Dear residents, neighbours and friends of Ward 5,
There have been numerous tragic consequences of the pandemic, namely many of our most vulnerable, our beloved seniors and special needs residents have been hardest hit. Many have lost their lives. We will mourn with the families who have suffered these loses. Thankfully Markhaven has announced there are no cases of COVID in their facility over the Victoria Day long weekend. We must continue to be vigilant to ensure it stays that way.
For others who have recovered after weeks of illness, we are thankful for your steady return to health and wish you continued strength and wellness. In addition to our human suffering, we are faced with huge economic impacts to the country, province and our city. Personal financial stresses have hit many small business, restaurants, and salons to name a few. Many our favorite places to shop have been hit hard.
The City of Markham has not been spared from financial stress during this difficult time. In late March Markham Council introduced a number of measures to provide some financial relief for residents and small businesses. You can read more about these measures here. To ensure the safety and health of our residents and city staff, Markham also closed community centres and libraries. Many residents have asked why Markham is not able to offer property tax reductions or refunds, and our staff has prepared a PDF that helps answer this question. You can read it here.
The closing of our facilities, services, and recreation programming, along with the measures noted above, is estimated to cost the city approximately $4 million per month. This shortfall is very concerning to me. Provincial legislation currently prohibits municipalities from carrying a fiscal deficit – unlike the federal and provincial governments, our budgets must balance.
Our current situation is temporary, and we will soon return to normal, but Markham Council will have to address how will we make this loss up. The options we will be considering include; raising property taxes, reducing service levels, using some of our reserve funds, postponing or cancelling some capital projects. Ultimately it will likely be a combination of these measures.
I would like your input
As your elected representative, and Vice Chair of Markham’s budget committee, I am your voice. I have prepared a quick survey (below) to gather input from residents. Perhaps you have an opinion on how we should proceed and I would be very grateful to hear from you.
Together we will get through this.
Andrew
P.S. At Markham’s next Electronic General Committee meeting staff will be reporting on the economic situation we face together as a community. The agenda link will provide some information on the reports being presented. The meeting begins at 9:30am on Tuesday, May 19th. There are also opportunities for you to speak. Instructions on how to do so are on the weblink.
