A Fresh Voice for Ward 6
Safer Streets · Smart Growth · Stronger Community
Markham’s Ward 6 is heading into a true open-seat race. With the incumbent councillor seeking a regional seat, the ward needs someone who actually lives here, understands the neighbourhood, and can get things done.
Hanson Shen (沈汉生) — electrical engineering professor, training specialist, Professional Engineer, Master Electrician and contractor — is running for Ward 6 Councillor. He brings 23 years of life in Markham, more than 20 years of teaching and more than 2,000 trainees, along with an engineer’s habit: find the problem, study it honestly, and deliver a result.
Voting period: October 16–26, 2026
He does not campaign on slogans. He has put people into good jobs.
Hanson Shen did not come out of City Hall.
He spent more than a decade in Ontario’s hydro system, in planning, engineering and safety training. He has led teams in telecommunications and IT. He is himself a Master Electrician and engineering contractor. Most important, he founded the Hanson Engineering and Training Center (汉生工程与培训中心), working closely with professional electrical associations to turn complex electrical knowledge into skills ordinary people can use.
The centre’s message is direct: certification + hands-on employment + a path to self-employment. A $100,000 salary is not a dream.
He has helped thousands of people find work paying $60,000 to $100,000 a year. For many newcomers, young people and career-changers, his classroom was the first place they saw a real route into Canada’s skilled trades.
That is what Ward 6 is missing:
not another person who sits through meetings, but someone who knows how one good job can change a family.
It is also why Hanson Shen is seen as a community leader with results, not just a title.
An engineer’s method, applied to City Hall
Hanson Shen sums up public service in four words: Listen · Plan · Act · Deliver (倾听 · 规划 · 行动 · 兑现).
His six priorities are clear and measurable:
1. Jobs and entrepreneurship
Connect schools, training providers, local employers and young people, so Ward 6 residents can build a career without leaving the community.
2. Transportation and infrastructure
Roads, drainage, transit and community facilities must keep pace with growth. Projects need a timeline, a budget and someone accountable.
3. Fiscal transparency
Residents should be able to see what a project costs, why it is delayed, and where the money went.
4. Smart city and technology
Use AI, digital tools and green energy to improve services — and to create high-quality jobs.
5. Safer communities and smarter homes
Safer streets, stronger neighbourhoods, and practical smart-home tools that help seniors, children and new families.
6. Support for local business
Cut unnecessary red tape so small businesses, professional services and entrepreneurs can stay and grow in Markham.
The three lines on his campaign poster are the promise:
Safer Streets · Smart Growth · Stronger Community
安全社区 · 理性发展 · 更强社区
Away from the job site, the same seriousness shows up on stage
Many people only see the suit on the campaign poster. Fewer know that, outside electrical work and teaching, Hanson Shen is devoted to traditional Chinese performance.
He has taken the stage as a Peking Opera martial role, worn Mongolian dress, and performed in traditional costume. Those photos are not a gimmick. They belong to someone who has lived in Canada for decades and still treats culture as part of character. He has also helped build non-profit groups that settle newcomers. His view is simple: a community needs skill, and it also needs warmth.
A person who can explain a complex circuit can also hear a neighbour’s complaint.
A person who has sent trainees onto job sites knows what it costs to keep a promise.
What kind of councillor does Ward 6 need?
Ward 6 — north of 16th Avenue, between Warden Avenue and Markham Road, including Angus Glen, Berczy Village and north Wismer Commons — is growing quickly. Traffic, schools, parks, density and public safety are not abstract files. They happen at the end of the driveway.
This is a competitive open-seat election. Residents do not need the candidate with the most slogans. They need:
- a neighbour who has lived here for 23 years
- a professional who has led people, managed budgets and finished projects
- someone willing to knock on doors, hand out flyers and listen on weekends
- a councillor who will report progress, costs and responsibility back to the public after election day
Three ways to help — vote, give, or show up
1. Vote
Canadian citizens can vote October 16–26, 2026. Please confirm you are on Markham’s voters’ list before election week.
2. Donate — eligible gifts can receive a City rebate
If you live in Markham, you can support the campaign. Hanson Shen is listed in the City of Markham Candidate Contribution Rebate Program. Eligible individual donors who give $50 or more may apply for a 75% rebate, to a maximum of $150. In practical terms, a $200 donation can come back as $150 from the City.
Please note the rules:
- Individual Ontario residents only; no corporate, union, business or group donations
- Confirm eligibility and transfer instructions with the campaign before sending money
- Official receipt and rebate details will be provided by the team
- Rebate applications for the 2026 election are due by June 28, 2027
- City program page: markham.ca contribution rebate program
Fundraising dinners and community events follow the same rebate rules. Ask the team for the next date, seating and how to record your contribution correctly.
3. Volunteer
Weekend flyer routes, door-knocking, lawn-sign delivery, phone/text outreach and helping neighbours understand how to vote — every extra pair of hands matters. Friends who live in Ward 6, or who know families north of 16th Avenue between Warden and Markham Road, are especially needed.
Website: https://hansonshen.ca/
Email: hansonshen@yahoo.com | votehanson6@gmail.com
Phone: 416-356-8515
Please use a clear subject line: Volunteer / Donate / Lawn Sign / Dinner
Ward 6 does not need another person who only sounds good in a meeting.
It needs someone who has already taught a trade, delivered a project, and stayed in the community long enough to know which streets worry parents.
Hanson Shen. Your neighbour. Your voice.
October 16–26 — choose practical local leadership.
Editor: Jin Zhang
