Common Questions

A Bahá’í House of Worship, or Temple, is a spiritual gathering place for prayer and reflection. It is open to people of all religions or of no religion. All Bahá’í Temples are designed to have nine sides and be surrounded by pathways leading to gardens and natural areas. They are all open to any visitors.

Bahá’í Houses of Worship are sacred spaces dedicated to the remembrance of God. No sermons or ritual ceremonies are performed inside a Bahá’í House of Worship. Regular devotional services feature only the scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith and other religions.

The national Bahá’í House of Worship in Canada will be a focal point of worship within the country. Envisioned as a “temple in the trees”, nestled below the existing tree line, the Temple design will speak to the aspirations of country’s diverse inhabitants and serve as a symbol of the oneness of humankind.

The Bahá’í Faith has been present in Canada since the late 1800s, and from the earliest days of the Faith in this country its members envisioned a national community that would embrace the diverse inhabitants of the land. The Bahá’í teachings aim to break down barriers of prejudice and religious exclusiveness, and the construction of the Temple serves as a symbol of this aspiration. Since the mid-20th century, the Bahá’í community has nurtured the goal to build a House of Worship that could incarnate the soul of a flourishing nation-wide community.

Bahá’í Houses of Worship are open to all. There are no restrictions on who may visit.

Visitors are welcome to walk around the Temple site during specified hours. To arrange a visit to the Temple site, please email temple@bahai.ca.

There are currently 14 Bahá’í Houses of Worship – in Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Germany, India, Kenya, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Uganda, the United States, and Vanuatu. In addition to the Temple in Canada, plans are underway to build a national House of Worship in Brazil, Malawi, and the Philippines. Local Houses of Worship are also being constructed in Cameroon, India, Nepal, and Zambia.

The Bahá’í Temple land was acquired by the Bahá’í community in 1968. Since then, it has been reserved for a future House of Worship.

The location of the Bahá’í Temple was selected after extensive evaluation of the ecology and landscape of the property. It will be constructed on a site that was formerly designated as agricultural land, subsequently planted for red pine lumber stock, and overtaken by significant invasive and non-native species. As part of the Temple construction, the invasive species will be removed and managed, with associated restoration and enhancement efforts to be made to return the surrounding area to a healthy and natural landscape.

A design has not yet been chosen for the House of Worship. Hariri Pontarini Architects are the architects of record for the purpose of the planning and rezoning process; a Temple design will be selected after that process has been concluded.

The proposed height of the Bahá’í House of Worship is lower than 25 metres, which is the height of the surrounding trees.

The planning and rezoning applications were approved by the City of Markham on April 22, 2025. After the design of the Temple is selected, a site plan application and building permits will be submitted to the City. It is anticipated that construction of the Temple will begin in 2026.

There will be a significant benefit to the ecology of the site and the surrounding area by compensating for tree removals with new plantings of native species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. More than 4 hectares of land has been proposed for restoration and compensation. The planning for the construction of the Temple includes a 400-year plan for maintaining the area woodlands and trail systems.