Johnston Cemetery

Notice of Intention to Apply for an Order to Close a Cemetery

  1. The Johnston Cemetery is located within a property known as 264 Pefferlaw Road, Georgina (formerly Pefferlaw), Ontario (the “Property”). The Property is legally described as PIN 03538-0356 (LT), being part of Lot 22, Concession 5 Georgina, as in R571809, Georgina. The part of the Property on which the Johnston Cemetery is located is shown as Part 5 on Reference Plan 65R-16564. The Johnston Cemetery is 6.33 metres (about 21 ft) wide (front and rear) by 14.83 metres (about 49 ft) deep, comprising approximately 0.0094 hectares (about 1,012 sq. ft).
  2. The Property is owned by Sansiveria Investments Limited (the “Applicant”). The Applicant intends to apply under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 (Ontario) (the “Act”) for an Order from the Registrar under the Act to close Johnston Cemetery and move its graves together with all markers and monuments to the adjoining Cooke’s Cemetery.
  3. The reasons for this application:

    The Johnston Cemetery has been little used in the more than 100 years from the first burial in it in 1860 until the last one in 1969 (there appear to be only 5 confirmed graves and 2 other possible graves). The Cemetery is surrounded by the Property, which is used: for a motor vehicle repair garage, with vehicles parked and stored around the Cemetery; and for a commercial food service operation. The Cemetery fronts a busy street, Pefferlaw Road.

    The Applicant proposes, and will request an order from the Registrar of Burial Sites, to move the graves together with all markers and monuments to the adjoining Cooke’s Cemetery, which offers a much more fitting, beautiful and tranquil setting. A move to Cooke’s Cemetery will achieve a more respectful resting place for those of the Johnston family buried in current location of the Johnston Cemetery. At the same time, such a move will enable the Property to be better and more fully used as part of the normal commercial development of the Town.

  4. The Applicant, Sansiveria Investments Limited, is at 1170 Sheppard Avenue West, Unit 10, Toronto, M3K 2A3. The lawyer for the Applicant is Edward Perlmutter, 5700-1 First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Toronto, M5X 1C7 | Email: ted@tedperlmutter.com.
  5. Interested persons may make submissions within 45 days after January 20, 2021 regarding the proposed application to: Registrar, Burial Sites, Consumer Services Operations Division, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, 56 Wellesley Street West, 16th Floor, Toronto, ON, M7A 1C1 | Email: Nancy.Watkins@ontario.ca.

Dated as of December 30, 2020.

(154-P003)