Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (MPGC) was established as a public trust by the Ontario Legislature in the 1800s and operated with public participation for over 150 years until the 1980s. The trust was funded 100% by the Ontario public, who continue to subsidize it through the forgiveness of all taxation.

In the mid 2000's, the MPGC board began without reason to claim that it was their "commercial, privately owned cemetery" and that there was no public trust. The board declared it was accountable to no one, despite the public's investment that had grown to a ~$3 billion dollar asset encompassing 1,222 acres in the Greater Toronto Area and enjoying ongoing public subsidy.

In order to protect the Trust, and due to a vacuum in Provincial leadership and oversight, the Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries applied to the Courts to interpret and enforce the Province’s own legislation. Although ‘Friends’ won the case in Superior Court, the Court of Appeal reversed the judge’s decision and unbelievably, delivered the cemetery assets in private hands.

Mount Pleasant can now lock the gates and restrict access to the cemetery, as we've seen recently, or do something worse - such as sell cemetery land to a foreign-owned multinational cemetery corporation.

The Court of Appeal however confirmed that the Trust was created by the provincial Legislature which can re-legislate as it sees fit.

​The Government of Ontario must act to update the legislation to protect our Public Trust. Or lose it forever!

Join our Petition to Premier Ford!
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    Subject: Keep Mount Pleasant public – update the legislation.

    Dear Premier Ford, Attorney General Downey, Honourable Lisa Thompson and Honourable Members of Provincial Parliament:

    On May 5th, the Appeal Court of Ontario handed a public asset belonging to the legislature to eight private individuals. We need you to fix this by updating the legislation for the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries public trust immediately!

    Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (MPGC) was established as a public trust by the Ontario legislature in the 1800s. The trust was funded 100% by the public who continue to subsidize it today by waiving all taxation.

    The public’s original investment has grown to a ~$3 billion asset encompassing 1,222 acres around the Greater Toronto Area – and it enjoys ongoing public subsidy.

    The trust operated with public participation for over 150 years until the late 1980s. By the mid 2000s, the MPGC board began without reason to claim that it was their “commercial, privately owned cemetery”. 

    As both the McGuinty and Wynne governments refused to provide leadership or action, in order to protect the trust by enforcing Ontario legislation, Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries (Friends) made an application to Superior Court. Friends won this case and in response the MPGC board mounted an appeal using their funds from the public trust.

    In a shocking decision, the Court of Appeal overturned the Ontario Superior Court’s decision, and ‘adapted’ the legislation to give the $3 billion asset to the private interests who had taken over. 

    However, the Appeal Court judges did confirm that the trust was created by the provincial Legislature which can re-legislate as it sees fit.

    The court has thrown down the gauntlet to the Province: act immediately to update the legislation or lose it forever!

    Our plea to you: “Please update the legislation that governs the public trust, immediately!”
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