Broken gravestones, ripped up grass: Richmond Hill church facing investigation over cemetery conditions
CBC
A Richmond Hill church is in hot water — again — over the heritage cemetery that it oversees.
Both the Bereavement Authority of Ontario, which regulates licensed cemeteries in the province, and the City of Richmond Hill say they are investigating conditions at the Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, formerly the Headford United Church, on Leslie Street in Richmond Hill.
Along the cemetery's northern edge, four stacks of tombstones — some obviously broken — are visible, with the turf around them stripped away. Shrubs have been removed, and piles of earth now line the cemetery's perimeter. The parking lot has also been excavated and closed off, and a large dumpster now sits at one end.
The parking lot excavation is especially concerning to Joyce Horner, a local historian and former member of Richmond Hill's heritage committee, because she says it could mean unmarked paupers' graves have been disturbed.
"It's devastating," Horner said. "This is part of Richmond Hill's heritage. These are all my friends and neighbours buried here."
Horner pioneered the effort in the late 1990s that gave the old Headford United Church and its adjacent cemetery, established in the mid-1800s, designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. Designation means a property cannot be demolished or significantly altered without special permission from the municipality.
According to the Act, altering a heritage site without municipal approval carries fines of up to $1 million. The owner can also be ordered to pay the cost of returning the property to its previous state.
It's unclear what triggered the bereavement authority's current involvement at the church. Communications director David Brazeau told CBC Toronto only "there are issues with the cemetery's condition that we are investigating with the municipality."
City of Richmond Hill staff also provided no details about the probe.
A representative of the church, identified only as Rev. Pavlo, said in an email to CBC Toronto he was unaware of any investigation into goings on at the church property.
"In response to your request, the Church is not aware of the facts you alleged in your message and, as such, cannot provide any comment at this time," he said.
Especially upsetting to Horner is the fact that Richmond Hill's planning committee won funding about 15 years ago to have some of the crumbling tombstones in the cemetery refurbished.
"We put some in sleeves, the bits and pieces, stood them up and tried to join what we could back together," she said. It's unclear whether those restorations have been affected by the work on the church property. But some tombstones appear to be clearly broken and stacked near a boundary fence.
When she noticed those changes at the church in mid-November, Horner says she went to Coun. Karen Cilevitz, who chairs Richmond Hill's heritage committee.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.
The union president called it a rally for solidarity as Iqaluit Housing Authority employees gathered Friday while negotiations are ongoing between the Nunavut Employees Union and the employer.
The federal government is stoking Quebec separatism by walking back its climate commitments — including in its recent deal with Alberta — Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says.
Four more Alberta MLAs are facing recall petitions organized by their constituents, including the first NDP representative to be caught in the province's ongoing wave of recall efforts.
Frank Gehry, the Canadian-born renegade architect behind some of the world's most recognizable buildings, has died at 96.
Hundreds of P.E.I. parents can't find child-care spaces, especially for infants. The provincial government says expanding those spots remains a top priority — and it recognizes the concern.
An Alberta judge says a referendum proposal on Alberta separating from Canada goes against Charter and and Treaty rights, in a decision given less than 24 hours after the provincial government introduced legislation that would have ended the court proceeding.
The architect of Alberta's politician recall legislation says it was never meant to be used as a political weapon, but as an "ultimate tool of accountability" if a politician engages in illegal or unethical behaviour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.