Testimonials
"I have no difficulty in theory with the privatization of a public agency of Ontario. However, the apparent ‘privatization’ of the public trust, Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, is quite puzzling and curious. We now have a ‘board of governors’ who claim no public accountability and refuse to make their financials public. What payment or transfer of assets was made from the private individuals to the Government of Ontario? Is this a government trying to find efficiencies? Or is it a straight out giveaway?"
Andrew Coyne is a columnist at the National Post and has been a regular contributor to CBC's The National 'At Issue' panel since 2005
“Over the years, Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, a publicly owned agency has begun to take on the characteristics of and act as a private company. There is no longer an open process for recruiting board members and there are concerns over public accountability for this valuable, national treasure. The Provincial government, which has made commitments to transparency, must take steps to restore accountability and public oversight over Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries.”
John O'Toole, Progressive Conservative MPP for Durham
“We are writing to express our support for the following resolutions and we call upon the Government of Ontario to take action to:
- Enforce the law of 1849, which requires the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries to elect its directors in a prescribed manner;
- Protect the public’s interest in the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries;
- Return the governance of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries to public control as intended by the statutes that created this institution;
- Ensure that the mandate of the original trust is respected; and
- Provide a public accounting for the financial transactions of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries.”
Except from a Letter to Premier McGuinty December 1, 2009 from FONTRA – ‘Federation of North Toronto Residents’ Associations’
“Mount Pleasant Cemetery is the resting place of some of our country’s greatest citizens including prime ministers, premiers, mayors, war veterans, artists, business people, clergymen and thousands of others who helped build our city and country. It also serves midtown and North Toronto as a public park where our families enjoy the many miles of walking paths, statues, gardens, and the bountiful diversity of its trees.
Our cemetery was created for the public and should once again be given genuine public oversight in order to protect this sacred and beautiful place where we visit those we’ve lost and an important green space that contributes to the quality of life of both local residents and all Torontonians.
As a public agency, the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries should be governed by, and accountable to, the people.”
Josh Matlow, Trustee for St. Paul’s Toronto District School Board, Candidate for Toronto City Councillor Ward 22, St. Paul’s
“Unfortunately, the issue of repatriating a Crown agency back to the people of Ontario is not within the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Toronto. This issue falls under the jurisdiction of the government of Ontario – the matter lies within the auspices of Attorney General Chris Bentley, Premier McGuinty and his Cabinet. However, the issue is crucial to Toronto, as we stand to lose 1,200 acres of publicly owned green space. As Mayor of Toronto, I will raise our collective voice to the Government of Ontario on Toronto’s behalf and request that Premier McGuinty take the necessary steps to stop ten publicly funded and historical Toronto area cemeteries from disappearing into the hands of a few private individuals."
Sarah Thomson, former Candidate for Mayor for the City of Toronto
"As a lifelong public servant, I have always subscribed to the principles of public trust and accountability. I can see why there are more questions than answers and I understand why we need full public disclosure of how we got to where we are today in relation to the governance of Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. I will always be on the side of public trust and accountability, and welcome the opportunity to work with you and the community to come up with a solution that upholds public confidence."
Ken Chan, Candidate for City Council, Toronto Centre-Rosedale, Ward 27
"The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries controls a critical part of Toronto's green space - 1200 acres, only 200 of which are in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. These cemeteries not only provide wonderful tranquil oases for all of us to enjoy, they are sacred ground for many, and a historical monument to those who helped build this great city. MPGC was established as a public trust, owned by and accountable to the citizens of the Toronto. Now those who manage it are making clear efforts to redefine it as a private for profit entity, and without paying for it. Along with a number of others, I wrote to request a copy of the MPGC's financials as a concerned citizen, and that request was rebuffed with a letter claiming I do not have a right to that information. This response has only left me more determined to find out how much the trustees (they call themselves directors) are paid, whether they have profited personally from any sale of land, and whether 1200 acres of Toronto green space has been usurped from the public trust! I fully support and praise Margot Boyd's tireless efforts to fight this outrage against the common good, and will continue to join in this fight until our cemeteries are once again indisputably owned and controlled by the people of Toronto."
Robert Meynell, Ph.D., Candidate for City Council, Toronto Centre-Rosedale, Ward 27
“Good governance is one of the hallmarks of a properly functioning organization. When a publicly owned agency fails in this regard, accountability and transparency fall to the wayside. The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, as a publicy owned agency, must ensure there is an open process for recruiting board members who represent the public interest. Failing that, the provincial government is obligated to take suitable measures to restore accountability and protect this cultural treasure.”
Rob Davis, Trustee for Toronto Catholic District School Board Ward 6, Candidate for Toronto City Councillor Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence
"Toronto can be very casual towards its history. In our rush to the new we sometimes dismiss the old and lose links to our past. Mount Pleasant Cemetery is just such a link.
What distinguishes Mount Pleasant Cemetery is its inclusiveness. It was conceived to be available to all the citizens of Toronto, regardless of religion. Prior to the establishment of Mount Pleasant Cemetery, the only cemeteries in Toronto were exclusive to Anglican and Roman Catholic Christians. All others denominations and faiths had to make burial arrangements outside the city. Mount Pleasant Cemetery was one of the first steps we took towards the multicultural Toronto we now call home.
Mount Pleasant is an important and enduring link to our past. We have responsibility to preserve its hallowed ground."
Simon Wookey, Candidate for Toronto City Council Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale
"What has become of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery? The pond is gone. The pool is gone.
The creeks and waterfalls have been buried. Some of the old bridges thrust their stones above the soil so they can be remembered.
Roads have been torn up and converted into burial plots. Trees cut down.
The memorial plaque near the cemetery office mentions the trustees that started the cemetery.
The Ontario government's Public Act of 1849 gave the community the power to select the MPGC trustees to govern the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery according to the terms of the trust on behalf of the citizens.
So after asking Premier McGuinty and his government since 2006, why won't they enforce the laws of Ontario and bring accountability back to the operations of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery?"
Chris Thompson, 40-year resident, Moore Park
"As a long time resident of Moore Park and past co-chair of the Moore Park Residents' Association, I am greatly concerned about the lack of accountability that the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries is “allowed” to enjoy, not to mention the lack of leadership of the government - on all levels. During my tenure the cemetery demonstrated little respect or regard for the community as exemplified by the invasive Visitation Centre and the continued, excessive use of pesticides, which was dangerous for all of us living in close proximity to the cemetery.
I am greatly concerned about 'what is next' if this organization is left unchecked – sell the land for condos or build bigger and potentially hazardous crematorium? Our government leaders need to step up! It is time that the citizens took back the cemetery, re-established responsible and proper governance, and regained oversight of this important and historic landmark."
Cindy Gareau, former Co-Chair of the Moore Park Residents' Association, 20+ year resident, Moore Park
"The open questions surrounding MPGC remain troubling. One cannot understand why the McGuinty Government fails to take the necessary steps to require that appropriate financial information be made available to the public. It is equally difficult to understand why that same government has been unable to respond to a clear and well reasoned letter from McCarthy Tetrault, one of Canada's leading law firms, more than six months after the receipt of that letter which drew attention to MPGC's unique dual status as a Special Act corporation and corporate trustee of a public trust."
William P Rosenfeld Q.C.
"Government has an important role in ensuring the primacy of the rule of law. Nowhere is this more so than in questions of the proper governance of a commonwealth institution whose public trust has been manifestly usurped to seemingly private advantage.
The MPGC affair is a disturbing and troublesome litany and we have a right to expect much more from the oversight body - the McGuinty government. Does it need to be shamed into acting yet again? Sadly, years of inaction and and partially-kept promises suggest yes."
Brian Pel, Chair - Cemetery Committee and Director, Moore Park Residents Association
“Whether we know it as a place of historical or cultural interest, whether we go to visit the graves of family or friends, to admire the monuments and gardens or to simply walk or bike through its expansive greenspace, Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a priceless public treasure. The ‘Toronto General Burying Ground’ was created by an Act of the Ontario legislature in the early 1800’s and grew over time to encompass ten cemeteries in the GTA including the historic Necropolis in Cabbagetown and the Mount Pleasant and Prospect Cemeteries in midtown Toronto.
Sometime in the 1970’s the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (as it is now known) began to conduct its affairs as if it were a privately owned corporation and as if its special governing legislation no longer applied to it. However looking back over public records, there is no evidence that the government of Ontario ever divested itself of these valuable lands and there is no public policy reason why it would have done so.
How then could this public treasure have fallen into private hands and why won’t the Premier and Attorney General take control of their own agency?”
Pamela Taylor, Community Activist, Lawyer, Former Candidate Ontario PC Party Toronto Centre, "Cemetery Committee at Large"
“My great-great-great grandfather, Sir John Beverley Robinson, wrote the original trust legislation for Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries and presented it to the Legislature of Upper Canada in 1826. William Lyon Mackenzie was the first recording secretary for the trust. The trust was created for members of the public who also paid for it. How then can Premier McGuinty and Attorney General Chris Bentley be oblivious to the roles they are playing in allowing the legacy of early Canadians to be handed over to a group of private individuals?”
Margot Boyd, Chair, "Cemetery Committee at Large"