Industry in Markham
When you’re trying to decide on a new city in which to begin a new life, a large portion of your impression of each city is based on what its primary means of economic support are. Coal mining towns are blue collar and sooty, suburbs are sleepy with only a few shopping malls, and cities with a broad economic base are busy and thriving. You may be curious as to which category Markham falls into so you can see whether you will fit into and feel comfortable in the town of Markham. This article should tell you all you need to know about Markham’s industry in the past, present, and future.
The town of Markham, Ontario began its life as a Mennonite farming community, and for many years it grew a large portion of the food needed to supply the other more industrial towns and cities in Southern Ontario. However, as the Greater Toronto Area expanded and the demand for housing became extreme, the farms began to disappear and be replaced by new suburban housing tracts. At present, nearly all of Markham’s farmland has been developed except for a few historic and working farms that still ply the trade of their ancestors. In the absence of farming, a new industry grew up: high technology.
Farmland has been replaced by business parks where designers, engineers, and manufacturing specialists turn out some of the latest in high tech gear. There are over 700 technology companies in Markham, including some high profile names such as IBM, AMD, Toshiba, and Phillips. Given this fact, the city has opted to call itself “Canada’s High Tech Capital,” a title that is well deserved given that a high percentage of Markham’s work force - over 22% - are employed in this sector in either the design stream or the manufacturing stream. High tech companies in Markham design and manufacture computers, programs, and peripherals, produce electronic components, do scientific research, and more.
Another large industrial sector that operated concurrently with high technology is life sciences. As technology advances, so to do medical techniques, so the two industries compliment each other nicely. There are more than 80 companies operating in Markham at present, developing new medical procedures and diagnostic devices, performing laboratory tests, manufacturing supplies and medicine, and distributing medical products and services. In fact, some of the largest employers in Markham fall under the life sciences umbrella, including the Markham-Stouffville and Shouldice Hospitals.
To encourage the growth of the high technology and life sciences industries, the town of Markham has founded the YorkBiotech Regional Innovation Network, which actively recruits new companies and local startups that could boost Markham’s profile in these industries. Markham also has Markham 2020, a global competitiveness strategy that they hope will cement the city’s future in a knowledge based economy by the supporting professional services, science and technology, and finance and insurance sectors that they hope will broaden the economic base and create a secure economic future for the town and its residents.
