As the story goes, the Town of Markham should hold a world record for “a town that became a city for the shortest period of time.” Try beating 20 minutes.

The great waffling occurred in 1990, when councillors voted in favour of shedding their town status and move towards enacting a bylaw that would officially make the municipality a city. Minutes later, then-councillor Frank Scarpitti, now mayor, arrived late to the chamber. The vote was reopened and the motion struck down — leaving Markham the Town intact.

“The running joke is we were a city for 20 minutes or so,” said Scarpitti, who has had a change of heart since then. “But I think to now be called ‘city’ is a reflection of who we are and where we are going.”

Hence, Markham the City could be back permanently when council votes at the end of the month to give its city status another shot.

In the ’90s there was a groundswell of opposition against the change, as people feared it would change the rural feel of their community. But now, with Markham flaunting itself as a new, denser urban centre big enough to lure an NHL team, the municipality has clearly outgrown its small-town personality.

“Some people want to stay a town, but who are you kidding?” said Councillor Alex Chiu, who brought forth the motion last month. “You can call yourself anything, but people will still look at you as a city.”

In fact, most of the residents already do. “When people come to give depositions, they say ‘city’ and we spend half of the time correcting them,” Chiu said.

Present during the flip-flop vote in the ’90s, Chiu has seen the town go through a variety of incarnations. He says it’s been difficult, when travelling internationally, to explain to people why he still lives in a town.

“People have a very distinct idea of what a town is. They always ask if I am joking. ‘Your population is over 300,000 and you call yourself a town?’”

In Ontario, the process of becoming a city is easier than filing taxes. There are no population or size requirements, and a municipality can do so as long as it doesn’t take a name already in use. All that is required is enacting a bylaw based on council agreement, and sending a copy to the minister of municipal affairs and housing. Other than the prestige that comes with the title, the name change affords no other privilege, according to the ministry.

“To me it doesn’t matter either way. Most people don’t say Town of Markham, they just say Markham,” said Councillor Don Hamilton. “What difference does it really make if it’s a city or a town or a municipality?”

But if the process of upgrading is so simple, why aren’t more towns lining up to become cities? In York Region, the City of Vaughan made the leap from town to city in 1991, but all other municipalities continue to describe themselves as a town. Across the GTA, many such as Oakville, Whitby and Milton have opted to retain their town status.

“In our community, people say they like that we’re a town, because it implies that we are neighbourly and friendly,” said Dave Barrow, mayor of the Town of Richmond Hill. “I guess what it comes down to is how a town perceives itself or wants to be perceived. You don’t get much else out of it.”

But Chiu says the change is necessary for Markham’s future and, in his view, inevitable. He’s hoping the change will be effective by July 1, just in time to mark Markham’s last birthday as a town.

“I have been waiting since the ’90s for this … but I am willing to wait a bit longer,” Chiu said. “We have to be very careful that what happened before doesn’t again.”

The public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 29. Council meeting starts at 7 p.m.

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How to become a city

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Ontario: The process is simple. Once a town enacts a bylaw asking for a status change, it merely sends a copy to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. It cannot change its name to one already being used. There is no other size or population requirement.

Saskatchewan: A community must have a population of 5,000 or more to get city status.

United Kingdom: Attaining city status is the decision of the Queen, following advice from her ministers. Towns of a certain size and with a large population, or distinct character and identity, are encouraged to apply for the prestigious title. The grant of city status is purely honorific, and confers no additional powers, functions or funding. There are currently 66 cities in the UK. City status is rarely granted, with only 14 new cities created during the 20th century.