Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Regional Councillor Alan Ho were among the community leaders behind a weekend charity concert that raised $50,000 for people affected by a deadly apartment fire in Hong Kong.
The concert took place on Sunday, Jan. 11, at Splendid China Mall on Steeles Avenue East, on the Toronto side of the border with Markham. Scarpitti and Ho were two of the event’s 14 co-chairs, the Markham Review reported.
The fire
The fire broke out on Nov. 26, 2025, at Wang Fuk Court, a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. The death toll had reached 161 by late December, The Standard in Hong Kong reported. A firefighter was among the dead, and the Markham Review reported that 79 other people were injured. Many families also lost their homes.
Members of the Chinese community across the GTA, including many in Markham, organized soon after the fire. In December 2025, they launched a fundraising campaign called Toronto Responds: Support for Hong Kong Fire Victims.
Where the money goes
Donations from the campaign go through the CPAC Foundation, the charitable arm of the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada, to The Community Chest of Hong Kong, an independent non-profit. According to the Markham Review, all donations go directly to relief services that give urgent financial help to affected families.
The Jan. 11 concert was a highlight of the campaign. The $50,000 came from live performances and donations from the audience and the wider community.
Ho is one of Markham’s regional councillors, who represent the city on York Regional Council as well as on Markham council. The Markham Review described the concert as a message of solidarity from Markham and the wider Toronto region to families in Tai Po.
