Provincial Housing quotas have Markham in a pinch
Remembrance Day ceremony this weekend, Happy Diwali and some community notes
Good Morning Markhamites
The Markham Veterans District Association is commemorating the 105th anniversary of the First World War with a service and procession on November 11th. This includes a solemn service at the Veteran’s Hall at 9:45, followed by a procession to the Markham Cenotaph for a wreath-laying ceremony to pay tribute to those veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. The public is welcome to attend, but a note that Hwy 7 between Albert Street and Main Street will be closed for a few hours to accommodate the procession and event.
Nov 12th is also Diwali which, if you’re celebrating, Markham Public Libary has curated a selection of books to check out. Happy Diwali! We wish you a prosperous and joyful year ahead.
Today’s read is less than 3 minutes.
Markham is only 25% to target in building new housing to receive provincial infrastructure funding.
A report from the Toronto Star ( Locked to Star subscribers) indicated that many municipalities in Ontario are far behind their provincial-mandated housing development targets, and Markham is one of the ones trailing farthest behind.
Not meeting these targets puts the municipalities in danger of not qualifying for provincial funding for infrastructure projects. If funding doesn’t come from the province or developers, the taxpayers would likely be left footing the bill. Markham is not alone in this; it’s estimated that 38 out of 50 significant municipalities are nowhere near the goals outlined to them by the province.
Per the provincial government, Markham is responsible for 1,032 housing starts this year but has achieved only 31% of that goal. The issue is that the province measures progress by counting the number of concrete foundations poured. But many municipalities have pushed back on the province, saying they can’t force developers to begin pouring foundations.
it should be noted that in the last council meeting, city council voted in favour of an increase in the city tax levy portion on our municipal taxes this year for the second year in a row.
Community notes
What to do for Diwali this weekend
Markham’s power grid about to get a 12 million dollar boost.
Wild Wing on Markham and 16th was flagged for unsanitary food handling conditions.
What’s Happening in Markham this weekend
Nov 9th 8:00 PM - Flato Markham Theatre Classic Albums Live: Fleetwood Mac - Rumors - Limited Tickets
Nov 10th, 7:30 PM Coburg Cougars at Markham Royals - Tickets are only $15
Nov 11th - 9:00 AM - Remembrance Day service and parade.
Nov 11th and 12th - Heintzman House’s 51st annual Artisan Craft Show
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