Approved by City of Markham Council, November 13, 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank all of those who contributed their effort and expertise to the development of the 2019 Integrated Leisure Master Plan Update. We are confident that the leadership and passion of City of Markham officials and staff, with guidance from this Master Plan Update, will enable the City to continue to provide responsive and leading-edge parks, recreation, arts & culture and library services and facilities well into the future. City of Markham Council (2014-2018) Project Team Frank Scarpitti, Mayor Project Sponsor: Brenda Librecz, Commissioner of Community and Fire Services Jack Heath, Deputy Mayor & Regional Councillor Project Advisors: Catherine Biss, Chief Executive Officer of Markham Public Library Jim Jones, Regional Councillor Ronji Borooah, City Architect, Planning & Urban Design Joe Li, Regional Councillor Stephen Chait, Director of Economic Growth, Culture & Entrepreneurship Nirmala Armstrong, Regional Councillor Mary Creighton, Director of Recreation Services Valerie Burke, Ward 1 Councillor Morgan Jones, Director of Operations Alan Ho, Ward 2 Councillor Project Manager: Deborah Walker, Director of Library Strategy and Innovation Don Hamilton, Ward 3 Councillor Karen Rea, Ward 4 Councillor Martin Barrow, Community Facility Coordinator, Recreation Services Colin Campbell, Ward 5 Councillor Janice Carroll, Community Manager - West, Recreation Services Amanda Collucci, Ward 6 Councillor Carrie Colangelo, Coordinator, Economic Growth, Culture & Entrepreneurship Logan Kanapathi, Ward 7 Councillor Megan Garza, Manager of Organizational Transformation, Markham Public Library Alex Chiu, Ward 8 Councillor Jim Greenfield, Senior Urban Designer, Planning & Urban Design Linda Irvine, Manager of Parks & Open Space Development, Planning & Urban Design Tanya Lewinberg, Public Realm Coordinator, Operations City of Markham Council (2018-2022) David Plant, Senior Manager of Parks, Horticulture & Forestry, Operations Sara Tam, Manager of Business Planning & Innovation, Community and Fire Services Frank Scarpitti, Mayor Jason Tsien, Senior Manager of Business Development, Recreation Services Don Hamilton, Deputy Mayor & Regional Councillor Kyle Van Tyghem, Recreation Coordinator - Facilities & Allocations, Recreation Services Jack Heath, Regional Councillor Marta Wrzal, Recreation Coordinator - Programs & Outreach, Recreation Services Joe Li, Regional Councillor David Zambrano, Manager of Library Programs, Markham Public Library Jim Jones, Regional Councillor Keith Irish, Ward 1 Councillor Executive Leadership Alan Ho, Ward 2 Councillor Chief Administrative Officer – Andy Taylor Reid McAlpine, Ward 3 Councillor Community & Fire Services Commissioner – Brenda Librecz Karen Rea, Ward 4 Councillor Corporate Services Commissioner – Trinela Cane Andrew Keyes, Ward 5 Councillor Development Services Commissioner – Arvin Prasad Amanda Collucci, Ward 6 Councillor Khalid Usman, Ward 7 Councillor Project Consultants Isa Lee, Ward 8 Councillor Monteith Brown Planning Consultants City of Markham – 2019 Integrated Leisure Master Plan Update Page i TABLE OF CONTENTS Section ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... iv 1. ABOUT THE ILMP UPDATE .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction to the Plan .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 About Markham ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Alignment to City of Markham’s Strategies ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Our Planning Process ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Benefits of Leisure ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 2. OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Key Initiatives & Projects ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Status of the 2010 ILMP ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 3. COMMUNITY CONTEXT & TRENDS ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Population & Growth .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Trends & Best Practices ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 19 3.3 Community Input (Online Survey) ............................................................................................................................................................................... 21 3.4 Stakeholder Engagement (Workshops) .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.5 Internal Engagement ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 4. KEY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ............................................................................................................................................................................. 24 5. STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 5.1 2010 ILMP Strategic Framework ............................................................................................................................................................................... 26 5.2 Building Markham’s Future Together Strategic Plan .............................................................................................................................................. 28 5.3 Other Notable Guiding Documents ........................................................................................................................................................................... 29 6. PARKS SERVICES AND FACILITIES ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 30 6.1 Parkland Policy & Provision ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 33 6.2 Park Design & Programming ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 6.3 Soccer & Multi-use Fields ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 41 6.4 Ball Diamonds ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 44 6.5 Cricket Pitches ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................