to host their Alectra Drive for the Workplace pilot project this year due to the high number of staff who drive electric vehicles to work. This project hopes to engage more staff in sustainable transportation options so it can assess the impact of daytime electric vehicle (EV) charging at workplaces on Ontario's electricity grid. By making EV charging stations more accessible, the program will help reduce battery range anxiety for participating drivers, and support the province's goal of increasing EV sales to five per cent of all new passenger vehicles sold by 2020.

To learn more about why the City of Markham was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers, click here.

Mayor's Video Message: Markham named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2018

– 30 – 
 

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti's Office: Lama Nicolas, Senior Communications Advisor at lnicolas@markham.ca or 416-671-2890.

For all other media inquiries / interview requests for the City of Markham: 
Erynn Sally, Media Relations Coordinator at esally@markham.ca or 416-737-2684.