Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries

04/01/2021

**Note: If you call an MPGC cemetery to ask questions about your plot and they ask YOU if there has been a death, they aren’t supposed to pass you to their funeral company to get the answer to your question.

03/22/2021

According to the Funeral Burial Cremation Services Act (FBCSA), operators like MPGC may not solicit business from Long Term Care (LTC) homes or hospices. What is the quid pro quo for MPGC's $10k "donation" to the 'Better Living' palliative care programs in North York? Are there other 'end-of-life' programs receiving payments from MPGC?

01/18/2021

Taphophile alert: A hauntingly beautiful piece about abandoned cemeteries in Nova Scotia. A compelling story about preserving memorials.

Steve Skafte's quest to find Nova Scotia's abandoned cemeteries feels a bit like bringing the dead back to life.

12/22/2020

A nearly 50-year employee of MPGC is the Chair of the Bereavement Authority of Toronto.

"A value-for-money audit of the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), an agency founded four years ago that regulates licensed funeral homes, cemeteries, crematoriums and services that transfer the dead to places of interment, found that it must do a better job of requiring the industry to be transparent about pricing.

"We were ... surprised by what we saw," [the Auditor General] said.

In a news release, the office of the auditor general said: "The audit concluded the BAO does not effectively protect people who are purchasing funeral services and products after a loved one has passed."

The Ontario government says it will take steps to ensure consumers are better protected when they buy funeral and cremation services in the province.

12/15/2020

A beautiful tribute to Toronto's Public Trust Cemeteries. Should have been required reading for the Court of Appeal!

12/12/2020

12/11/2020

A big 'Thank You' to the Public Guardian & Trustee of the Ministry of the Attorney General Doug Downey. The PGT is the protector of the vulnerable and provided unwavering support to the non-profit secular cemetery sector in supporting a Supreme Court of Canada appeal.

12/10/2020

The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear Friends and
Kristyn Wong-Tam's appeal, a hit to the secular charitable cemetery sector.

=> However, the Ontario Court of Appeal decision being upheld means the province has the 'all clear' to update MPGC's legislation.