Diversity, talent and innovation power Markham. Everyday we continue to combine technology and passion to deliver groundbreaking solutions.
From 3D printed masks to virtual assistants, we embrace advancement.
Learn more about the initiatives that make Markham a global leader below.
*For business participation, click here.
The City of Markham is the first municipality to join the ShopHERE Program, a Canada-wide initiative. The program is meant to support businesses who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19. ShopHERE will provide independent businesses and artists the opportunity to develop an online store, which will be built and launched with no fees charged to the business, with support from marketing and business students.
Markham is proud to be a member of this initiative. It is a perfect fit given that we are a municipal leader in Canada’s innovation corridor. ShopHERE builds on the rich and diverse talent we have in Markham, while supporting local entrepreneurs and artists who may need to rethink their business model beyond bricks and mortar. This allows a realistic path to fast track a digital transformation.
The program was unanimously endorsed by the Destination Markham Corporation Board, which is currently working on a recovery plan and strategies focused on reviving tourism, the hospitality industry and the wider local economy across various sectors. An estimated 8,312 Markham businesses, 744 of them restaurants, bars or cafés, are eligible for the ShopHERE program.
This is a significant collaboration with leading tech partners Shopify, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Facebook, eBay, Ritual, Trufan, eShipper, Snapchat, Magnet and York University’s Markham and York University Schulich School of Business.
In a Canadian first, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the City of Markham – Canada’s high-tech capital – are using the artificial intelligence-driven virtual agent “IBM Watson Assistant for Citizens” to offer 24-hour customer service for residents looking for COVID-19 information. The solution will use AI and machine learning to enable the City of Markham to deliver reliable, consistent and accurate information conveniently to residents via online text chat and voice calls – anywhere, anytime.
Markham joins government agencies and organizations in the USA, the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Spain and the UK who are also leveraging the IBM AI technology to help residents find the information they need using any device.
By providing up-to-date information about the pandemic and making it easily accessible for everyone, the City of Markham is helping to keep residents informed and safe, no matter where they are.
The online virtual agent can be accessed via the City of Markham website, and the telephone virtual agent can be accessed by calling 1.833.926.0929 – enhancing Markham’s COVID-19 information hub at markham.ca/covid19.
Markham emerges as a
global Top7 Intelligent Community of 2020
A leader in digital initiatives, the City of Markham is at the centre of Canada’s second largest tech cluster, and home to more than 1,500 high tech and life sciences companies.
Now it has been named by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) as one of the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2020 based on progress in the areas of digital connectedness, work force, innovation, inclusion, stakeholder engagement and sustainability. With this, Markham advances from the Smart21 longlist, and will be vying with communities from the United States, Canada, Australia and Estonia for the top honour of being named the Intelligent Community of the Year at the annual ICF Global Summit this year.
The ICF Intelligent Community Awards Program evaluates candidates on seven criteria that make up the ICF
Method, which provides a framework for understanding all of the factors that determine a community's competitiveness and point to its success in the digital economy. The Intelligent Community of the Year is drawn from a shortlist of Top7 Intelligent Communities and a longlist of Smart21 Communities longlist.
Markham is Canada’s most diverse community in the centre of Canada’s second largest tech cluster. The City of Markham drives strategic partnerships with the private sector, post-secondary institutions and government to create an innovative ecosystem.
Markham recognizes the advantages of tapping into Canada’s most diverse community. We’re building a culture of real community involvement in decision making. Learn how we are engaging with residents and stakeholders in our City!
The City of Markham is answering the call to help in the fight against COVID-19 by using 3D equipment to print Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical equipment like face shield components and ear savers. City staff are also sewing non-medical face masks, with the goal to produce up to 100 of each item per week.
Production of the #MarkhamCares PPE is in response to the growing need in the community. The first delivery of around 90 face shields will be delivered to the Markham Stouffville Hospital by the end of the week. Future supplies will be delivered to where they are needed most, while also addressing the critical shortage at the hospital.
In the Makerspace at the Aaniin library branch, Digital Literacy Specialists work alone using the 10 3D printers to print head bands which are then attached to mylar visors donated by shop3D.ca to create face shields. They also print ear savers, which will allow a health care provider to wear surgical masks for longer periods without chafing their ears.
The City of Markham is using innovative digital technology to fix roads! This year, Road Operations is piloting a new artificial intelligence software solution from Visual Defence that uses a smartphone camera to scan and detect potholes in real-time. Physical addresses and GPS coordinates are logged and issued so crews can respond accordingly. The pilot began at the end of last year and will continue until July 31, 2020.
