Experience, Leadership, and Vision You Can Trust

For more than 35 years, Jim Jones has helped plan, build and shape Markham through a career in municipal, regional and federal public service.

First elected to Markham Council in 1988, Jim served as a Ward Councillor until 1997. He was elected Member of Parliament for Markham in 1997 and served in the House of Commons until 2000, including work on the Industry and Finance committees and as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Health.

Jim returned to municipal government as a Markham Regional Councillor in 2003. He has subsequently represented Markham on both City Council and York Regional Council. Today, he is Chair of Markham’s Development Services Committee and serves on numerous committees concerned with development, transportation, technology and community services.

Throughout his career, Jim’s approach has been based on a simple principle: government should not merely respond to today’s problems—it should anticipate tomorrow’s opportunities. Public Service, Vision and Leadership

Planning Markham for Growth

Much of Jim’s public service has focused on the relationship between land-use planning, transportation, housing, employment and economic development.

He has been involved in the evolution of major growth areas such as Markham Centre and Langstaff, advocating the concept that growth should be concentrated around high-capacity transit and supported by employment, public spaces, community facilities and infrastructure.

As early as 2009, Jim was advancing motions calling for coordinated planning of the Yonge Subway, GO Rail, Highway 407 Transitway, VIVA/YRT and development at the Richmond Hill/Langstaff Gateway.

That philosophy has evolved into what Jim now describes as a Rail-Integrated Corridor Economy: rather than planning individual stations and individual developments in isolation, governments should master-plan entire transportation corridors around housing, jobs, universities, healthcare, recreation, technology and major destinations.

Championing the Highway 407 Transitway

Jim has been a persistent advocate for the Highway 407 Transitway and for integrating transportation investment with economic development.

In 2009, he moved proposals calling for long-range planning of the entire 407 Transitway, electrified rail technology, connections with GO and subway lines, Transit-Oriented Development around stations, and a planning horizon extending 50 years and beyond.

His broader vision has been to transform the 407 corridor from simply a transportation route into an east-west economic spine connecting communities, employment centres and the major north-south transit corridors of the GTHA.

Reimagining the Stouffville GO Corridor

More recently, Jim has championed comprehensive master planning of the Stouffville GO Transit Corridor.

His proposal calls for moving beyond the traditional commuter-rail model toward frequent, two-way, all-day rapid transit, while simultaneously planning complete communities and economic destinations around stations.

The City of Markham’s published material describes Jim’s proposal as seeking a comprehensive corridor capable of unlocking economic opportunity, generating jobs, increasing ridership, providing a range of housing choices and creating complete, walkable communities.

When Jim presented the initiative to Markham’s Development Services Committee, municipal staff described the concept as aligned with provincial and regional planning and with good planning principles.

Yonge Subway and Integrated Transit

Jim has also advocated for the Yonge North Subway Extension and, importantly, for coordinating the subway with GO Rail, the Highway 407 Transitway, VIVA/YRT and surrounding development.

His focus has consistently been on the interchange between transportation systems rather than treating each project independently. That concept is particularly important at the Richmond Hill/Langstaff Gateway, where several major transit systems converge.

Building Complete Communities

Jim’s planning philosophy can be summarized in four words:

Plan communities—not just buildings.

He believes new housing must be accompanied by transit, employment, parks, schools, healthcare, recreation, shopping, public spaces and community facilities.

This means concentrating appropriate development around major transit corridors while protecting established neighbourhoods and environmentally sensitive lands.

It also means ensuring that population growth is accompanied by economic growth. Housing without employment can increase commuting and congestion; complete communities should give more residents the opportunity to live, work and participate in community life closer to home.

Economic Development and Innovation

Jim’s career outside government also influenced his approach to public policy. Before entering politics full-time, he worked for many years in the technology sector, including at IBM Canada.

He has consequently placed particular emphasis on technology, innovation and economic competitiveness.

His current vision is for Markham to strengthen its position as one of Canada’s major technology and innovation centres by attracting investment in artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, life sciences, digital healthcare, clean technology and research commercialization.

His philosophy is that technological change should create tangible benefits for Markham residents: better jobs, greater productivity, stronger infrastructure and a more competitive economy.

Protecting Taxpayers

Running through Jim’s approach to development and infrastructure is a commitment to financial discipline.

His principle is:

Growth Pays for Growth.

Major projects should have sound business cases, measurable public benefits and appropriate contributions from developers, senior governments and the private sector rather than automatically placing additional costs on existing taxpayers.

He applies the same principle to emerging AI and data-centre development: Markham should welcome investment and jobs, while ensuring that major industrial electricity and infrastructure users bear the costs attributable to their operations rather than transferring those costs to households.

Environmental Leadership

Jim argues that economic development and environmental protection should reinforce one another.

His agenda includes greater use of solar power, geothermal and district energy, battery storage, energy-efficient buildings, electric transportation, water conservation, green infrastructure and climate-resilient community design.

He has also advocated testing emerging technologies through carefully controlled pilot projects—including autonomous transportation, urban vertical farming and circular-economy technologies—before taxpayers are asked to support large-scale implementation.

A Record of Thinking Ahead

Across more than three decades, the common thread in Jim Jones’s public service has been long-range planning.

From Markham Centre and Langstaff, to the Yonge Subway, Highway 407 Transitway, Stouffville GO Corridor and today’s emerging AI economy, Jim has repeatedly argued that transportation, housing, employment, infrastructure, technology and environmental planning cannot be separated.

Today, as Regional Councillor and Chair of Markham’s Development Services Committee, he continues to advance that approach.

His objective for the next chapter of Markham is straightforward:

Protect the quality of life residents enjoy today while building the transportation, communities, jobs, technology and economic opportunities their children and grandchildren will need tomorrow.

Jim Jones — 35 Years of Public Service. Experience to understand where Markham has been. Vision to see where Markham needs to go.