Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Similar to what other municipalities are experiencing, the Markham economy continues to be impacted by the effects of COVID-19. Council knew it was important to approve the lowest property tax rate increase possible to support the community, invest in a safe and sustainable recovery, and plan for the future.
Through the responsible and sound Stewardship of Money and Resources, the City of Markham’s 2022 Budget delivers a Safe, Sustainable, and Complete Community as outlined in the
Building Markham’s Future Together: 2020-2023 Strategic Plan.
How is Markham enhancing services to the community?
East Markham Operations Yard
In November 2021 the City opened a second operations yard near the northwest corner of Ninth Line and Major Mackenzie Drive. This 8.5-hectre facility will improve service levels by improving Winter maintenance response times, allowing for more efficient deployment of services, and to better balance travel times to all areas of Markham.
The yard will house more than half of road operations resources and will ensure a ready supply of snow clearing materials by storing 22,000 tonnes of road salt, 4,000 tonnes of sand and 50,000 litres of brine. There will also be parking space for 30 Winter road vehicles as well as offices for Operations staff and Winter operations drivers.
Markham Public Library
$2.8M to expand Markham Public Library’s collection of books and periodicals, audiovisual materials and multilingual materials to better support the City’s diverse community and membership interests.
Community Centres
$2.0M for renovations, repairs and replacements including to Thornhill Community Centre and Heintzman House (Ward 1); Old Unionville Library (Ward 3); Centennial Community Centre and Pan Am Centre (Ward 3); Cornell Community Centre (Ward 5); Angus Glen community Centre and Pingle House (Ward 6); Rouge River Community Centre (Ward 7), and Milliken Mills and Armadale Community Centres (Ward 8).
How is Markham protecting the environment and growing our green spaces?
Making our facilities more sustainable and energy efficient
$4.2M, including 3.3M to develop greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction plans and retrofit solutions for Clatworthy Arena, Thornhill Community Centre, Centennial Community Centre and Mount Joy Community Centre to support Markham's Corporate Energy Management Plan, Municipal Energy Plan, and
Greenprint Sustainability Plan
to transition to Net-Zero Energy Emissions (NZEE) by 2050 and reduce the City’s carbon footprint. These initiatives will also develop the City’s expertise and capacity for sustainable building construction and operations.
More electric vehicle (EV) chargers will be installed to support the adoption of electric vehicles into the City’s vehicle fleet.
Environmental protection and management
$1.7M to construct erosion protection along the Rouge River and Berczy Creek to protect fish habitats. Investments will also be made to monitor and improve water quality at Swan Lake (Ward 5) and Toogood Pond (Ward 3), and to inventory and study natural heritage systems and natural areas.
Markham’s tree canopy will continue to be enhanced by pruning existing trees, replacing aged or unsafe trees on boulevards and in parks, new planting in parks, and adding to the more than 470,000 trees already planted through the Trees for Tomorrow program.
At the completion of the three-year Neighbourhood Tree Maintenance program, approximately 100,000 street trees will be pruned. To help achieve this, the City received a grant from the Provincial and Federal governments in the amount of $0.7M towards the program. Pruning our street trees will increase community accessibility on streets and sidewalks, reduce obstructions, improve the health of City trees, and grow our urban forest.
Growing our green spaces
$2.3M to extend the Markham Centre Trail (Phase 2 from Birchmount Road to Sheridan Pond and beyond), and to extend the Rouge Valley Trail (to Kennedy Road North and Austin Drive and beyond).
$9.4M to add four new parks: Victoria Square West Village Park and Woodbine By-pass North Park (Ward 2); the Markham Centre-Rougeside Promenade Park (Ward 3); and the York Downs Park (Ward 6); together with design of the Villages of Fairtree East Neighbourhood Park (Ward 7). A new multi-purpose court for basketball and ball hockey that can be transformed into a natural ice rink during the Winter will be added to Franklin Carmichael Park (Ward 1) and amenities at many existing parks will be renewed.
Since 2014, the City of Markham has consistently created and designed its parks with the goal of making them ready for residents as soon as possible after they move into a new community. A total of 65 new parks, totaling 177 acres of public space, have been constructed as part of this program.
As part of the Trees for Tomorrow Program, the City will continue to plant trees through our partnerships, adding to the more than 470,000 trees already planted through the program. This contributes to Markham’s strategic goal to increase our tree canopy to 30 per cent.
How is Markham protecting against flood risk?
As part of Markham’s 30-year
Flood Control Program
to improve storm drainage capacity and to limit flooding risks, the City has earmarked $13.9M for flood control and stormwater management. The storm sewer system in the West Thornhill area and design on the Don Mills Channel and Markham Village areas will continue.
The City is also investing $12.4M in water and wastewater system replacements and upgrades, including the replacement of more than 5.7KM of cast iron watermains in the Bakerdale Road area and West Thornhill areas.
How is Markham improving our transportation network and enhancing safety?
Traffic and pedestrian safety enhancements
$1.8M for the development of a comprehensive road safety strategy, as well as the installation of new pedestrian crossings, traffic signals, and new multi-use path crossings. These safety enhancement projects will improve the safety of all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists.
Improving transportation infrastructure
Markham has more than 2,250 km of road and more than 1,150 km of sidewalk. The City continues to take a cost-effective and sustainable approach to extend the lifespan of the road network while continuing to look for ways to reduce overall maintenance costs.
$6.7M for asphalt resurfacing of approximately 18.7km of two- and four-lane roads, as well as completing pavement preservation on 5.1km of four-lane roads throughout the City in order to keep roads in a good state of repair.
$10.2M for road construction and repairs to curbs, sidewalks and catchbasins.
What is Markham doing to safeguard City assets now and for the future?
Through Markham’s Life Cycle Replacement and Capital Reserve Fund, the City protects assets by setting aside 0.5 per cent of the budget, ensuring that sufficient funds are available for the rehabilitation and replacement of City infrastructure for 25 years.
