News – Councillor Andrew Keyes

Markham must compete for transit funding

At this week’s Development Services Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 8th, we were joined by Paul Jankowski, President, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation. I include the presentation for your perusal at this link. While we're grateful there is finally a Canada Public Transit Fund MetroRegion Agreement Stream, many municipalities will apply for a limited amount of funding. At this time, we are competing against 17 other municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe who will also be lobbying their submissions ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2025-04-08T13:54:01-04:00April 8th, 2025|

Spring Community Clean Up – multiple locations

Spring is here! Come out and join us at Cornell's Spring cleanup 10am-12pm on Sat April 12th (weather permitting) in Upper Cornell by the pond, Cornell Village & Cornell Rouge. Our friends in Grand Cornell will host one on Saturday, April 26th and our friends in Greensborough, our Greenkeepers, have their date set for April 5th, their first of many over the spring and summer. Thank you all for pitching in to make Ward 5 beautiful. We will set up at ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2025-04-01T12:58:28-04:00April 1st, 2025|

Recent Winter Snow Clearing – Feb 12th-Feb 18th

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many residents who contacted my office to let me know about your snow clearing concerns this past week, and thank you for your incredible patience. I share your disappointment and frustration, and though I understand the challenges our crews have been facing, I agree that clearing was not done well on some laneways and a number of laneways were missed entirely. This is not our usual standard. I met ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2025-02-21T10:19:10-05:00February 21st, 2025|

Markham Transportation Master Plan

Community Information Meeting What is the Markham TMP? The Markham Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is a visionary guide for how we’ll move around our city now and in the future. It aims to ensure that Markham’s transportation system meets the needs of a growing and diverse population while reflecting advances in technology and sustainability. The TMP will provide a blueprint for improving and expanding transportation options for everyone, whether they walk, bike, use public transit, drive, or ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2025-01-26T13:35:06-05:00January 26th, 2025|

Community Information Meeting – Cornell Centre Secondary Plan

Community Information Meeting February 5, 2025 6:00 to 8:00 PM Cornell Community Centre Join us for a Community Information Meeting on the Cornell Centre Secondary Plan at Cornell Community Centre (2ndfloor). The meeting will include a brief project update as well as interactive roundtable discussions to inform refinements to the policy planning framework for the Secondary Plan Area. The most up-to-date version of the Draft Official Plan Amendment for the Cornell Centre Secondary Plan can be found here. Cornell ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2025-01-23T12:30:03-05:00January 23rd, 2025|

A reminder about winter snow clearing policies

I recently met with Senior Operations staff to discuss the concerns we've been hearing over the last few winters - especially in the Cornell area. Last winter we did receive more snow than usual, which contributed to a few of the issues, and we experienced back to back snow falls with 35 cm – 50 cm, which is not common and difficult to manage. These conditions are amplified when applied to our many lane-based neighbourhoods. Laneways pose unique challenges related to ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2024-10-21T13:01:56-04:00November 30th, 2024|

Markham 2025 Budget Tabled by Mayor

On Monday Oct 28th during a Special Council meeting, Mayor Frank Scarpitti presented and tabled the $674.7 million Markham Milestone 2025 Budget. How is this broken down? A $296.2 million operating budget, which is primarily funded through property tax and supports general day to day operations and services. A capital budget of $178.9 million; a waterworks budget of $154.2 million; a planning & urban design budget of $17. million; an engineering budget of $12.6 million and a building ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2024-11-02T16:03:59-04:00November 2nd, 2024|

Illegal dumping at Markham’s Rouge National Urban Park hits record high

Parks Canada has recorded nearly 1,500 incidents of illegal dumping in Rouge National Urban Park since 2020. By Scarlett Liu Markham Economist Sun Monday, October 21, 2024 With illegal dumping continuing to rise within Rouge National Urban Park in Markham, the need to protect this cherished natural space has become more urgent than ever. According to Parks Canada, nearly 1,500 incidents of illegal dumping have been reported in the park since 2020, with numbers hitting record highs over the past year. ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2024-10-21T13:19:26-04:00October 21st, 2024|

Free compost for Markham residents

Residents can register for two free bags of garden-friendly compost made from last year’s collected leaf and yard material. Compost comes in 14kg bags and is limited to two bags per household, while supplies last. When picking up your compost, please note that staff are unable to assist with loading the bags in your car. As each bag is 14kg, it is advised to bring help with you if that is too heavy. The City assumes no responsibility for any ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2024-08-09T13:48:45-04:00April 15th, 2024|

Public input – Off-Leash Dog Area Policy

We'd like to hear from you! Please share your thoughts! The City of Markham residents love dogs and want places for them to run off leash safely. The City of Markham must offer a fine balance between residents with and without dogs being mindful that some residents are not comfortable with dogs and no matter what, dogs can be unpredictable. Recently in the news, we have heard about off leash dog attacks in some GTA parks. Dogs are not ... Read More

Andrew Keyes2024-04-04T13:40:12-04:00April 4th, 2024|

Ward 5 News