Markham has once again achieved the highest level for city data by reporting on indicators within the ISO 37120 international standard, joining a select group of more than 100 global cities across 35 countries – and thirty across Canada - who are collecting, sharing, and using city data to make effective and transformative decisions.

Having established a baseline the first year, the City of Markham will be able to start assessing service delivery and quality of life against this initial set of data.

“Cities are at the core of global transformation and have the opportunity to shape a better, more inclusive and sustainable world,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. "As a leading tech and innovation hub in Canada and the country’s most diverse city, we proudly hold WCCD membership, allowing us to benchmark against other leading municipalities, continue to drive change and learn from best practices. We are confident that other municipalities will greatly benefit from our successful sustainability initiatives and we in turn look forward to learning from others especially in areas such as infrastructure and rapid transit development.”

ISO 37120 is the first ISO standard developed especially for cities. It contains 104 fully numeric indicators across 19 themes, and measures city services and quality of life.

Access to the WCCD Global Network allows the City of Markham to collect, share, and use data to inform decision-making in a way that benefits all participating cities. It can measure quality of life and service delivery using a common international standard, share local experiences, and provide insights into how cities around the world are tackling similar issues, learn about practices and policies that have the biggest impact, and access the expertise and experience of leading global experts and municipal peers.

“It is truly a pleasure to congratulate the City of Markham on its second year of WCCD ISO 37120 Certification at the highest Platinum level. Markham's participation in the Data for Canadian Cities Project and commitment to data-driven decision-making once again underlines the dedication of Mayor Scarpitti, City Council and the entire city staff to a more vibrant future for the residents of Markham,” stated WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney. “On behalf of the WCCD, I extend my congratulations to City Council, Mayor Scarpitti, and of course, the dedicated and hardworking staff for this tremendous accomplishment. I look forward to our continued work together in this data driven commitment to sustainable and inclusive growth for a prosperous future.”

The World Council on City Data (WCCD) was founded in 2014 and helps communities of all sizes worldwide to embrace standardized, independently verified and globally comparable city data to become more sustainable, resilient, prosperous, inclusive and smart.

For more information about the World Council on City Data (WCCD) and the certification, visit dataforcities.org

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti receiving the WCCD's ISO 37120 Platinum-level certificate at today's virtual City Council meeting.