This fall’s municipal election in Markham will be a little different — Wards 1 and 2, both of which represent parts of Thornhill, will be combined into one common ward. A final report on the ward boundaries was recently completed and shows the new Ward 1, bound roughly by Steeles Avenue East to the south, Highway 404 to the east, Highway 7 to the north and Yonge Street to the west.

The decision to combine the wards came from concerns that wards in east Markham were under-represented, whereas the Thornhill area of Markham was overrepresented.

According to the City of Markham, the estimated population of Wards 1 and 2 is 28,298 and 26,608 respectively, whereas the remaining six wards range from 30,704 to 50,273. The City of Markham predicts that the population of the new Ward 1 will be 46,550 by 2016, making it slightly more populous than the remaining wards, which will also be undergoing slight boundary adjustments.

Councillor Howard Shore of Ward 2 previously challenged the process at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) but lost the appeal in October 2013.

Ward 1 councillor Valerie Burke is disappointed. “I wasn’t shocked,” said Burke. “[But] it was quite a bit of money to fight it.” She said that she does understand the reasoning behind combining the wards but is still dismayed that Thornhill’s specific issues weren’t considered.

She and Shore have a common interest in protecting Thornhill, which they agree is very different from the rest of Markham.

Now knowing that her job would change drastically, Burke is undecided on whether or not she will run in 2014.

“There will be a lot more action, and there’s only so many hours in a day,” she said. “I’ll make my decision in the new year.”

Shore, however, is certain he will run. “Unless something very dramatic happens, I will be running for re-election in 2014,” he said.