Celebrate National Public Works Week with the Town of Newmarket from May 19 to 25. During the week and every day, we honour our Public Works Services and Parks and Facility staff who work in this essential profession. This year’s theme “Advancing Quality of Life for All” focuses on how the profession works to provide essential services that lead to a healthier, happier and more vibrant community.  

“Happy National Public Works Week to our staff and all professionals in the industry,” says Mayor John Taylor. “The Public Works profession plays a critical role in all the resident services that we provide and they are a big part of the reason why Newmarket continues to be one of the best places to live in all of Canada. Every day, our Public Works and Parks and Facility staff are dedicated to serving the community. Rain, snow or shine, staff silently serve the community by advancing the quality of life for all. If you see any of our Public Works or Parks and Facilities staff in and around the community, please take this opportunity to thank them for their service.”    

Did you know? The Public Works and Parks and Facility Services departments are responsible for: 

• Maintaining over 44 km of trails, over 45 active parks, 800 acres of parkland, 624km of roads (both directions), 364km of sidewalks and 309km of watermains and 284kms of sanitary sewer mains. 
• Ensuring our parks, facilities and sport fields are ready for use by the community and sport groups.
• Helping to support the Town’s events through set-up and teardown, including road closures, clean-up and garbage removal. 
• Performing winter maintenance (road and sidewalk snow plowing/salting) to ensure residents can get to their destination safely.  
• Maintaining Newmarket’s tree canopy through planting, pruning and strategies to increase the longevity of the trees while caring for the Town’s natural heritage. 
• Coordinating utility construction works with other levels of government and private entities to limit disruptions to the community as much as possible. 
• Creating an even greener and sustainable Newmarket through its waste and recycling programs and initiatives and more.   
  

Get to know Public Works and Parks and Facility department even more with these 10 fun facts:   

1. The water and wastewater team looks after 4,547 water valves and 2,371 fire hydrants, water and wastewater staff test 26 samples of water on a weekly basis for E.coli, bacteria and contaminants throughout the year, to ensure the highest quality of water for our community. Did you know? Newmarket received a perfect inspection score on its water quality for three years in a row!  
   

2. Our fleet team of mechanics is responsible for repairs and maintenance of all vehicles and equipment used by Town of Newmarket staff. This includes snowplows, sidewalk snowplows, cars and trucks, forestry trucks, lawn mowers, Zambonis, Central York Fire Services trucks and vehicles and more. Last year, they completed 1,400 work orders! 
   

3. Public Works staff collected 9 tons of e-waste and over 800 lbs of batteries at the 2023 Electronics Recycling Event. Thanks to your efforts, Newmarket can divert these items from landfills, recycle valuable raw materials and, most importantly, save energy, reduce pollution and minimize greenhouse gas emission. 
   

4. Staff filled 2,500 potholes and 1,000 tactile plates across the Town in order to enhance accessibility in Newmarket. 
   

5. The Facilities team works hard every winter season to resurface over 61.2 million square feet of ice using a Zamboni, making sure everyone has a smooth skating surface. That’s like making 594 round trips from Mulock Drive to Green Lane! Residents and visitors of the Town spent over 13,366 hours at the skating rinks, creating cherished memories on the ice. (Note: We are excited to debut the Town’s first electric Zamboni this season). 
   

6. Staff helped set up and tear down over 80 Town and community events for everyone to enjoy.  
   

7. Horticulture Staff planted 2,200 bulbs and will be adding another five pollinator gardens along with some pollinator planters on certain islands throughout Town to continue to support Newmarket as the 14th Bee City in Canada.   
   

8. Our Parks staff is responsible for maintaining over 800 acres of grass cutting, ensuring that our parks are always looking their best. Additionally, they conduct 60 playground inspections every month to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our visitors.
   

9. The Hydration Station water trailer is available for use at the Town’s award-winning events this year and can be seen at the Tim Hortons Canada Day event, the Farmers’ Market, Music Series presented by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and New’bark’et presented by Global Pet Foods to name a few. The Hydration Station has a capacity of 1,000 litres which is expected to replace approximately 2,000 plastic water bottles at each event. 
   

10. Each year, Public Works Services and Parks and Facilities host a Touch-a-Truck event to celebrate National Public Works Week! Members of the public are encouraged to attend this event on May 23 from 5 to 8 p.m. where you will get to touch, explore and get up close and personal with a variety of different vehicles such as fire trucks, Zamboni’s, backhoe, dump trucks and more.  

For more information on National Public Works Week, please visit the newmarket.ca/nationalpublicworksweek.

For more information on the Touch-a-Truck event, visit newmarket.ca/touchatruck.