Markham Newsmakers made headlines in 2020

Participation House, York University Markham campus, Black Lives Matter, Iran plane crash ranked among top issues

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2021
Heidi Riedner

While medical officer of health, Dr. Karim Kurji, was the top Newsmaker of the Year for York Region, here are four Markham newsmakers that made headlines in 2020:

Participation House
Participation House valiantly struggled through two COVID-19 outbreaks in April and September as COVID-19 wreaked a devastating toll in long-term-care homes. Nearly all the residents were diagnosed with the virus at some point during the height of the pandemic in April, resulting in six deaths by the time the outbreak was officially declared over two months later.

The highly publicized situation at the Butternut Lane centre for adults with developmental and physical disabilities sparked national headlines after a public appeal for help Easter weekend drew attention to shortages of both staffing and critical personal protective equipment (PPE) at the facility.

The city launched a donation centre in response and former MP Dr. Jane Philpott stepped in to helm a co-ordinated response at the home that included Markham Stouffville Hospital staff and York Region EMS and Public Health.

Philpott, the former federal health minister under the Liberals, was subsequently named a special adviser to Ontario's efforts to revamp its outdated COVID-19 data collection platform.

York University Markham Centre Campus
York University finally broke ground on its Markham Centre Campus bringing years of planning and false starts for the region’s first public university to fruition.

Construction began in September for the $275.5-million, 10-storey facility after significant financial commitments -- from York Region, the City of Markham and donor contributions, such as a $10 million gift from the Bratty family as well as the university’s existing capital funds -- kept the project afloat after the province pulled the plug on its funding commitments two years ago.

The campus is currently on track to open its doors in 2023 to 4,200 students. The campus is slated to create $350 million of economic benefits and create more than 2,000 jobs.

Black Lives Matter
"No justice, no peace" was the rallying cry for hundreds of demonstrators who took to the streets of Markham in June to add their voice to the growing swell of anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd.

Carrying signs saying "Silence is part of the problem" and "We stand in solidarity," demonstrators hoped to show that Markham "cares for justice," said organizer Sydney Baxter, a Grade 11 Markham District High School student.

Less than a month later, Markham council unanimously endorsed a strategy to combat anti-Black racism in the city. Mary Anne Chambers was appointed special adviser to provide advice and guidance on measures to update the city’s Diversity Action Plan, which received $100,000 in the 2021 budget toward a refresh. The city has also established a Mayor’s Anti-Black Racism Youth Liaison Committee.

Iran Plane Crash
The Ukraine International Airlines tragedy that claimed 176 lives Jan. 8 left a community, and a country, mourning and questioning the loss of innocent lives.

Afifa Tarbhai, 55, an accounts administrator with Briarlane Property Management, and her 31-year-old daughter Alina Tarbhai, an administrative clerk with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), were among 57 Canadians aboard Flight PS752, en route to Kyiv for a connecting flight to Toronto, that crashed just outside Tehran shortly after takeoff.

They were among at least 26 people aboard the plane with connections to York Region.

Both mother and daughter were remembered as very devoted to their Islamic faith, having made a religious pilgrimage to Iran as part of a tour group run by fellow Markham resident, Asghar Dhirani, who was also among the dead.

During a vigil hosted by the Parya Trillium Foundation in Thornhill, Mayor Frank Scarpitti said "we may never understand or move past the pain, but we will never forget the beautiful lives lost.”