On-demand heat backed by Enbridge Gas across Newmarket.

Plan on $6,000 to $15,000 CAD installed. A direct-vent insert going into an existing masonry firebox with a nearby gas line—common in the older Davis Drive and Main Street corridor homes—lands toward the lower end. A new built-in unit for a great room addition or a full renovation, especially one needing a longer gas line run from the meter, pushes toward the top. Homes in newer subdivisions at the edges of town that fall outside Enbridge Gas's current mains footprint should budget for a propane tank setup on top of the fireplace cost itself.

Yes, and it's a common upgrade in Newmarket's older neighbourhoods where masonry fireplaces were originally built to burn sugar maple and red oak. A gas insert typically slides into the existing firebox with a liner run through the chimney, generally landing between $6,000 and $11,000 depending on chimney condition and gas line distance. Converting also means you're no longer subject to CSA B365 wood-appliance rules or a WETT inspection for insurance—the fireplace instead falls under Ontario's TSSA gas code, which most licensed installers handle as routine paperwork.

Enbridge Gas covers most of established Newmarket, so if your furnace or water heater already runs on natural gas, a fireplace is usually a simple branch off the existing line. Some newer developments on the outskirts of town, and a handful of rural properties toward the King Township line, sit outside the current mains footprint and rely on propane instead. Either fuel works in the models most local dealers carry—worth confirming your street's coverage with Enbridge before you settle on a unit.

Most will, which matters given the ice storms that periodically knock out Alectra Utilities service across York Region in late winter. Units with intermittent pilot ignition run on AA battery backup that kicks in automatically when the power drops. Millivolt or standing-pilot models skip batteries entirely, generating their own current off the pilot flame. Ask your dealer which ignition system is on any model you're considering—for a Newmarket household that's lost power during a January storm before, it's worth choosing deliberately rather than defaulting to whatever's on the showroom floor.

A gas fireplace is a built-in unit framed into a wall, typical in new construction or additions going up in Newmarket's newer subdivisions. A gas insert fits inside an existing masonry firebox, which is the more common retrofit in the town's older established neighbourhoods where wood fireplaces burning sugar maple or white ash were standard when the houses were built. A gas stove is freestanding on a hearth pad, similar footprint to a wood stove but running off a gas line or propane tank. For most existing Newmarket homes with a working chimney, an insert is the least disruptive option.

Yes. You'll need a building permit through the Town of Newmarket's building department, and the gas connection itself must be completed by a TSSA-licensed gas fitter—that's an Ontario-wide requirement, strictly enforced regardless of municipality. Most established hearth dealers who work in Newmarket handle both the permit application and the final inspection as part of the job, so you're not coordinating the building department and a separate gas contractor yourself.

Direct-vent units pull combustion air from outside and exhaust it back outside through sealed venting, and they're the standard, code-compliant choice across Ontario for daily use. Vent-free units are restricted under Ontario's building and gas codes and aren't broadly approved for residential installations the way they are in some U.S. states, so if a listing advertises one, confirm with your dealer and the Town of Newmarket's building department before you commit. Nearly every gas fireplace installed locally is direct-vent for exactly this reason.

Plan on an annual check, ideally in September before the first cold snap rather than mid-winter when technicians are booked solid across York Region. A technician checks the burner, pilot assembly, gas connections, and venting, and cleans the glass. It's a lighter lift than a wood chimney sweep, but skipping it on a unit that runs daily through a five-month Newmarket heating season is how a pilot or ignition failure shows up on the coldest night in January. Expect roughly $150 to $250 for a standard visit.

Wood—often sugar maple, red oak, or yellow birch sourced from central and eastern Ontario suppliers—still has a following here, especially among homeowners who want a fireplace that works with zero utility dependence during an outage. But wood installs mean CSA B365 code compliance and typically a WETT inspection for insurance, plus routine chimney sweeping. Gas wins on convenience: instant heat, no cutting or stacking, and with battery-backup ignition it keeps running through most Alectra Utilities outages too. A lot of Newmarket households end up choosing gas for the main living space and, if they already have a wood-burning fireplace elsewhere, keeping it as backup rather than removing it.

Most modern gas fireplaces can—turn it on and off from the couch with a remote, or set a room temperature and let the fireplace hold the comfort zone for you. If low maintenance matters to your family, this is the feature set that makes gas the convenience pick over wood and pellet.

Because a fireplace is an iceberg—there's more behind the wall than in front of it. A low quote often covers only the unit; the full scope includes vent pipe, gas line or electrical, framing, and the tile or stone that has to come off and go back on. Make every bidder price the whole job. If a dealer can't speak to the full scope with confidence, that's your signal to keep looking.

Four cover most of the market: screen-front traditional (mesh front, open feel, fits craftsman homes), traditional door set (the classic look you grew up with), modern linear (wide, low, the statement piece for entertaining), and clean face contemporary (no trim—your tile or stone runs right to the fire's edge). Walk in knowing those four terms and you're ahead of most buyers.

Two ways, and they're both big. Looks: modern gas fireplaces are realistic enough that it's hard to believe they aren't burning wood. Cost: old units burn a standing pilot year-round (roughly $200 a year), while new ones use pilot-on-demand ignition and modern burners. Add remote controls and thermostat operation, and the day-to-day experience isn't close.