Markham—Thornhill

Markham—Thornhill is a diverse suburban riding in York Region covering roughly 42 square kilometres, bounded by Bayview Avenue to the west, Steeles Avenue to the south, Highway 407 to the north, and the Rouge River to the east. The riding encompasses portions of Thornhill and central Markham, one of the most ethnically diverse municipalities in Canada, with large Chinese and South Asian communities. The seat was created in the 2018 redistribution, and Progressive Conservative Logan Kanapathi won the inaugural contest in 2018 with over 50 percent of the vote. Heading into 2022, Kanapathi sought re-election as part of Doug Ford’s bid for a second majority government.

Candidates

Logan Kanapathi (Progressive Conservative) — Kanapathi grew up in Sri Lanka during the civil war and fled the country as a refugee in 1983. He is recognized as the first Tamil elected to public office in North America. Before entering provincial politics, he served as a Markham City Councillor for twelve years and held the role of Budget Chief for the City of Markham.

Sandra Tam (Liberal) — Tam is a long-time Markham resident and business leader with over twenty years of public service experience. She previously served as Markham’s Senior Business Development Officer, where she worked on the municipality’s “Global Markham” economic development strategy. She also served as Vice-President of the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs.

Matthew Henriques (NDP) — Henriques was born and raised in Markham—Thornhill and works in marketing in the automotive and carbon capture industries. He previously worked as a learn-to-skate instructor for the City of Markham.

The remaining candidates included Zane Abulail for the Green Party, Jennifer Gleason for the New Blue Party, and Mansoor Qureshi for Consensus Ontario.

Local Issues

Transit and infrastructure planning were top concerns for residents in the riding during the 2018–2022 term. York Region was grappling with significant growth pressures, and the provincial government’s plans for large-scale transit-oriented development along the Yonge North Subway Extension corridor raised concerns among some residents and municipal leaders about whether planned infrastructure — including schools and hospitals — could keep pace with the anticipated population increase. Traffic congestion along major arteries like Yonge Street and Highway 7 remained a persistent frustration.

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected the riding between 2020 and 2022. Long-term care homes in the York Region experienced significant outbreaks early in the pandemic, and the provincial government’s handling of long-term care became a major political issue. Small businesses along the riding’s commercial corridors struggled under repeated lockdowns and public health restrictions, and the economic recovery was uneven across the community.

Housing affordability was also a growing concern. The Markham area saw continued condominium development and rising housing prices throughout the term, making homeownership increasingly out of reach for younger residents and newcomers. Markham’s population growth, however, was slower than projected, falling short of the nearly 400,000 that had been forecast for the near term.