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About Joe Tay

The unthinkable events of the last election tested my character and strengthened my understanding of public service. They taught me that leadership is not about holding a title. It is about making sound decisions, standing firm under pressure, accepting responsibility, and respecting the people you serve.

For more than 20 years, Markham has been home to three generations of my family. Through my work in media, communications, leadership, and community service, I have learned how to listen carefully, communicate clearly, solve problems, and remain connected to people from every background.

The last election was a privilege. I was honoured to earn the trust of thousands of residents. I remain deeply grateful for their support, but I also know that public trust must be earned again in every election. That is exactly what I intend to do.

Rooted in Markham.
Ready for A New Way Forward.

Markham is growing rapidly.

Growth brings opportunity, but it also places greater pressure on traffic, public safety, infrastructure, public transit, City services, seniors, families, young people, and local businesses.

Residents are working hard and paying more. They deserve to know that their municipal and regional representatives are also working hard, asking the right questions, protecting public resources, and making decisions that improve everyday life.

This is not a time for business as usual.

Markham needs representatives who are prepared to listen, respond, follow up, and approach today’s challenges with fresh thinking and practical solutions.

My name is Joe Tay, and I am running for Regional Councillor because I believe residents deserve both better decisions and better service.

That is the purpose behind my two commitments.

A New Way Forward.

Joe Tay. Right Away!

Markham Is Home

For more than twenty years, Markham has been home to three generations of my family.

My children live here. My grandchildren live here. I also help care for my elderly mother. These experiences have given me a personal understanding of the concerns faced by seniors, caregivers, parents, families, and residents who simply want their city to work better for them.

Markham is not only where I live.

It is where my family has grown, where I have built relationships, and where I hope future generations of my family will continue to live, work, and contribute.

When I speak about safer neighbourhoods, better transportation, reliable winter services, opportunities for young people, responsible development, and stronger support for seniors, these are not abstract political subjects to me.

They affect my family, my neighbours, and the community I call home.

My Canadian Story

I was born and raised in Hong Kong and came to Canada as a teenager.

Like many immigrant families, my story involved hard work, adjustment, sacrifice, and gratitude. Canada gave me an education, freedom, opportunity, and a place to build a future.

I graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and went on to build a career in media, communications, public speaking, business development, project leadership, and community service.

My journey has allowed me to understand both the opportunities Canada offers and the challenges many newcomers face when adapting to a new country, learning unfamiliar systems, finding employment, supporting a family, and trying to make their voices heard.

This experience is one reason I believe local government must be accessible and responsive to residents from every background.

Our diversity is one of Markham’s greatest strengths, but our shared Canadian values must always bring us together.

Respect
Freedom
Responsibility
Fairness
Compassion
Care for one another

These values belong at the centre of public service

Experience That Prepared Me to Serve

I helped take a complicated project from concept in 2008, through government approval and organized opposition, to the successful launch of two television channels in May 2009. I then managed the responsibilities that followed. That is real leadership experience.

How it started

Beginning in 2008, I helped develop a Canadian multicultural cable television project from its earliest stage. The project required navigating a complex federal approval and licensing process involving regulators, administrative offices, professional advisers, and different government requirements in Ottawa.

At the time, the Canadian television market was already crowded and highly competitive. Competing interests submitted objections and petitions against the proposed services. We had to respond professionally, address regulatory concerns, demonstrate public value, and explain why the channels deserved approval.

By May 2009, both channels had been successfully launched on Rogers channels 577 and 808.

How it susceeded

Following the launch, I helped turn the approved licences into functioning television services. This required developing programming, securing content, recruiting qualified professionals and staff, managing production schedules, meeting licensing and compliance obligations, overseeing live broadcasts, responding to complaints, and establishing customer care and follow up systems.

The channels covered a municipal election and a federal election. We invited candidates, community representatives, and cultural organizations to participate, helping viewers better understand public issues and the democratic process. We also welcomed programming and participation from different cultural communities and worked with charities to raise awareness and support fundraising initiatives.

How it relevant to being a Regional Councillor

This experience required regulatory knowledge, government relations, project management, budgeting, staffing, negotiation, public communication, crisis management, community engagement, customer service, and accountability for results.

Some people define experience only by the number of years someone has already held elected office. I believe experience should also be measured by what a person has built, the responsibilities that person has carried, the challenges that person has overcome, and the results that person has delivered, I know how to:

begin with a blank page.
work through complex rules and competing interests.
assemble a professional team.
respond when a plan is challenged.
make decisions under pressure.

Most importantly, I know that receiving approval is not the same as delivering results.

Real leadership requires following through until a plan becomes a functioning service and then remaining accountable for how that service performs. This experience taught me how to find a way forward when the way forward is complicated.

Community Service Means Taking Action

I have always believed that when people are facing hardship, a community should not look away.

Over the years, I have helped organize and support fundraising activities, humanitarian relief efforts, community initiatives, and assistance for families and individuals in need.

I have also spent many years supporting newcomers and community members as they adapt, integrate, and rebuild their lives in Canada.

These experiences strengthened my belief that leadership is not simply about speaking at a microphone or attending meetings.

Leadership means stepping forward when help is needed.

It means bringing people together.

It means turning compassion into action.

It also means recognizing that government does not have every answer. Strong communities are built when residents, businesses, charities, faith communities, community organizations, and different levels of government work together.

Tested by Extraordinary Circumstances

The last election unfolded under circumstances that no candidate would normally expect to face.

Those events tested my character, my judgement, my family, and my understanding of public service.

They taught me that leadership requires courage, but courage alone is not enough.

Leadership also requires restraint, sound judgement, personal sacrifice, responsibility, and respect for the people affected by your decisions.

More than 20,546 voters placed their trust in me during that election.

I remain sincerely grateful to every voter, volunteer, supporter, and family member who stood with me.

Although the result was not the one we hoped for, that trust strengthened my commitment to continue serving.

I am not entering this election believing that previous support belongs to me.

Every vote must be earned again.

Every resident deserves to be heard.

And every candidate must demonstrate why they are prepared to serve.

Why Regional Councillor Matters

A Markham Regional Councillor serves at two important decision making tables.

At Markham Council, decisions affect services such as local planning, permits, parks, recreation, libraries, local roads, winter services, business processes, and municipal bylaws.

At York Regional Council, decisions affect major services such as policing, public transit, paramedic services, public health, housing, regional roads, water, wastewater, and major infrastructure.

This means a Regional Councillor must understand both the immediate concerns of Markham residents and the larger regional decisions that affect our taxes, services, safety, and quality of life.

It is a position that requires more than attending meetings and photo-ops.

A Regional Councillor must listen to residents, study the issues, question assumptions, examine spending, communicate clearly, and make responsible decisions at both council tables.

A New Way Forward

A New Way Forward is my commitment to better decisions.

It does not mean changing things simply for the sake of appearing different.

It means being willing to question whether existing approaches are still producing the results residents need.

It means planning ahead instead of waiting for problems to become crises.

It means examining how public money is spent and whether residents are receiving fair value.

It means connecting decisions about development with the roads, public transit, public safety, infrastructure, and services needed to support that development.

It means setting priorities based on the real needs of residents rather than continuing with business as usual.

Residents pay taxes every year.

They have the right to expect government to deliver better results every year.

I will bring an open mind, practical judgement, common sense, and the courage to ask difficult questions when difficult questions need to be asked.

Joe Tay. Right Away!

Joe Tay. Right Away! is my commitment to better service.

Residents often tell me that one of their greatest frustrations is not only that a problem remains unresolved.

It is that they do not receive a reply.

They do not know whether anyone has read their message.

They do not know who is responsible.

They do not know what will happen next.

I cannot honestly promise that every issue will be solved within twenty four hours.

Some matters require investigation, cooperation between departments, legal review, budget approval, or decisions from another level of government.

But I can make a clear service commitment.

Every resident inquiry will receive a human response or call back within twenty four hours.

Residents will know that their concern has been received.
They will know who is following up.
They will know what the next step will be.

And when something cannot be done, they deserve an honest explanation.

Responsive service begins with respect.

Respect begins by listening and responding.

Better Decisions. Better Service.

My campaign is not built around making the greatest number of promises.

It is built around two responsibilities.

Making better decisions for the future of Markham and York Region.

Providing better service to the residents who need help today.

Good accountable decisions shape the future of a city.

Good service shapes how residents experience that city every day.

That is the difference I am offering.

A New Way Forward means better decisions.

Joe Tay. Right Away! means better service.

Together, they represent my commitment to listen, act, follow up, and put residents first.

Ready to Serve

I am stepping forward with experience, determination, gratitude, and a clear purpose.

I will listen before making decisions.

I will ask questions before approving spending.

I will communicate openly.

I will follow up.

I will work with people from every community and every background.

And I will remember that public office belongs to the people, not the person holding the title.

This campaign is bigger than one candidate.

It is an opportunity for residents who believe Markham deserves fresh thinking, responsible decisions, and more responsive service to come together.

Whether you volunteer, request a lawn sign, share our message, introduce us to your neighbours, or make a contribution, every act of support helps us reach more residents across Markham.

Together, we can bring A New Way Forward to our regional decisions and Joe Tay. Right Away! to resident service.