Photo: Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine · CC0Council seats in Markham are spread thin, 28,580 residents each, more than in 97% of Ontario municipalities
For the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Markham spreads over 4 ridings: Markham—Unionville, Markham—Thornhill, Markham—Stouffville and Thornhill. Who sits as MPP for Markham isn’t on an open record; the Legislative Assembly of Ontario has the current list. Markham is in Markham—Unionville, its riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP), and the seat belongs to Michael Ma of the Liberal Party of Canada. Markham’s council of 13 was elected in October 2022, with Frank Scarpitti as mayor. The council shown is the one elected in 2022, since Ontario voted again on 26 October 2026 and no open file of the new councils exists yet.
What stands out in how Markham is governed
Many residents per seat
Markham council has more people behind each seat than most of Ontario, where the middle figure is 1,540 residents a seat. Council size ↓
Split between ridings
35% of Markham residents live in Markham—Unionville; the other 65% vote in Markham—Thornhill or beyond. Member of Parliament ↓
Low spending per resident
In 2024, 83% of Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities spent more per resident than Markham council. Council money ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Markham, a city in Ontario, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Spends most on social services and child care, then roads and transit (2024 return).
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
ola.org ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Local government here has two tiers: Markham below, York Region above.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Markham, from the most recent elections.
- 1Markham councilelected October 2022Frank Scarpitti
- 2Legislative Assembly of OntarioMarkham—Unionville · Markham—Thornhill · Markham—Stouffville
- 3House of CommonsMarkham—Unionville · 35%
- 4House of CommonsMarkham—Thornhill · 32%
- 5House of CommonsMarkham—Stouffville · 25%
- 6House of CommonsThornhill · 6%
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
Who was elected to Markham council in 2022
Everyone elected in 2022, with their votes; Ontario’s file gives each seat’s votes but not the ward’s name.
- Frank Scarpitti
- Keith Irish
- Isa Lee
- Amanda Yeung Collucci
- Andrew Keyes
- Reid McAlpine
- Karen Rea
- Ritch Lau
- Juanita Nathan
- Jim Jones
- Joe Li
- Michael Chan
- Alan Ho
13 members and how they were elected
| Name | Seat | Votes | Share of the seat’s votes | On the last council |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Scarpitti | Mayor | 44,172 | 64% | Yes |
| Keith Irish | Councillor | 6,095 | 74% | Yes |
| Isa Lee | Councillor | 6,549 | 81% | Yes |
| Amanda Yeung Collucci | Councillor | 4,921 | 79% | Yes |
| Andrew Keyes | Councillor | 5,120 | 73% | Yes |
| Reid McAlpine | Councillor | 5,007 | 57% | Yes |
| Karen Rea | Councillor | 8,563 | 92% | Yes |
| Ritch Lau | Councillor | 3,012 | 36% | No |
| Juanita Nathan | Councillor | 5,388 | 48% | No |
| Jim Jones | Local and Regional Councillor | 26,578 | 13% | Yes |
| Joe Li | Local and Regional Councillor | 25,823 | 12% | Yes |
| Michael Chan | Local and Regional Councillor | 30,095 | 14% | No |
| Alan Ho | Local and Regional Councillor | 24,735 | 12% | Yes |
Seats on Markham council are tied to wards, apart from the mayor, whom every voter helps choose. For mayor, Frank Scarpitti drew 64% of the votes.
Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario)
Markham voted less than most of Ontario in 2022
Turnout in the October 2022 municipal elections, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is Ontario’s median.
Markham council was elected on 24 October 2022 with 32% of electors voting, below the provincial middle.
How Markham voted: same source as Councillors, above.
When Markham votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Markham council | 26 October 2026 | 28 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of Ontario | 27 February 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Provincially the last general election was on 27 February 2025, for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; federally, on 28 April 2025. Markham votes next on 28 October 2030: the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 sets municipal elections on the fourth Monday in October every four years. The latest vote shown is 2021: the 2025 counts carry Elections Canada’s non-commercial terms.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Markham spans 4 ridings for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MPP.
MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗MPP: see the legislature’s list
ola.org ↗Each of these ridings elects its own MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so Markham has more than one. Southern Ontario’s ridings are the 2013 federal ones by statute, which is how this page places the town.
Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada
Markham has 4 MPs
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Markham—Unionville · Liberal Party of Canada · member since 11 December 2025 · 35%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Markham—Thornhill · Liberal Party of Canada · 32%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Markham—Stouffville · Liberal Party of Canada · 25%
en.wikipedia.org ↗Thornhill · Conservative Party of Canada · 6%
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada71
- Conservative Party of Canada50
As Wikidata records them.
Michael Ma is one of 71 Liberal Party of Canada MPs among the 122 from Ontario.
The MP’s record
The 2025 general election sent Michael Ma to the Commons for the first time. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Markham—Unionville, the Liberal Party of Canada would have led with 48%, 5.8 points over the runner-up (Conservative Party of Canada). Michael Ma won the seat as a Conservative Party of Canada candidate and moved to the Liberal Party of Canada on 11 December 2025.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
Paul Chiang (Liberal Party of Canada) took Markham—Unionville in 2021
Markham—Unionville as it stood from 2013: the 2019 and 2021 counts, before the riding was redrawn for 2025. It held 38% of Markham’s residents.
In 2019 the riding had gone to Bob Saroya (Conservative Party of Canada) with 49%. In 2021, Markham—Unionville went to Paul Chiang (Liberal Party of Canada) on 49%; Bob Saroya (Conservative Party of Canada) finished 2,999 votes behind. 52% of electors in Markham—Unionville voted in 2021, below the 63% turnout across Canada.
All 4 candidates in Markham—Unionville, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Chiang | Liberal Party of Canada | 21,958 | 48.6% |
| Bob Saroya | Conservative Party of Canada | 18,959 | 41.9% |
| Aftab Qureshi | New Democratic Party | 3,001 | 6.6% |
| Elvin Kao | Green Party of Canada | 1,306 | 2.9% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Markham council spends less per resident than most
The 2024 financial return: spending by service and revenue by source, per resident, compared only with Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities.
Spending per resident by service, 2024
What pays for it
Shares of revenue, town and province.
On top of that comes York Region: $2,226 a resident across its area, led by social services and child care. In 2024 the median among Ontario’s lower-tier municipalities was $1,901 a resident; Markham council spent $1,381. Water, sewers and waste takes the biggest share, 37%, or $509 per resident. Full-time staff number 1,208, about 3.3 to every thousand residents. Property taxes and payments in lieu brought in 16% of revenue, against 42% across the province’s returns. Markham council’s borrowing is light: $6.7M long term, $18 a resident where the median is $440.
Every service line, 2024
| Service | 2024 | Per resident | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water, sewers and waste | $185.8M | $509 | 37% |
| Recreation and culture | $107.4M | $294 | 21% |
| Roads and transit | $72.5M | $198 | 14% |
| Police, fire and protection | $64.6M | $177 | 13% |
| General government | $52.7M | $144 | 10% |
| Planning and development | $21M | $57 | 4% |
| Social services and child care | $212K | $1 | 0% |
| Public health and paramedics | $18K | $0 | 0% |
Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Markham council beside its neighbours
Residents (2021 Census) per council seat, head of council included, beside nearby municipalities; the tick is the provincial median.
The headline above gives the figure; the bars set Markham council beside nearby councils, with the provincial median as the tick.
Residents: 2021 Census; seats: the province’s council list
Having a say in how Markham is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.on.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not on this page. Band councils, and which party runs the council: the open lists carry no party, and most councils have none.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
- Which riding. Where residents of the 2021 Census live decides the riding; any riding with 5% of them or more is named.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
- Council size. Every seat counts, the head of council’s too, against the population of the 2021 Census.
- Council money. The 2024 Financial Information Return, totals after adjustments by service, per resident with the return’s own population. A lower tier’s figures leave out its county’s or region’s spending, so lower tiers are compared only with lower tiers.
Questions about how Markham is run
Who is the MP for Markham?
Markham has more than one: Michael Ma (Liberal Party of Canada) for Markham—Unionville, and Tim Hodgson for Markham—Thornhill.
Which party won Markham in the 2021 federal election?
Markham—Unionville went to Paul Chiang (Liberal Party of Canada) in 2021. Since 2025, Michael Ma has been the MP for Markham—Unionville.
Who is the MPP for Markham?
That depends on where in Markham you live: Markham—Unionville, Markham—Thornhill, Markham—Stouffville and Thornhill each have their own MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Who heads the council in Markham?
In October 2022, Frank Scarpitti won the post of mayor for Markham council’s 2022–26 term.
How much does Markham council spend?
Markham council spent $504.2M in 2024 for about 365,051 residents; its largest service line was water, sewers and waste, at $185.8M.
Which regional body is Markham part of?
The council of York Region sits above Markham’s and runs region-wide services, police and water among them.
How is Markham council elected?
Markham council: the mayor is chosen by the whole municipality, the councillors ward by ward.
What was the turnout in Markham?
It was 32.1% for Markham council in 2022, with Ontario’s municipalities at a median of 35.5%.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Southern Ontario ridings: the 2013 federal boundaries (Representation Act, 2015), Statistics Canada · Councils: Ontario 2022 Municipal Election data, MMAH (OGL-Ontario) · Money: Financial Information Return 2024, Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).