08/29/2026
A New Chapter for Northern Karate Markham
Dear Dojo Family,
As we head into the fall and mark the twenty-second anniversary of Northern Karate Markham, we have some very exciting news to share.
As of September 1st, the dojo will officially come under new ownership.
Agnes and I would like to formally congratulate **Shihan Stephanie and Renshi Brandon** on officially taking the reins of Northern Karate Markham. Your martial arts journey will continue uninterrupted, and we couldn't be happier or more confident about the people who will be leading the dojo into its next chapter.
When we started the dojo way back in 2004 on the gym floor of Oasis Fitness on Bullock Drive, we never could have imagined how deeply entrenched we would become in the Markham community or how much our students and families would come to mean to us.
Our dojo was never built simply on the dojo floor through sweat and a shared love of the martial arts. It was built around **community**.
Whether it was one of our fundraising tournaments, Halloween haunted houses, outdoor training days, student potlucks or the countless other events we've held over the years, bringing people together was always the thing that made our dojo special.
I've always said that **a dojo is not a place, but the people who inhabit it.**
Stephanie and Brandon embody that.
They both grew up in the dojo from their youth — Brandon beginning at the age of twelve alongside his mom, and Stephanie at sixteen alongside her dad — which, in itself, highlights the importance family has always played in growth and success at Northern Karate Markham.
They have grown not only into incredible martial artists, but first-rate educators and leaders. Along with **Renshi Jeff**, they helped carry the dojo through times when Agnes and I couldn't, due mostly to my health struggles. They never failed to ensure that classes were taught on time and with enthusiasm, and that our students never missed a moment of progress on their journey to black belt and beyond.
There are very few people Agnes and I could imagine entrusting something that has been such an enormous part of our lives to. Northern Karate Markham has never felt like simply a business to us, and deciding who would carry it forward was never going to be simply a business decision.
Stephanie and Brandon understand what we built, why we built it and, most importantly, **who we built it for.**
I look forward to watching the future of the dojo under Steph and Brandon, and everyone should be excited about what is to come.
For the dojo, this is a new beginning — but unlike the first one, this beginning comes with more than two decades of experience behind it.
You can expect a renewed energy, expanded classes, new programs and services, and more community-based events as they work to grow Northern Karate Markham into something even greater than Agnes and I could ever have imagined when we first stepped onto that gym floor in 2004.
As for Agnes and me, we are looking forward to a new chapter in our lives, both personally and professionally, as we explore something that is very unfamiliar to us: **the unknown.**
The dojo has been the centre of our universe for so long that stepping away is both exciting and, at times, a little overwhelming. But we're looking forward to discovering what comes next, and we sincerely hope that many of you will stay in touch.
On top of holding down a regular job — something that will be a new experience all by itself — I'm most looking forward to pursuing my writing. I'm very close to finally getting started on my novel, *A Father's Guide to Grooming*, which has been stewing in my brain for more than a decade.
In the meantime, you can subscribe to my newsletter, **Fact Check Me**, at www.factcheckmenow.com. It's my little corner of the internet where I write something resembling a column, documenting my wandering thoughts on just about any topic that catches my attention — and where the gloves are generally off. I'm fairly active on Substack, so it's also an easy way to stay connected.
Finally, there is simply no way to adequately thank all of you for the trust you have placed in Agnes and me over the past twenty-two years.
You trusted us with your children, your families, your goals and, in many cases, years of your lives. We've had the privilege of watching nervous beginners become confident black belts, children become adults, students become instructors, and instructors become leaders.
We've celebrated together, struggled together, laughed together, sweat together and built something together that became far more than Agnes and I ever imagined it could be.
Teaching martial arts has been an incredible privilege. Being invited to play even a small role in so many people's lives has meant more to us than I could ever properly put into words.
Twenty-two years ago, Agnes and I started a karate school.
Somewhere along the way, all of you turned it into a dojo.
And as I've always said, **a dojo is not a place. It's the people who inhabit it.**
Thank you for being those people.
With love and gratitude,
**Eric & Agnes**
Northern Karate Markham
07/25/2026
06/25/2026
06/20/2026
06/19/2026
06/15/2026
06/11/2026
06/10/2026