Mayor's Business Address & Luncheon: Markham drives innovation. Talent lives here.

MARKHAM, ON - May 9, 2018 —  During Markham's Board of Trade event yesterday at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre & Spa, Mayor Frank Scarpitti addressed a sold-out crowd of Markham's business community members and industry leaders. 

Markham has proclaimed May 7 - 13, 2018 as 'Innovation Week in the City of Markham'. Markham is in the heart of Ontario's innovation corridor. With more than 1,500 high-tech and life sciences companies creating more than 37,000 jobs, Markham is a key player, outperforming Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa. 

"Markham drives innovation. Innovation powers the Markham economy," says Mayor Frank Scarpitti. "Companies in Markham like IBM, AMD, GM and Huawei are at the core of our changing world. At the heart of my agenda is the vision to make Markham a magnet for global talent by creating a new talent hub, the Centre for International Talent."

The Centre will be a space where talent is nurtured by creating hands-on collaborative learning opportunities where industry connects with learners to develop innovative solutions and disruptive technologies.

"Innovation is fueled by talent. Talent requires a great place to live and work, and that is exactly what we are creating in Markham Centre. It will be home to 40,000 residents and 40,000 jobs, including the new York University campus set to open in 2021, which will build on Markham's strong and diverse talent pool," says Mayor Frank Scarpitti.

Joanna Ng, Chair of Cognitive IoT Strategy & Innovation Teams, STSM & Master Innovator at IBM Canada says, "This Markham innovation eco-system will birth many transformational solutions with global impact, thus anchors and attracts many highly skilled jobs in Markham. Markham is evolving itself to become the exemplified city to show the world how to apply technologies and innovations to bring better lives for its residents."

GM Canada also recently opened its Canadian Technical Centre in Markham, which will create 1,000 jobs, 700 are software engineers. This is now the largest automotive tech hub in Canada. GM's CTC is driving innovation with their autonomous vehicle program, and infotainment centre design. 

Pond Technologies in Markham has created a process of capturing carbon dioxide spewing from smoke stacks into our air. Their process can grow algae that produces bio products such as nutraceuticals, animal feed, and cosmetics. 

The City of Markham is a municipal leader in innovation and sustainability. Recently named one of Canada's Greenest Employers, Markham was the first municipality to ban textiles from curbside collection and has diverted over 8 million pounds of textiles from landfills to date.

The City of Markham has offered the lowest commercial tax rate for five consecutive years and the lowest industrial tax rate for eight consecutive years in the GTA, and is continually investing to ensure we can repair and replace city assets for the next 25 years. 

To learn more, visit www.choosemarkham.ca

For a PDF version of Mayor Frank Scarpitti's Address, click here.

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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.