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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS-X 1980-06-03 Community Services Committee R L P 0 R 'I' TO Counc i l for and �tember�. the Community Services Committee FROM: Thomas A. ]'aiming, Director llelrirtment or Commnni tv Services DA'rli: June 35 .10,11:0 SUBJECT: Abandoned Cemeteries With reference to the• attached letter. dated May lath, 1980. 1. Orono Cemetery: Until the Clarke Cemetery Board notify the Community Services Committee when they intend to proceed, i would suggest that no further action he taken. 2. Recommend By-law 79-25 be amended to include the four cemeteries shown in the attached letter and that the By-law be further amended to delete Cemetery Lots 11, 2, Concession 5, Former Township of Clarke. r� ' CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK ' 40 TEMPERANCE STREET TELEPHONE 623.3379 BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO LIC3A6 May 14 1980 u Mr. J. H. Gibson Inspector Ministry of Consumer & Commercial Relations 555 Yonge Street 8th Floor Toronto, Ontario M7A 2H6 Dear Mr. Gibson: Re: Clarke (Christian (Old Orono) Church Cemetery, Town of Newcastle, Region of Durham Thank you for your letter dated May 12 1980. Your letter has been referred to the Community Services Committee for a Report and recommendation to Council . We shall advise you of action taken in due course. Yours very truly , JMM:nof eph M. M��, A.M.C.T. wxi Clerk cc : Director of Community Services Committee Secretary ,e v Ministry of Cemeteries 555YongeStreet Consumer and Branch au,Floor Toronto Ontario i> Commercial MIA 21­16 �i�tario Relations 416i963-0511 May 12, 1980 Refer to File No. 8-3-10;-43 The Corporation of the Town of Newcastle, ° 40 Temperance Street, Bowmanville, Ontario. LIC 3A6 Attention: Mr. J. M. McIlroy, A.M.C.T. , Town Clerk. Re: Clarke (Christian (Old Orono) Church Cemetery, Town of Newcastle, Regional Municipality of Durham. J;! This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 8 and our subsequent meeting of April 15, 1980 regarding removing the head- stones from the referenced cemetery and their re-erection in the Lawrence Cemetery. Although The Cemeteries Act permits removal of headstones from a cemetery we strongly recommend against it because they do identify specific burial locations. If the headstones are removed, the danger of the cemeteries being overrun and lost to sight is greatly increased since the absence of this basic distinguishing character- istic tends to leave the site looking like another field. When the municipality decides how it wishes to proceed, all they have to do is pass a by-law, using the samples left with you, stating the decision and send it for approval. '. Listed below are the additional cemeteries of which Mrs. Schmid has j made us aware and under The Cemeteries Act, R.S.O. 1970, Chapter 57, 4 Section 62, are to be maintained by the Municipality: Clarke Towns!fp {t Graham Property - Lot 32, Concession 2 mile North of Highway 2 �......•.--�� 50 feet west of fence bordering Highway ' �� �`�E 115 near Wilmott Creek one monument inscribed to Lovel & Amilla Beech MAY 14 190 . . .2 a TOWN OF NE�1(CASTLE , Jw i The Corporation of the t Town of Newcastle May 12, 1980 Page 2 Stutt ),arm - Lot 19, Concess Lon 4 (formerly) two monuments inscribed to Agnes Robison and infant son and Francis Scutt Gilmer Family Plot - Lot 2, Concession 4 located inside a fenced area 40' x 40' and no monuments Coulter Farm - Lot 25, Concession 2 . (now Bandetra Farm) located 400 feet east of barn in an area ? approximately 12' x 20' there are six burials and two monuments this area should be fenced against grazing cattle. In conclusion, regarding Mrs. Schmid's assertion that there is not a cemetery located in Lots 1 and 2, Concession 5 in Clarke Township, y..: we draw your attention to paragraph two in a copy of a letter sent; to her February 2, 1979 on what steps to take to correct this situation. If we can be of any further assistance please let us know. Yours truly, * j r) P, J. H. Gibson, 4 Inspector. JHG/dm Encl. •Y5 o- t� February 2, 1979 C--3-10 , 6--3-20 Mra. Helen Scheid Secretary Clarke Cemetery Board General Delivery Orono, Ontario LOB 11.10 Re: Clarke Township Cemeteries t ` 4 Town of Ncwcfastle Reni_onal Dunicipality of nurhnm near Mrs. Schmid: Thank you for your letter of Janunry 24, 1979 asking for information regarding the referenced cemeteries. As you know these cemeteries were brought to the attention of the municipality in 1976 and a letter was directed to the Deputy Clerk-by the undersigned giving a brief description of each cemetery. , The cemetery listed as being on Lots 1 and 2, Concession 5, showed that it t . wnu reported to be a cemetery and requested that any information obta'ine:d should be relayed to this office. As By-law No. 77-25 was + submitted to us for approval we naturally (assumed the municipality had investigated and confirmed that the report was correct or were'already familiar with the cemetery. As this is apparently not so, the error may be corrected by parsing a by-law to delete the non-existent cemetery from fay-law No. 77-25. The three additional burial plots or cemeteries that you have invest- _ igated fare, pursuant to section 62 of The Cemeteries Act the reepon- sibility of the Town. A by-law simply makes this a matter of public record. You did not mention their locations in your letter, but ' pleave rend us this and any other infurn):0.1on you may have about these cemeteries no that we mny ;Mart a file on each of them. We cannot say whether the verbal report j•cna received, that "stones cannot be rejr caved from one cemetery to nnother", emanated from this office, but it is true. Unler section 61 of The Cemeteries Act it is an offence to rciiove hea+,tonos from a ccmetcry. The fourth burial plot you nent.ic,n may well be close to where the two stones are lyinC. 4 ' Mrs. Helen Schmid February 2, 1979 Page 2 Before they are moved we will need more information and will invest- igate further when the weathf!r condition-6i-,iake it possible. a 4 ' We agree that the Christian Church Cemetfry Is a problem, sand one that should be tackled at the firnt opportunity, espocinlly if there is a danger to children under the present circumst.nnees. You state that a fence is too expensive, but can anything; be too expensive if a child's life is endangered. Surely it would be possible to canvas the neighbour- hood for donations, then the Town if moos nary, might male up the bultanc.o. A fonds neod not; be the very (,xpc�ncilvo typo. A farm fence could be used to surround this cvnictery ;aiici perh,ips pipet and con(�rete A, could be used to block the area where motorcycles enter. In order to prevent the stones from heing stolen or smashed, the Town can pass a by-- law pursuant to section 65(2) of the Act to rearrange the head,tones in the cemetery. Under the circum..tances we would suggest that the stones be placed in one large concrete slab, so that only the face of each stone is exposed. A copy of the particle you wrote was received, and is on file, but as the cemetery had boon inspected the previous year, we knew that the municipality was aware of its' responsibility. we felt cure that they would do everything that it wan, possible to do. We are cure you will agree that the Ontario Provincial Police are far better qualified to deal with theft and vandalism than are we. We are not cure that we understand Mr. Fanning's reanark "All cemeteries should be properly recorded" but if he ie referring to a record of burials we are in complete agreement. To the best of our knowledge there are no grants available for this purpose, but grants are sometimes obtained to renovate a cemetery. You might enquire about the Young Canada Works Program at your nearest Manpower Centre. This may be another way of obtnining a fence as part of a renovation program. Unfortunately the application deadline for 1979 is February 2nd. Another possible source of funds is The Ontario Heritage Foundation. Enquiries may be directed to: ASr. A. B. R. Lawrence, Q.C. Chairman Ontario Heritage Fotnndrat:ion 77 Bloor Street Toronto, Ontario 145S 11-12 i 1 :.i Mrs. Helen Schmid February 2j 1979 Page 31 (1 i r In regard to the survey plan$ we do not have a copy but one may be obtainable at your area Registry or Land Titles Office. Thank you for your interest in this matter and please let us know If we can be of further n.is1stnnce. 4 Yours very truly. John A. Francis Inspector JAF/dn p 1 7 1 . A ,4