Maple Valley Ravine

Background:

For many years, our local community has been accessing Maple Valley Park (for hiking purposes) by climbing down the ravine off Willowbrook. This climb is steep and dangerous, as is crossing the creek below via rocks and makeshift planks.

Markham Ward 1 Councillor Keith Irish, former Regional Councillor Jack Heath, and Markham's Parks/Planning Engineer supported an access way to Maple Valley Park.  As a result of their support, in 2018 an analysis of possible trail connections at five locations within Markham Wards 1, 2, 3 and 8 was completed by McIntosh Perry Consulting Engineers:

The City of Markham received proposals for new access points to five Markham Parks and Trails. 

* Site 1 - Denby Valley Park to Mildred Temple Park (Ward 3)  

* Site 2 - Gatsby Court to Personna Valley (Ward 2)  

* Site 3 - Vanessa Road to Quantztown Park (Ward 3)  

* Site 3 (Alternate Route) – Vanessa Road & Raleigh Crescent to Austin Drive (Ward 3)  

* Site 4a – Charnwood Place to Maple Valley Park (Ward 1)  

* Site4b – Ravencliffe Road to Maple Valley Park (Ward 1)  

* Site 5 - Valley View Park to Highway 7 (Ward 1/8)  

For access to Maple Valley Park, two alternatives were considered: 

* Access from Willowbrook (near the intersection with Charnwood Place)

* Access from Ravencliffe Road (near Cakebread Park)

Each of the above-two access points had preferred alternatives that, among the options presented, involved developing a paved pathway leading to stairs, and a trail to a pedestrian bridge over the creek. The projected costs were approximately $960,000 and $777,000 respectively, in 2018.

From Summer 2023:

• A current deficit in the City of Markham’s reserve fund for park and open space construction puts building a pedestrian access point from Willowbrook to Maple Valley and Huntington Park at a low priority.
• Councilor Keith Irish recommends waiting until the fund shortfall is resolved and more is known about the Province’s stated intent to “make municipalities whole” resulting from a generational shift in municipal land use planning law vis-à-vis legislation (namely Bills 109, 23 and 39) passed in 2022 to make housing more available, attainable, and affordable.
• It is unclear at this time when these issues will be resolved.  It is hoped that the deficit situation will be clarified in time for discussion of the City’s 2024 Budget this Fall.