Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

located in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, and is part of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. It was opened in November 1876 and is located north of Moore Park, a neighbourhood of Toronto. The cemetery has kilometres of drives and walking paths interspersed with fountains, statues and botanical gardens, as well as rare and distinct trees. It was originally laid out by German-born landscape architect Henry Adolph Engelhardt, inspired by the European and American garden cemeteries of the 19th century, and with influences from

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, is the first rural or garden cemetery in the United States. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmins, and is a National Historic Landmark. Dedicated in ...

in Boston. As the final resting place of more than 168,000 persons, Mount Pleasant Cemetery contains remarkable architecture amongst its many monuments. The cemetery was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 2000.

History

In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the town of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(predecessor to present-day Toronto) were limited to members of either the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

or the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Deceased citizens who did not belong to either of these Christian denominations had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside of the city. Notably, those of Jewish faith who wanted a Jewish burial had to resort to cemeteries beyond Ontario (Montreal and Buffalo) until Pape Avenue Cemetery was opened outside of Toronto in 1849. In response to a petition to the

Legislative Council of Upper Canada The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist ...

, which included "it has become desirable that a Plot be obtained for the purpose of a General Burying Ground, as well for Strangers as for the Inhabitants of the Town, of whatever sect or denomination they may be", a statute named ''An act to authorize certain persons therein named, and their successors, to hold certain lands for the purpose therein mentioned'' was passed and received Royal Assent in 1826: ''Acts of U.C. 7 Geo. IV, c. 21''. The land that came to be known as the "Potters Field" was acquired and started operation as a cemetery soon afterwards. Over time, additional cemetery lands were added to what became the Toronto General Burying Ground. In 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was established. The new cemetery was situated on an farm on Lot 19 Concession 3 (also referred to as Yonge Street Farm) that was once owned by the Cawthra family (and likely by William Cawthra) at the far outskirts of the city. Mount Pleasant Cemetery formally opened on 4 November 1876, with more than of carriage drives along rolling hills and ponds.

Mount Pleasant Road Mount Pleasant Road is a major arterial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street extends from Jarvis Street south of Bloor Street north to Glen Echo Drive. The road is unique as one of the few arterial roads in Toronto to be created ...

was later constructed to pass through the centre of the cemetery and is named after it. The cemetery also has remains and a number of stone markers that were moved from the Potter's Field. The urban expansion of Toronto eventually led to Mount Pleasant Cemetery being situated in the centre of the city. A number of Canadian servicemen who died during the World Wars were interred at the cemetery. It contains 231 Commonwealth War Graves, comprising 126 burials in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and 105 in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 188 are of the Canadian, and 43 the British, armed forces. Toronto-Mount-pleasant-visitation-oct-2009

In the autumn of 2009, the cemetery opened Mount Pleasant Visitation Centre. The new building is approximately and is built on the property grounds. It was built with the intention to provide visitation space and chapel services. The cemetery began planning the building as early as 2004, but disputes with the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the ''City of Toron ...

, local funeral homes, and the

Ontario Municipal Board The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) was an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada. It heard applications and appeals on municipal and planning disputes, as well as other matters s ...

all delayed the project. Changes were made as a result of this process, most notably vehicle access is now through the cemetery grounds only (near the cemetery offices), not directly from Moore Avenue.

Controversy

Despite the cemetery having been created as a

public trust The concept of public trust relates back to the origins of democratic government and its seminal idea that within the public lies the true power and future of a society; therefore, whatever ''trust'' citizens place in its officials must be respe ...

Special Act Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces M ...

of the Ontario legislature in 1826 (Toronto General Burying Grounds Act), Mount Pleasant Group began to assert publicly that it had been converted in 1871 into a corporation subject to the Corporations Act of Ontario and that it was no longer a trust. Community activist Margot Boyd and others argued that its status as a public trust remained unchanged. With donations from the community, Boyd engaged the McCarthy Tetrault law firm in 2009 to review the statutes pertaining to Mount Pleasant Group. An 18-page letter sent to Ontario Premier

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...

stated: “Legally, this trust might be characterized in several ways, but an accurate description of the trust in question is a ‘public trust.’ ” Local politicians Toronto Centre MPP Glen Murray and Ward 12

Toronto City Councillor Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

Josh Matlow both agreed at the time. As early as 2006, Mount Pleasant Group began describing itself as a commercial privately owned entity, and refused to disclose its financial records, giving rise to allegations that it was engaged in the stealth privatization of a public asset. In 2012, Mount Pleasant Group commenced a public relations campaign against Boyd and others in an attempt to deflect criticism, and to discredit its detractors by labelling them

NIMBY NIMBY (, or nimby), an acronym for the phrase "Not In My Back Yard", is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed real estate development and infrastructure developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land us ...

s. In December 2012, Boyd and lawyer and community activist Pamela Taylor organized a public trustee election in accordance with the requirements of the 1849 Special Act. In 2013, over the objections of local residents, Mount Pleasant Group installed a new crematorium. The siting of the facility was a mere 16.5 metres from neighbouring houses, and contrary to Toronto City By-laws. Ward 13 City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam sought leave to appeal against the Ontario Ministry of the Environment decision to allow the crematorium. Also in 2013, Boyd and Taylor, together with historian and environmental consultant Lorraine Tinsley, founded the not-for-profit association Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries and brought an Application to the Superior Court of Ontario to interpret the cemetery statutes.

Memorials

* To commemorate the 118 lives lost in the fire that destroyed the Great Lakes luxury cruise liner SS ''Noronic'' on September 17, 1949, a memorial was erected by the Government of Ontario. * To commemorate the 167 lives of members of the Salvation Army (1012 people in total died) lost in the sinking of the '' Empress of Ireland'' on May 29, 1914, a memorial surrounded by the graves of the deceased was erected by the Toronto unit of the Salvation Army. * To commemorate the 109 lives lost in the crash of Air Canada Flight 621 on July 5, 1970, a memorial surrounded by graves of many of the dead was erected in May 1971. * Children's Garden Memorial was created to remember all the stillborn and children without known parents the province buried in one area with no stones or markers. * A memorial was erected sometime after 1912 in honour of two soldiers killed returning from a training exercise in 1912 and as a monument to the

48th Highlanders of Canada The 48th Highlanders of Canada is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve infantry regiment based in Toronto, Ontario, parading out of Moss Park Armoury. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. Regimental Badge ...

's veterans and war dead of the

South African War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

Notable interments

Business people

* John Paris Bickell (1884–1951), majority owner and chairman of the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

, co-founder and chairman of

Avro Canada Avro Canada was a Canadian aircraft manufacturing company. It was founded in 1945 as an aircraft plant and within 13 years became the third-largest company in Canada, one of the largest 100 companies in the world, and directly employing over 50 ...

* Alfred J. Billes (1902–1995), co-founder of

Canadian Tire Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited () is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas station ...

* George Montegu Black II (1911–1976), president of

Canadian Breweries Limited Canadian Breweries Limited (CBL), originally the Brewing Corporation of Ontario, was an Ontario-based holding company in the brewing industry. The company was founded in 1930 by a merger of two breweries, Brading of Ottawa and Kuntz of Kitchener- ...

* Matthew James Boylen (1907–1970), mining magnate (Brunswick Mining and Smelting Corp. Ltd), racehorse owner *

William Mellis Christie William Mellis Christie (5 January 1829 – 14 June 1900) is the namesake for the Canadian Mr. Christie brand of cookies and biscuits, owned by Mondelez International. Christie was born in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the only child of John ...

(1829–1900), namesake of the Canadian "Mr. Christie" brand of cookies and biscuits * Gordon Cheesbrough (1952–2010), businessman, president and CEO of Altamira Investment Services *

George Albertus Cox George Albertus Cox (7 May 1840 – 16 January 1914) was a very prominent Canadian businessman and a member of the Senate of Canada. Life and career He was born in Colborne, Upper Canada, in 1840. He began work as a telegrapher for the Mont ...

(1840–1914), founder of Central Canada Loan & Savings Company and of National Trust Company, Ontario MP and Senator * Robert T. Davies (1849–1916), businessman, racehorse owner * William Henry Davies (1831–1921), Canada's first meat packer, also first artificial refrigeration *

Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was a Northern Irish-Canadian businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, ...

(1834–1907), department store magnate (

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's g ...

) * James Henry Gundy (1880–1951), stockbroker, co-founder of Wood Gundy Inc. * Henry R. Jackman (1900–1979), businessman and politician, father of former Lieutenant Governor Henry N.R. Jackman * Albert Edward Kemp (1858–1929), businessman and politician * Hart Massey (1823–1896), founder of

Massey-Harris Massey Ferguson is an agricultural machinery manufacturer, established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson-Brown Company, Ferguson Company of Ireland. It was based in Coventry then moved t ...

, philanthropist * William McMaster (1811–1887), banker, statesman, founder of

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

and

CIBC The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; ) is a Canadian Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District, Toronto, Financial District of Toronto, Ont ...

* Ryland H. New (1888–1979), head of Hamilton & Toronto Sewer Pipe Company and founder of National Sewer Pipe Company Limited, racehorse owner * Arthur Godfrey Peuchen (1859–1929), businessman (Standard Chemical, Iron & Lumber Company of Canada), soldier, survivor of ''

RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...

'' * Edward S. Rogers Sr. (1900–1939), founder of Rogers Majestic * Joseph Rotman (1935–2015), businessman and philanthropist * Steve Stavro (1926–2006), founder of

Knob Hill Farms Knob Hill Farms was a supermarket chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada that operated from 1953 to 2001 and was owned by businessman Steve Stavro. It began as a single produce store in the east end of Toronto in 1953 before growing ...

, horse breeder, former owner of the

* Robert Simpson (1834–1897), department store magnate ( Robert Simpson Limited) *

Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet (September 1, 1923 – June 12, 2006), known in Canada as Ken Thomson, was a Canadian/British businessman and art collector. At the time of his death, he was listed by ''Forbes'' as the richest pe ...

(1923–2006), businessman (son of founder of

Thomson Corporation Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organization and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to form Thomson Reut ...

), art collector, richest person in Canada * George Weston (1864–1924), founder of

George Weston Limited George Weston Limited, often referred to as Weston or Weston's, is a Canadian holding company. Founded by George Weston in 1882, the company today consists of the Choice Properties real estate investment trust and Loblaw Companies Limited, C ...

W. Garfield Weston Willard Garfield Weston (26 February 189822 October 1978) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Weston family. He led George Weston Limited and its various subsidiaries and associated companies, includi ...

(1898–1978), businessman and British MP

Clergymen

* Arnold Brown (1913–2002),

General of The Salvation Army General is the title of the international leader and chief executive officer of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive Charitable organization, charitable social work, social services that gives quasi-military rank to its Min ...

* James Gareth Endicott,

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

minister, President of the

Canadian Peace Congress The Canadian Peace Congress ( abbr. CPCon) is an anti-imperialist group founded in 1949 by Canadian minister James Gareth Endicott in response to the new dangers to peace posed because of the Cold War. It described itself as "a place where peopl ...

1949–1971 *

Jonathan Goforth Jonathan Goforth (, February 10, 1859 – October 8, 1936) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary to China with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission, along with his wife, Florence Rosalind (Bell-Smith) Goforth. Jonathan Goforth became the foremost ...

(1859–1936), Presbyterian Missionary * Rev.

Egerton Ryerson Adolphus Egerton Ryerson (24 March 1803 – 19 February 1882) was a Canadian educator, author, editor, and Methodist minister who was a prominent contributor to the design of the Canadian public school system. Ryerson is considered to be the fo ...

(1803–1882), Methodist minister * Very Rev Dr Alexander Topp (1814–1879) twice Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Canada * Howard P. Whidden, clergyman, professor, politician (Manitoba MP), Chancellor of

Medical personalities

* Sir

Frederick Banting Sir Frederick Grant Banting (November 14, 1891 – February 21, 1941) was a Canadian pharmacologist, orthopedist, and field surgeon. For his co-discovery of insulin and its therapeutic potential, Banting was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physi ...

(1891–1941) & Charles Best (1899–1978), co-discoverers of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...

. Banting, a Major in the

Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. History The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (oth ...

at his death, is one of 231 Commonwealth war graves in the cemetery. * Bertha Harmer (1880–1934), prominent Canadian/American nurse * Jennie Smillie Robertson (1878–1981), Canada's first female surgeon

Music personalities

* Mario Bernardi (1930-2013), pianist, conductor * Bobby Gimby (1918–1998), writer of the

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

theme: Ca-na-da *

Glenn Gould Glenn Herbert Gould (; né Gold; 25 September 19324 October 1982) was a Canadian classical pianist. He was among the most famous and celebrated pianists of the 20th century, renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard works of Johann Sebastian ...

(1932–1982), musician, pianist, composer, musical theorist * Lois Lilienstein (1936–2015), children's entertainer, member of

Sharon, Lois & Bram Sharon, Lois & Bram (also known as Sharon, Bram & Friends, Sharon & Bram or Sharon & Randi) are a Canadian children's music group founded in Toronto, Ontario, 1978. The group's original lineup consisted of Sharon (née Trostin) Hampson, L ...

* Robert (Bob) McBride (1946–1998) singer-songwriter and lead singer of the rock band Lighthouse * Alexander Muir (1830–1906), author of

The Maple Leaf Forever "The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian patriotic song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Canadian Confederation, Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in defence ...

(1867), Canada's early (unofficial) national anthem * John Rutsey (1953–2008), original drummer for progressive rock band Rush * Robert Watkin-Mills (1849–1930), concert and oratorio singer

Politicians

Prime Minister John Turner gravesite photo

* James Cox Aikins (1823–1904), politician (Canada West MLA, Ontario Senator, federal cabinet minister), 4th

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba The lieutenant governor of Manitoba (, (if male) or (if female) ) is the representative in Manitoba of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada. The lieuten ...

* John Black Aird (1923–1995), 23rd

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...

, Ontario Senator, lawyer * Herbert Henry Ball (1863–1943), politician (Toronto alderman, Ontario MPP and cabinet minister), civil servant (

King's Printer The King's Printer (known as the Queen's Printer during the reign of a female monarch) is typically a bureau of the national, state, or provincial government responsible for producing official documents issued by the King-in-Council, Ministers ...

of Ontario) * Herbert Alexander Bruce (1868–1963), 15th

, Ontario MP, surgeon *

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

(1836–1915), 9th

, lawyer * Lionel Herbert Clarke (1859–1921), 12th

, brewer * William Dennison (1905–1981), 55th

Mayor of Toronto The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the Municipal government of Toronto, municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; t ...

, alderman, Controller, Ontario MPP, educator * George Howard Ferguson (1870–1946), 9th

Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...

, Ontario MPP and cabinet minister, diplomat * Robert John Fleming (1854–1925), businessman, 27th Mayor of Toronto, alderman *

Fred Gardiner Frederick Goldwin Gardiner, (January 21, 1895 – August 21, 1983) was a Canadian politician, lawyer and businessman. He was the first chairman of Metropolitan Toronto council, the governing body for the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, ...

(1895–1983), politician (Last reeve of Forest Hill, 1st Metro Toronto Chairman) * William Hearst (1864–1941), 7th Premier of Ontario, Ontario MPP and cabinet minister * George Stewart Henry (1871–1958), 10th Premier of Ontario, Ontario MPP and cabinet minister * Warring Kennedy (1827–1904), businessman, 28th Mayor of Toronto, alderman * Allan Lamport (1903–1999),

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the primary public transport agency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operating the majority of the city's transit bus, bus and rail services. It is the oldest and largest of the urban transit service providers ...

Commissioner, 50th Mayor of Toronto, Controller and alderman *

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

(1874–1950), Ontario MP and cabinet minister, 10th

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

* John Keiller MacKay (1888–1970), 19th

, lawyer, judge * Albert Edward Matthews (1873–1949), 16th

, broker * Samuel McBride (1866–1936), 41st Mayor of Toronto and alderman, lumber merchant *

Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario ...

(1820–1903), Canada West MLA and cabinet minister, Ontario MPP, cabinet minister and 3rd Premier of Ontario, Ontario Senator and federal cabinet minister, Father of Confederation * John Rolph (1793–1870), physician, lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada/Canada West (MLA and cabinet minister), Toronto alderman *

George William Ross Sir George William Ross (September 18, 1841 – March 7, 1914) was an educator and politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was the fifth premier of Ontario from 1899 to 1905. Early life Born near Nairn, in Middlesex County, Upper Can ...

(1841–1914), 5th Premier of Ontario, Ontario MP, MPP and provincial cabinet minister, Ontario Senator *

(1803–1882), Methodist minister, educator, politician (Chief Superintendent of Education for Upper Canada), and public education advocate *

Robert Hood Saunders Robert Hood Saunders (May 30, 1903 – January 16, 1955) was mayor of Toronto from 1945 to 1948, and then president of the Canadian National Exhibition, and chairman of the Ontario Hydro (formally named the Hydro Electric Power Commission of O ...

(1903–1955), lawyer, 48th Mayor of Toronto, alderman and Controller * Sir Clifford Sifton (1861–1929), politician (Manitoba MLA, Ontario MP, federal Minister of the Interior) * Donald Dean Summerville (1915–1963), 53rd Mayor of Toronto and Toronto alderman * William Summerville (1879–1958), alderman, Member of

Toronto Board of Control The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provi ...

, Ontario MPP *

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposit ...

(1929–2020), lawyer, cabinet minister, 17th Prime Minister of Canada *

Thomas Urquhart Sir Thomas Urquhart (1611–1660) was a Scottish aristocrat, writer, and translator. He is best known for his translation of the works of French Renaissance writer François Rabelais to English. Biography Urquhart was born to Thomas Urquhar ...

(1858–1931), lawyer, alderman, 32nd Mayor of Toronto

Sports personalities

* Billy Burch (1900–1950), Hall of Fame ice hockey player *

Charlie Conacher Charles William "the Big Bomber" Conacher Sr. (December 20, 1909 – December 30, 1967) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and New York Americans in the National Hockey League ...

(1909–1967), Hall of Fame ice hockey player (

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

) and coach of the

Oshawa Generals The Oshawa Generals are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They are based in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The team is named for General Motors, an early sponsor (commercial), sponsor which has its Canadian headquarters in Oshawa. ...

. Buried Section 41, Lot 351 * Pete Conacher (1932-2024), Professional ice hockey player * George Imlach (1918–1987), hockey player, NHL general manager and head coach * Dick Irvin (1892–1957), Hall of Fame ice-hockey player and coach * George Knudson (1937–1989),

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

golfer * Igor Korolev (1970–2011), Russian born NHL and KHL hockey player, KHL coach * George Seymour Lyon (1858–1938), Olympic Gold Medal golfer * Bill Zock (1918–1988), Hall of Fame

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

football player

Survivors of the ''Titanic''

* Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Godfrey Peuchen (1859–1929) was a Canadian businessman and RMS ''Titanic'' survivor. He was also a World War I veteran. * Ethel Flora Fortune (1883–1961) was a first-class passenger and survivor of RMS ''Titanic''.

Veterans

* Curley Christian (1882–1954),

veteran. * William George 'Billy' Barker, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Two Bars (1894–1930), LCOL, 201 Squadron, RAF. World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

and

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient. * George Fraser Kerr, VC, MC & Bar, MM (1895–1929), CAPT, 3rd battalion (Toronto) Central Ontario Regiment, CEF. World War I Victoria Cross recipient. *

Guy Simonds Lieutenant-general (Canada), Lieutenant-General Guy Granville Simonds, (April 23, 1903 – May 15, 1974) was a senior Canadian Army officer who served with distinction during World War II. Acknowledged by many military historians and senior comm ...

(1903–1974), senior officer of the Canadian Army in

, known as the 'Liberator of Holland'.

Other

* James Bain (1842–1908), first chief librarian of the

Toronto Public Library Toronto Public Library (TPL) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2023 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other public library system internationally, making i ...

* Victor Child (1897–1960), painter, etcher and illustrator at the Toronto Telegram *

Greg Clark Gregory David Clark (born 28 August 1967) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2016 to 2019. He also was Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2015 t ...

, OC OBE MC (1892–1977), Canadian war veteran, journalist, and humorist. * Fred Davis (1921–1996), popular television and radio host * Jack Dennett (1916–1975) was a Canadian radio and television announcer. *

Northrop Frye Herman Northrop Frye (July 14, 1912 – January 23, 1991) was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Frye gained international fame with his first book, ''Fearful Symmetr ...

(1912–1991), educator, literary critic * Edward Greenspan (1944–2014), famed defence lawyer * Barbara Hamilton (1926–1996), actress *

Theodor August Heintzman Theodor August Heintzman (birth name Theodore August Heintzmann) (19 May 1817 – 25 July 1899) was a German-Canadian piano manufacturer ( Heintzman & Co.) and inventor, best known for founding the piano company which still bears his name. Bor ...

(1817–1899) created Heintzman pianos *

Foster Hewitt Foster William Hewitt, (November 21, 1902 – April 21, 1985) was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for ''Hockey Night in Canada''. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt. Early life ...

(1902–1985), television and radio (hockey) broadcaster *

W. A. Hewitt William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the ''To ...

(1875–1966), sports executive, journalist, manager at Maple Leaf Gardens * Laura Muntz Lyall (1860–1930), impressionist painter * David Milne (1882–1953), impressionist painter * F. W. Micklethwaite (1849–1925), prominent photographer * Alison Parrott (1974–1986), a murdered 11-year-old * John A. Pearson, architect from the firm Pearson and Darling * Robert Sutherland (c. 1830–1878), Canada's first black lawyer, and an important benefactor and alumnus of Queen's University * W. Stewart Wallace (1884–1970), historian, librarian, and editor * Peter Worthington (1927–2013), journalist * Cecilia Zhang (1994–2003), murder victim

References

External links

{{commons category, Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Toronto), Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Official website

Location of the cemetery with additional photos, videos, and related websites
Cemeteries in Toronto Romanesque Revival architecture in Canada Neoclassical architecture in Canada Crematoria in North America National Historic Sites in Ontario 1876 establishments in Ontario Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in Canada Cemeteries established in the 1870s