Politicians and locals came together in Markham, Ont., on Saturday for the grand reopening of Main Street Unionville.
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti noted that the reopening is perfectly timed before the upcoming Unionville Festival and the NTT Indy Car Series set to arrive in August.
“We’re celebrating nearly 200 years of history, but we’re also celebrating the big investment that we made in revitalizing one of the most historic beautiful areas here in the city,” he told Radio-Canada.
“Yes, there’s new development, but we treasure our historic buildings and our historic areas.”
The City of Markham collaborated with the federal government on a restoration project aimed at enhancing infrastructure and streetscapes in the neighborhood. This renovation was initially planned for completion by December 2025 and came with a price tag of $14.8 million.
The last time it received any updates was 40 years ago, according to Scarpitti.
“It was looking tired for sure,” he said. “The other thing that was critical for us was not only transforming what you see, but also investing in what you don’t.”
This past Saturday, residents enjoyed free family-friendly activities at Main Street Unionville. The area now features Wi-Fi access, upgraded watermains, repaved streets using interlocking bricks and cobblestones, more tree canopies, modern lighting, and new benches.
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Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said the reopening comes at a perfect time, ahead of the Unionville Festival and the NTT Indy Car Series, which is coming to the city in August. (Yan Theoret/CBC)
Wider sidewalks were part of these improvements as well. Attendee Agata Czawa mentioned how much they help when walking with a stroller.
“A lot of people would come and it’d be very busy and you couldn’t really move around much,” she said. “[Now] it’s beautiful. I think it makes it look charming. Kind of like the Distillery District, but in a quieter neighborhood.”
Markham City Coun. Keith Irish described it as an amazing spot for both locals and visitors from across the Greater Toronto Area.
“This is the gem of Markham,” he said. “We’ve actually, I think, restored it to its original grandeur.”
“It’s a wonderful attraction with fantastic businesses along here-lots of world-class restaurants.”
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The renovation, which was expected to start in August 2024 and be finished by December 2025, cost $14.8M. (Yan Theoret/CBC)
One such business includes an ice cream shop where Taylor Mc Lean works. She expressed her disappointment that she couldn’t enjoy the reopening festivities since they fell on her workday.
“You don’t really find a lot of things like this especially in Markham,” she said. “The road has been completely redone. It’s been bringing in a lot of people and I really quite like it because it is modern; it is new; it’s better.”
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The renovation took considerable time due to various factors affecting progress.
Mc Lean mentioned that business suffered during construction as foot traffic significantly dropped off.
“It was so dry; there would be no one coming,” she said.
“It was so sad seeing that no one’s on Main Street having a great time because there’s so many things to see here.”
David Pollard , who visits Main Street Unionville daily , shared his sympathy for those businesses affected by closures.
“A lot of people were determined they weren’t going to come up here when the street was in such bad shape,” he said.
“But it’s open now , and it’s wonderful for all those businesses.”
Pollard acknowledged that extensive effort went into making these renovations happen.
“I watched men work here every day,” he stated. “It took quite some time , but now it’s beautiful ; it’s great , and I hope they continue closing off parts of street occasionally to make them more pedestrian-friendly.”
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