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Interview with Councillor Alex Chiu
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Chinese version in PDF format >>
Since 1985, Alex Chiu
had been elected consecutively for seven times as
the city councillor representing Ward 8.
He had served the community for 21 years and his work
had been well supported and recognized by the public
and Ward 8 constituents. In the coming election on
November 13, 2006, Alex will be seeking another term
in order to further serve the community. |
Alex is of Chinese origin and he and his
family emigrated from the Philippines to Canada in 1973,
moving to the Milliken Mills neighbourhood in 1981. He reflected
that they quickly integrated themselves into the area by
taking part in school and community activities, thus giving
their support to the society they were living in. In the
1985 elections, with the backing of his family and the people
in his neighbourhood, he successfully ran for Ward 8 Councillor
and has been serving Markham faithfully and diligently ever
since.
| Before, Markham Ward 8 was
not a Chinese residential/commercial centre as it is
today. Alex however saw the potentials for development
and therefore worked very hard towards this goal with
the city, such as reasonable rents for retailers, better
traffic and parking conditions, increase of licensing
for Chinese merchants, etc. Under his efforts, the Chinese
residential and commercial populations in the area gradually
increased to their status of today, and the area has
become a tourist spot for Ontario because of its unique
make-up. |
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| In his terms of service, what made the
most impression was the period of SARS in 2003. People
were so frightened of the disease which originated in
Asia that they shunned the area totally. Sales and trade
dropped dramatically and many were affected by the slump.
Seeing this, Alex worked with Dr. Ken Ng of the Federation
of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM) to co-ordinate
an activity to bring out the public and restore people’s
confidence again. With the full support of the Town
of Markham, they started the “Taste of Asia”
Street Festival on Kennedy Road, attracting about 20,000
participants. The festival was so successful that it
has now become an annual event with a 2-day duration.
Last year’s attendance was over 50,000. |
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Alex and FCCM have
always maintained a close relationship. He was one
of the founders and has been Honorary Chairman since
its establishment. Alex said that working with FCCM
is a pleasure because they both are guided by the
same principles of service to the public and dedication
to the welfare of the community.
In the coming election, Alex calls
on all electors to come out and vote, fulfilling their
duties as Canadian citizens. In particular, he requested
that the Chinese sector should vote and let their
voices be heard. If he is re-elected, he will continue
his mission of service and represent his Ward with
his whole being.
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To learn more about Alex Chiu, his work and
his plans, please visit the following website www.alexchiu.ca
or call (905) 475-2531 to express your
concerns or opinions.
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