Markham announces plans to commemorate '50 years of excellence'

City will mark milestone with a series of events celebrating key points in time and the people that made it happen, says Mayor Frank Scarpitti

Yorkregion.com
May 10, 2021
Heidi Reidner

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti announced May 7 the first of a series of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Markham’s incorporation and presented the commemorative logo, “50 Years of Excellence”.

"We've packed a lot into those 50 years to become a premiere municipality in Canada," said Scarpitti, adding Markham has earned its place as one of the greenest and sustainable cities in all of North America.

The roots of the current Corporation of City of Markham date back to the creation of the Regional Municipality of York on Jan. 1, 1971 when Unionville, Milliken, Thornhill and Markham Village were consolidated to form the Town of Markham.

The 50th celebration, which will continue through 2021, will include street banners co-designed with Unionville High School students that feature notable Markham residents and landmarks.

Innovation Month, celebrated each year during the month of June, will present highlights from Markham’s tech industry leaders and longstanding Markham businesses.

Residents we be invited to engage in a number of activities that will commemorate this anniversary, spotlighting themes and transformational moments in the community’s journey from a town into a modern city, and social media showcasing Markham’s achievements, history, diversity and community.

“This year, we invite the community to join us in celebrating 50 years as one of Canada’s best managed municipalities that provides a much envied quality of life,” said Scarpitti.

“Since our incorporation 50 years ago, we have transformed into a premier municipality in Canada focused on our history, reconciliation, diversity and inclusion, delivering exceptional services in state-of-the-art amenities, strong fiscal stewardship, and leveraging new technology and innovation. We will be marking this milestone with a series of commemorations celebrating key points in time and the people that made it happen.”

Residents can also look forward to special virtual programming from Markham Public Library and the Markham Museum as they, too, celebrate their 50th anniversaries this year.

As part of their celebrations, Markham Public Library is bringing a few special birthday gifts to the community.

Details and further celebrations can be found at markham.ca/Markham50. Residents are also encouraged to join in marking the milestone on social media using the hashtag #Markham50.