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$200 million in savings in two easy steps- Funding for Leaside rink takes centre ice
A makeover for our green spaces 
Public opinion sought on video advertising
Dangerous drivers curbed in Thornhill
Creating a better Vaughan for the future
Creating civic pride in Richmond Hill
Plant a tree — with the town’s help
Reflecting on the past, looking to the future
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The future is in your hands
Markham’s farmland should be preserved
ERIN SHAPERO Ward 2 Councillor
THE FUTURE OF Markham is up to you, and the time to make your voice and ideas heard is now.
Under the province’s Places to Grow Act, Markham will take roughly 40,000 more residents by 2031. As we accommodate for these newcomers, we can be as creative or as old school as we choose.
Today, almost half of northern Markham is agricultural, and the rest suburban. Higher-density urban development is happening along corridors like Highway 7 and Yonge Street. For many of you, fresh air, farmers’ fields and nature were all factors that drew you here. Get ready to say goodbye to it if you don’t demand better, smarter and more creative solutions to these challenges.
Cornell, in Markham’s east end, is a development that will house 40,000 people. Some believe we should only expand into farmers’ fields and build one more Cornell — that’s it. The rest of the land should be put into the Greenbelt for future generations. Others feel the growth should stay within the current urban boundary, through infill, intensification and redevelopment.
Hanging in the balance are the remaining areas for food production. Many have expressed the desire to see farmland remain a vibrant part of Markham’s sea of urban sprawl. Never before have we consciously planned for food security and resources. We have the best farmland in Canada, and as the fact is that now agriculture is Ontario’s largest employer, this matters more than ever.
What is your vision? Do you want the rest of our farmland paved over, do you want more sprawl, be it higher intensity and denser? Do you want more cars more gridlock, more pollution? Or do you have a different vision: creatively approaching existing infrastructure, respecting existing communities and creating new vibrancy and new value? It’s up to you.
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