185 Years of Perpetual Care the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries
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2011 The Annual Review of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries 2011 Annual Review 185 Years of Perpetual Care Toronto Necropolis Who We Are 2 A Letter from the President 4 A Snapshot of Our Operations 6 Five Trends We Watch Closely 8 Innovation 10 Restoration and Expansion 24 Community Engagement [email protected] 26 Board of Directors and Senior Management 40 Our Locations 42 Toronto Necropolis 185 Years of Perpetual Care 2 Who We Are We are the “cemetery” part of the Mount Pleasant Group which includes three separate companies: • Th e Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, owns and manages 10 cemeteries across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), including Brampton and Oshawa. We also have four crematoriums, 14 mausoleums and fi ve visitation centres. • Canadian Memorial Services provides funeral products and services at Th e Simple Alternative and at our visitation centres across the GTA. • Mount Pleasant Memorial Services provides strategic and administrative services to our other two companies. Although our operations have changed dramatically since the days when Toronto was a small Victorian capital, our guiding principles have remained unchanged: to provide for the cemetery needs of the citizens of the City of Toronto and surrounding areas; to use care and compassion to help families at a time of great need and turmoil; and to maintain our grounds as an oasis of tranquility and quiet refl ection in a fast- growing metropolis. We were Toronto’s fi rst non-sectarian cemetery organization, assisting families regardless of their religious choices. As a not-for- profi t corporation, we invest all the revenues in excess of expenses into expanding our inventory to meet the needs of the growing GTA population. Thornton Cemetery 2 Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries 185 Years of Perpetual Care 3 A Letter from the President A remarkable year of change Mount Pleasant Cemetery In 1826, when we were founded, are already turning their sights to pre- through their local legions at many of our Last year as well, we developed another only 1,700 people called Toronto home. planning their fi nal arrangements. We’re properties, and in 2011 we deepened this industry fi rst by creating the GTA’s fi rst Th ey all lived in an area between Lake seeing them push the limits of personalized commitment by opening our Pine Hills, “Natural Burial” site in Meadowvale Ontario to the south, Queen Street to memorialization, and they will insist on Elgin Mills and Meadowvale cemeteries to Cemetery in Brampton. Th e one-half-acre the north, Parliament Street to the east higher levels of social and environmental the Historica-Dominion Institute so that site which opened in the Summer of 2012 and Peter Street to the west. Th ere was awareness from everyone involved in the they could document surviving veterans’ permits human remains to be returned to no running water and there were no bereavement services sector. Th is explains stories of World War II and the Korean War. the earth as naturally as possible. hospitals or streetlights. the growing move to cremation and natural burial. In the GTA particularly, with its large Driving these initiatives and so many more In the year ahead, we look forward to Today, the Greater Toronto Area has multi-cultural population, attitudes towards is our standing as one of North America’s working under a new provincial government grown to be North America’s fourth largest death and its ceremonies are also becoming most innovative cemetery organizations. statute, which comes into eff ect in July 2012. metropolis, with 5.5 million people. more diverse, and will become even more As far back as the 1880s, Mount Pleasant We welcome this new law which provides so as immigration will soon account for was the fi rst cemetery to introduce the a single legislative framework for funeral, Linking these 185 years is the perpetual care virtually all of Toronto’s and Canada’s growth concept of perpetual care, which didn’t burial and cremation services. Th is new we have provided the very fi rst families at in population. become a legislated requirement in Ontario law grew out of a 12-year initiative among Mount Pleasant Cemetery and the Toronto until the 1950s and is now standard practice cemetery, funeral and monument providers Necropolis and the over 600,000 people who For this reason, in early 2011, we conducted in virtually every cemetery throughout and the Ontario Ministry of Consumer are buried at our cemeteries today. an analysis of Statistics Canada’s projected Canada and the U.S. We were also the fi rst Services to create a single, unifi ed framework ethnic composition of the GTA up to cemetery to establish a veterans’ section that increases competition in the industry Life has changed enormously since 1826, but the Year 2031. We wanted to ensure we in 1917 at Prospect Cemetery. Again, this and strengthens consumer protection. certainly it is our past that will shape a future understood the kinds of services tomorrow’s concept has been adopted by many other we can’t yet see. Indeed, never has our work Torontonians will want, and to make them cemeteries across the country and the Let me conclude by inviting you to learn been driven by such huge demographic shift s, feel welcome at a time of great need and loss. continent. more about Mount Pleasant via this review changes in consumer habits, and technology. and our website, and we look forward to Our relationships with the communities In 2011, the balance in our Perpetual Care welcoming you back next year. In our business, demographics are and neighbourhoods near our cemeteries Fund equaled $300,000 per developed acre, everything. Th e fact that this past year saw continue to grow. For the third year running, which is the highest of any cemetery the fi rst “Boomers” turn 65 was highly we have supported young musical talent company in North America. It's little wonder signifi cant. Over the next 20 years, 23% of through “Music at Mount Pleasant,” a our cemeteries are singled out for their Canadians (up from 14% today) will reach series of free concerts showcasing students beauty and sustainability. this landmark age. Th roughout their 30’s, from the Royal Conservatory held in the 40’s, and 50’s, Boomers have redefi ned every Summer at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. We Glenn McClary segment of Canada’s population, and they also continue to support Canada’s veterans President Our Locations A snapshot of NEWMARKET AURORA WHITBY PICKERING OSHAWA RICHMOND HILL TH MARKHAM EM AJAX our operations DM VAUGHAN BW YK TORONTO PH MP PR BRAMPTON TN MV MISSISSAUGA LAKE ONTARIO OAKVILLE BURLINGTON Toronto Necropolis Mount Pleasant Prospect Pine Hills York Beechwood Elgin Mills Meadowvale Thornton Duffin Meadows TN MP PR PH YK BW EM MV TH DM Year Opened 1850 1876 1890 1928 1948 1965 1979 1981 1984 1993 Acreage 14 205 105 163 172 99 172 127 82 83 1,222 2011 — 1,171 — — — ——502 747 568 2,988 Cremations 2011 66 1,314 859 1,591 1,029 966 887 584 276 267 7,839 Interments Interments Since 62,000 201,000 166,500 105,000 54,500 20,000 11,000 13,100 7,250 2,850 643,500 Year Opened 6 Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries 185 Years of Perpetual Care 7 Five trends we watch closely Sale of Interment Rights 6000 Th e cemetery industry, like every business sector, is aff ected by key 5000 trends that shape its performance. 4000 Ground - Casket • We watch closely for changes in diff erent kinds of disposition. 3000 2000 • We monitor the mix of interment rights and memorial sales. Cremation 1000 Crypt • We ensure that our Perpetuity Fund balance is high and rising. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Th ese charts highlight these patterns. The sale of interment rights through traditional Casket Ground Burial rose signifi cantly in 2011 and then dropped correspondingly in 2012. This was almost entirely because clients advanced their purchases in order to beat the introduction of HST. Cremations Performed Type of Interments Memorial Sales Perpetuity Fund Balance Per Developed Acre 3000 6000 3000 $400k Traditional 2500 5000 2500 $350k $300k 2000 4000 2000 $250k 1500 3000 1500 $200k Cremation 1000 2000 1000 $150k $100k 500 1000 500 $50k 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 The number of cremations is increasing; it is time for us Traditional interments with the burial or entombment We offer many kinds of monuments and markers to Back in the 1880s, we were the fi rst cemetery in North to upgrade our crematoriums, which we will do over the of full-size caskets continues to account for the memorialize the lives of loved ones. However, this America to create a Perpetuity Fund. Today, we have the next four years. majority of our dispositions. This number, however, is number is declining due to competition from independent largest investment per developed acre on the continent. falling as the trend to cremation rises. monument dealers. And although the past six years have been tumultuous in the markets, our Perpetuity Fund has grown at an annual rate of 5.5% since 2006. 8 Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries 185 Years of Perpetual Care 9 Innovation: York Cemetery It’s how we remain one of North America’s leading cemetery companies. Pine Hills Cemetery Electronic Ian Young Property Manager mapping and Toronto Necropolis and Mount Pleasant Cemetery documentation Ian is responsible for the grounds staff and all services relating to maintenance of our two oldest cemeteries, as well as burial, entombment and scattering services for our customers.