Shouldice Park
Overview of This Section
Shouldice park
- Description
- Current State
- Issues and Concerns
Description
Shouldice Park is located at 7750 Bayview Avenue, across from Thornhill Community Centre. The Property is 22.40 acres in size and contains a private hospital, the Shouldice Hospital Limited buildings as well as several other smaller buildings including the "Gardener’s Cottage" at 7716 Bayview Avenue and stables at 7766 Bayview Ave.
Current State
The property is currently transitioning into a park while the privately-run Shouldice Hospital Limited continues to operate. The tenant, Shouldice Hospital, pays a monthly rent of $41,666.67 plus HST. The lease expires January 31, 2026, with two (2) further five (5) year options to extend.
The public may access the park through the main entrance from Bayview Avenue.
Issues and Concerns
With the anticipated growth over the next 10-20 years, this property is an important addition to Markham's, and Ward 1's, reservoir of green space.
At present a portion of the property is zoned MU-FD (Mixed Use - Future Development--see Land Use / Zoning below for further explanation), meaning it is theoretically possible for that part to be developed for other uses in the future.
Mitigating these concerns is the support by the Ward 1 Councillor, Keith Irish and Mayor Scarpetti, to execute a plan to define the future of the park (see The Future of the Property below).
History of the Property
- The Shouldice Hospital was founded in 1945 by Dr. Earle Shouldice [Shouldice Hernia Centre - Wikipedia].
- While private hospitals are not allowed under Ontario's Private Hospitals Act, Shouldice Hospital is one of seven private hospitals in the province grandfathered under the Act.
- The hospital has been continuously family run from its inception but is partially publicly funded.
- In the 2020s, Liberty Development planned to build five residential towers on the property. However, local community organizations, including AWRA, untied to protect the green space and avoid over development.
- In September 2022, the City of Markham purchased the Shouldice property for CA$188 million, to transform the lands into a public park, while continuing the lease for the hospital. 188 Million $ [Neighbourhood’s lobbying drives Shouldice land purchase – Markham Ward 1]
- The City of Markham issued a news release announcing the purchase of the 7750 Bayview Avenue property on September 12, 2022, which included in part the following statement: “I am overjoyed that Markham Council accepted a plan put forward by me and Mayor Scarpitti that will see ownership of these lands, in their entirety, transferred to the City of Markham,” said Ward 1 Councillor Keith Irish. “This will protect the property in perpetuity thereby preserving the unique and historic nature of the site while opening it up as additional parkland for generations of residents to enjoy.”
- These lands became a public park when the real estate transaction closed in January 2023
- The City acquired the Property on January 3, 2023 for public/municipal community uses, including new park and open spaces
- The acquisition of the Property will be funded through the Parkland Cash In Lieu Reserve Fund.
- In 2023, which was the first full-year of public ownership, the city set in place maintenance of the grounds.
- The 2024 budget, provided it passes without amendment February 28, includes repairs to and painting of the "Gardener’s Cottage" at 7716 Bayview Avenue. Issues with the roof of the stables will also be addressed. The city’s Forestry team will remove dead trees and prune others.
- On February 6, 2024 a motion was introduced to prepare a work plan to complete a visioning exercise that would include the Shouldice Property. "The Mayor was clear in his remarks at the February 6 meeting of the city’s Development Services committee. He asked Planning staff to consider a two-step approach whereby the Visioning exercise would necessarily include all public lands in Thornhill centre and then 'a more granular masterplan' for the 7750 Bayview Avenue property to follow in time." -- Keith Irish, Ward 1 Councillor. (see Chronicle of Events and Relevant News below for more details on the Motion). Note, "Thornhill Centre" includes Thornhill Square, Thornhill Community Centre and the Shouldice Park.
The Future of The Property
The property is to be included as part of the "Bayview Avenue and John Street Visioning Exercise", which is expected to layout a master plan for the property.
A motion to develop a visioning statement was presented to Development Committee (January 23, 2024) and subsequently to Markham General Council (February 14, 2024) to complete a Work Plan for the effort by Q2 2024
AWRA Updates
- Windy Hill Spring Clean Up & Meet! Sunday, April 27 2025
Over 10 people helped to keep the park beautiful including residents, area students and Councilor Keith Irish - 2025 AWRA Annual General Meeting on April 3rd was a success!! Visit our AGM webpage for details and access presentation materials
- Bayview & John visioning working sessions were conducted on Jan 13 & 22 and Feb 13.
Creating a new vision for the Bayview and John area is crucial for the future livability of Markham-Thornhill.
Visit our webpage and Markham Project webpage for up-to-date information.