Comment 41 – comments and feedback

Suhani Patel

I am here today both as a staff member of the Markham-Unionville CO and a passionate young Markham resident. I am here today to discuss my concerns with the electoral boundaries of Markham-Unionville

On behalf of MP Paul Chiang and my team in the constituency office, I would like for it to be known that we are aligned with Minister Jackzek and Minister Ng's suggested boundaries. Minister Jackzek made a strong point about not wanting to split the businesses of Mainstreet Unionville and we would like to argue a similar circumstance for the businesses of Highway 7. For this reason, we believe that the portion that falls South of Highway 7 and North of Highway 407 should remain as a part of the Markham-Unionville riding.

For many years now the residents of Markham-Unionville have taken great pride in the fact that the Panam Centre and Markham YMCA fall in the riding of Markham-Unionville, as these athletic facilities are landmarks for Unionville. If Unionville loses the Pan Am Centre we can no longer take pride in the fact that the 2015 Pan American Games were hosted in Markham-Unionville. Our seniors and students make frequent use of this facility and losing it would take away the spirit of the community. Taking this landmark away would be like taking away the CNTower from Toronto, maybe not to the same degree but its loss will definitely be felt by Unionville.

Another concern I would like to acknowledge is that the Unionville Go Station will be stripped from the Markham-Unionville riding, this time not only hurting the spirit of Markham-Unionville but also causing lots of confusion for new and maybe even frequent commuters, as the station will technically no longer be apart of Unionville, as suggested by its name.

Downtown Markham is an up-and-coming social hub for the youth in Markham and Unionville. I myself visit Downtown Markham with my friends very frequently, and I can say very confidently that even if Downtown Markham does end up being stripped from Markham-Unionville, to us young folks that area will continue to be referred to as Unionville. We think of Downtown Markham as the heart of Unionville and more specifically the Entertainment District of Markham, like the entertainment district in Downtown Toronto. Another crucial piece to the Downtown Markham area is the Markham York University Campus, a yet to come campus that the students of Unionville have taken a big interest and pride in. Downtown Markham has a certain vibrancy and liveliness to it that matches the essence of Unionville.

My last and final concern is not one that is personal to me but to many Markham-Unionville Chinese residents. The First Markham place is Markham-Unionville's only mall and biggest shopping centre. This is yet another big landmark that Markham-Unionville is at risk of losing, hurting the spirit of the tight-knit Chinese community, which by the way is comprised of 66% of the Markham-Unionville population.

I stand here today with the intention and hope of not only preserving Unionville's history, but also to secure its thriving future. The area South of Highway 7 and North of 407 should remain apart of the Markham-Unionville Riding.