Honda Canada recently commemorated the opening of ‘Honda Boulevard’ off the Woodbine Road bypass leading to its new head office campus in Markham, northeast of Toronto. The new head office campus is scheduled to open this spring

The campus, which is located on a 21.5-hectare (53-plus acre) parcel of land fronting Highway 404, just north of Elgin Mills Road, will house Honda's growing sales, marketing and customer service operation teams.

It will house three separate buildings, including a four-story LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building for the head office, advancing Honda's continued commitment to the environment; a technical centre that accommodates research and development, engineering and training; and a one-story parts distribution centre.

"The opening of Honda Boulevard is an exciting step in preparation for the relocation in May to our new home here in Markham," said Manabu Nishimae, president and CEO of Honda Canada Inc. "We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Town of Markham, which has given us such a warm reception and tremendous assistance in helping to get our new campus built in a timely and cost-effective manner.

"Despite the tough economic times, Honda is committed to investing in our future in Canada as a corporate citizen. We are looking forward to our relocation and the benefits that it will provide for greater economic and operational efficiencies."

According to Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, "The opening of Honda Boulevard and the Woodbine bypass is another milestone in helping Honda Canada begin operations at its new corporate headquarters. We're proud of the efforts we take to attract and welcome great companies like Honda to Markham's growing business community."
The developer responsible for the construction of the road was the Rice Commercial Group, a commercial and industrial developer based in York Region.

Now in its 40th year of operation in Canada, Honda Canada manufactures the Honda Civic sedan and coupe, the Acura MDX and ZDX, and the Canadian-exclusive Acura CSX at its two plants in Alliston, Ontario, in addition to producing fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines at its engine plant. Since 1986, Honda has built more than 5,300,000 cars and trucks at its Ontario assembly facilities. More than half of all vehicles sold in Canada last year were made in Canada.

Gerry Malloy