Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries

The Court of Appeal decided that 'Friends' and Kristyn Wong-Tam acted in the public interest. Reinstating accountability & transparency to 10 public cemeteries is not "NIMBY" or an "attack" or an effort to "pull apart" MPGC! Why does MPGC's President McClary continue to get it so wrong?... #willfulblindness #publicinterestlitigants #zeropersonalgain

In Kristyn Wong-Tam's op-ed in today's Toronto Star, she explains why she joined 'Friends' in the fight to keep 10 public cemeteries, "public". She is seeking leave with us, to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) in the hope that they are interested to hear this case. There are potential ramifications to all public, secular cemeteries - not just this group. The Public Guardian and Trustee (within the Ministry of the Attorney General) has also requested that the SCC hears this appeal. "The implications are profound: is it right that a charitable, publicly funded, cemetery trust can unilaterally declare itself to be a private enterprise? Should the basic right to safe and affordable burial of our dead, now become only for those who can afford it?" https://www.thestar.com//why-i-am-asking-the-supreme-court

Thank you to City Post magazines for the article outlining some reasons for Friends seeking leave to appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC). Just a few corrections: 1) Friends is not just fighting for greater public involvement in the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (MPGC). MPGC was created as a public cemetery that was paid for by the public, and was to be run as trust, by the public. ... 2) The article makes no mention of the finding of the Court of Appeal that the statutory trust continues to exist, one of the most important results of the decision. 3) The article states that MPGC, as of 2014, was sitting on close to half a million dollars in funds. In fact, MPGC is now sitting on over a quarter billion dollars in cash which is over and above the $453,663,000 in their ‘care and maintenance fund’. https://trnto.com/mount-pleasant-cemetery-supreme-court/

We have been quiet, but have not gone away! We have been busily working on our application to the Supreme Court of Canada with Kristyn Wong-Tam. The Court of Appeal decided that public cemeteries no longer necessarily serve a public purpose with wide ranging ramifications to the public. If public cemeteries no longer serve a charitable purpose and can be converted into private businesses, with burials placed out of the realm of all but a fortunate few, then what are we to do ...with our dead? The Court of Appeal decision also means that every village and town across Canada except Toronto has a municipal or not-for-profit charitable cemetery where its citizens can safely and affordably bury their dead: which was the reason for MPGC's creation in the first place! In a civilized society the government has an obligation to provide its citizens with essential public services like education, health care, and a safe, hygienic and affordable place to bury their dead. It is for these reasons that we are seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Article published by the Centre for Public Legal Education in Alberta. Written by Peter Broder, Policy Analyst and General Counsel at The Muttart Foundation in Edmonton, Alberta. https://www.lawnow.org/not-for-profit-charity-and-non-prof/

Great thanks go to MPP Jessica Bell and the Official Leader of the Opposition Andrea Horwath for stepping up to the plate to protect the interests of the people of Ontario! They have asked Premier FordNation to work together to update the legislation for the MPGC public trust that has left it so vulnerable to private takeover by 8 private individuals. Thank you to MPPs Jill Andrew - MPP, Toronto-St.Paul's , Doly Begum, Jennifer French, Suze Morrison, and Marit Stiles for your advocacy on behalf of the people of Ontario! #timetolegislate #publicchampions #makingthingsright #keepingmpgcpublic #preservingOntariohistory

In 2018 the City of Toronto raised its voice to the Province of Ontario to request that the Province review MPGC's old legislation "to better promote modernization, certainty, clarity, good governance, and sound financial administration of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries and its cemetery lands in the City of Toronto." The City did not even receive an answer back! What does it take to get Premier FordNation's attention? Why is a ~ $3 billion public asset that grosses ~ ...$100 million yearly, has $250 million sitting in cash, and occupies 1,222 acres of urban forest, not of interest to the Province? John Tory Andrea Horwath Jessica Bell Jill Andrew - MPP, Toronto-St.Paul's Stan Cho #burningmoney #keepMPGCpublic #ignoringtheCity #cashforCOVID #getitbeforeitsgone

If you haven't raised your voice to the Premier yet, don't forget to add your name to the letter: "Please reclaim the public trust by updating the crumbling legislation that no longer protects it from private takeover!" Click on the photo below or: https://ftpc4.weebly.com/petition.html

"And last week Toronto Mayor John Tory joined with other mayors in the Greater Toronto Area to ramp up the plea for assistance from Queen’s Park and the federal government. We need their joint financial support and we need it now, Tory said." Why does FordNation not take the $250,000,000 in the MPGC public trust "cash" account? On May 5th the Ontario Appeal Court gave it away to 8 private individuals unless the Province updates the 150 year old legislation. Did they not not...ice? The clock is ticking... John Tory Andrea Horwath Jill Andrew - MPP, Toronto-St.Paul's Jessica Bell Josh Matlow Bonnie Crombie #moveitorloseit #privateinterestsintothepublicfunds Why? #doesnttheprovinceneedthemoney #keepthecashpublicinstead

Tell Premier Ford to keep Mount Pleasant Group Public! A Court of Appeal ruling last week delivered, 10 public cemeteries (1,222 acres around the GTA, ~$3 billion in assets, ~$100 million in yearly income) into the hands of eight private individuals who have effectively taken over control of what was a public asset of Ontario for over 150 years. These eight people have given themselves the power to sell the cemeteries and distribute the proceeds as they see fit.... The court has thrown down the gauntlet to Premier FordNation: "update the legislation or lose it!" Which choice will the Premier make? Please sign and share a letter to the Premier asking him to intervene on behalf of Ontario!

Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries was paid for by the public and run with public participation for over 150 years before it was 'taken over' by private interests who claim that it is their "commercial privately owned cemetery". (10 cemeteries; ~$3 billion in assets; ~$100,000,000 yearly income!) The Appeal Court made that official last week when it OVERTURNED the Superior Court's decision stating that MPGC belonged to the public! The Appeal Court has paved the way for the 8-member closed board to use public assets for private purposes - or even sell the assets to foreign business interests. Please tell Premier Ford to update the 1800s legislation immediately to bring the trust back under public control! Sign the letter here: https://ftpc4.weebly.com/petition.html

The Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries have created a petition to the Premier and MPPs of Ontario, requesting the immediate updating of the legislation for the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries public trust. Please raise your voice to the Province and request the legislature to safeguard MPGC's status as a public trust accountable to the people of Ontario. FordNation Doug Downey John Tory #keepMPGCpublic #takebackthetrust #timetolegislate #keepitdontgiveitaway

The Government of Ontario has decided to #giveawaynotsell, 10 public trust cemeteries that used to belong to the Province. The 1,222 acres are valued at ~$2 billion (by MPAC) and there's ~$1 billion in cash. We asked FordNation to update the legislation, but in his wisdom, he did not. As of last week, thanks to the court of appeal, our former public trust now known as MPGC, is a private enterprise belonging to 8 people. They can chop it up and sell it in parts - or sell it w...holesale to foreign/offshore cemetery companies. And they can now close the gates again whenever they want to. Permanently. Why would the Province rather give it away to these 8 people, instead of selling it themselves? ~$3 billion could go a way to help pay for COVID-19 costs. Why does the Premier think he can afford to give it away? Who benefits? John Tory Josh Matlow Mike Layton #couldhelppayforCOVID #thoughtweneededcash #MPGC #publicassetwasjustprivatized #couldnotbothertolegislate #topoli #onpoli

It's too bad that there are now mistakes on the judicial record. Justice Pepall makes numerous factual errors throughout her appeal decision, starting in the first paragraph. She calls 'Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries' "a company...which consists of members of a local neighbourhood ratepayers' association." ?? That's simply not correct. Does she not understand that we are a not-for-profit corporation, and not a company? (Yikes!) Does she not even know who we are? Was it not even worth her time to find out? She characterized us as a group of people suffering from a case of sour grapes. She nowhere in her decision mentions the public interest. #accuracycounts #kindofinsulting

The gates may now be (temporarily?) open. But the Province, through inaction, has just divested itself of an approximately $3 billion asset for not even a single cent! Thought the Province FordNation needed some money? An amazing feat has occurred through dereliction of duty. The citizens themselves took on the issue in court! But Madame Justice Pepall has given away the store in her appeal decision! The Provincial government does not care about its own asset. Why not? The g...ates were opened once again after public outcry, but Richard Boxer and his 7 friends now own it! They can chop it up and sell it, piece by piece. Just watch them. We can add up the price tags, and see what went to the squatters instead of the Province! Josh Matlow Mike Layton John Tory #byebyepublictrust #justgaveawaythreebillion #nobodycaresaboutacemetery #watchthemsellit