On Tuesday June 3rd, 2025, the Markham Board of Trade held the Mayor’s Breakfast in Markham at the Marriott Courtyard Toronto Northeast. It was a large turnout with well over one hundred members in attendance including our own Gregory Bell. Chris Collucci welcomed Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti.
Mr. Collucci, is the President of the Markham Board of Trade. He congratulated his Honour on being one of the longest serving mayors in Canadian history. Mayor Scarpitti was first elected to office in 1985.
Speech Highlights
The mayor spoke about dispersions cast on American-based businesses in this section of York Region, such as IBM. He talked about the hundreds of employees that work there that aren’t from the United States. They are staff members from such places as Toronto and various neighbourhoods in York Region. So, he thanked the Markham Board of Trade for being such a great connection between various diverse businesses in the Markham area. The feedback about their efforts from the Board of Trade members has been overwhelmingly positive. So, he encouraged members to direct enquiries to his office or speak to Andrew Baldwin at Destination Markham. They could enquire about the possibility of help with referrals to individuals or organizations that may offer supports or resources. These could prove valuable to smaller entrepreneurs or larger organizations seeking to expand their services or grow their businesses.
New Construction Opportunities
Mayor Scarpitti spoke of his push to draw more building into the Markham area. Then, he vowed to quickly pave the way for development by streamlining the various permit processes that slow down building projects. He spoke about a “thinking outside the box” approach to securing build sites. These could include former strip mall locations being utilized for construction of more affordable condominiums and stacked townhomes.
Questions arose about whether the City of Markham would help with financing when first building and installing infrastructure (sewers, power generation, etc.) prior to breaking ground. The mayor said that the city’s budget is not large enough to finance infrastructure projects, however he encourages developers to connect with his office or Destination Markham to help with making connections to various project funding sources. He stated that he has been a tireless advocate of partnerships with both the province and federal government. He is currently working to open communications with the federal government about expanding on their no GST on housing builds under one million dollars; as the lowest cost of a new home in the Markham starts in the two-million-dollar range, which makes the federal government’s offer non-applicable.
The Mayor’s Breakfast in Markham was a very successful event!