City of Toronto Loses at the Ontario Municipal Board;
MPRA Loses at Superior Court Hearing in Their Opposition
to Mount Pleasant Cemetery's Proposed Visitation Centre:
Update as of March 18, 2007
What Can You Do? Read On….!!
For a NEW Lawn Sign Call 416-440-1177!
What’s been going on?
Although the Community
had major wins in September ’06 at both Community
Council and City Council as a whole – voting to stop the
Visitation Centre and the Tree Destruction/Removal
Application Plans, the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB)
decided in November to overturn the Municipality’s
decision. (The amended plan presented by MPGC at the OMB
now includes permission to broadcast funerals from the
Visitation Centre – a detail never included in any
previous site plans.)
This past January 8th
and 9th, the MPRA was represented in a “judicial
interpretation,” an action initiated by some local
funeral homes, seeking a definition of the G-Zone (green
space) by-law. City Council had voted to provide the
MPRA with $70,000 of funding to represent our shared
position in court. Unfortunately the judge did not find
in our favour, deciding the phrase in the by-law,
“associated uses,” was vague enough that she could not
disallow a building such as a visitation centre.
What’s Next? Tree Removal/Destruction/Transplantation of
71 Trees.
MPGC must fulfill some
conditions set by the OMB decision – such as soil
testing, etc. Upon the completion of these conditions
MPGC will apply to the City for building permits.
Unfortunately, due to the OMB decision, the City cannot
refuse their application. The MPGC will be free to go
ahead when they receive their permits.
It has been suggested by
residents that they would like to attend the cutting of
the 39 trees and register their sadness at this
unnecessary tragedy. It is unlikely that MPGC will share
their schedule with us, as of course, tree destruction
is not a publicly favoured activity. Should you see
anybody starting to cut the trees, please alert us. You
may phone MPRA members as follows:
Cemetery Committee
Chair: Margot Boyd (416) 440-1177 or (416) 871-1417
Cemetery Committee: Chris Thompson (416) 488-8913 or
(416) 574-0469, or MPRA Co-President: Cindy Gareau (416)
488-4909
Please inform your
friends and neighbours and head to the site immediately
to show your lack of support for the tree destruction.
Is There Anything Else We Can Do? YES, Absolutely.
As a result of the two year struggle and
learning experience with MPGC the MPRA has come to the
bold decision to ask the Province to update the 136-year
old Charter which still governs MPGC today.
The original issues of
importance to MPGC were how to bury indigent people and
those with no religious affiliation. The Charter
reflects this. Today the issues for “the citizens” for
whom the MPGC Trust is to be managed are the
preservation of historical treasures, green space and
the concept of environmental sustainability.
Understandably, none of these concepts held any
relevance to those living in the 1800s and are nowhere
reflected in the Charter.
What Action is Required From You?
The Province
needs to hear from you the same way that the City heard
from you. Last time you did a record-setting job. Please
help us again! Please write/email/phone MPP George
Smitherman and Premier Dalton McGuinty.
The key messages for your emails, phone calls and
letters are:
1)
This issue is broader than the City of Toronto, as Mount
Pleasant Cemetery is a national historic treasure.
2)
MPGC is a “public trust” that manages a substantial
asset base “in trust for the citizens.” There is a
serious accountability issue, as the MPGC Board publicly
denied in the National Post, May 11, 2006, any
accountability to the public.
3)
MPGC’s 136-year old governing Charter addressed issues
of the 1800s, but does not address the important issues
of “the citizens” today. A serious disconnect has
developed between the priorities of the Board and the
priorities of “the citizens.”
4)
Reaffirm the original Trust.
5)
Restore public accountability.
6)
Restore the open process of recruiting MPGC Board
Members which has been made private.
7)
Institutionalize a governance mechanism to ensure the
preservation of history and the environment.
Contact Information: