New Owners
Churchill Cemetery Inc.
Churchill Cemetery Inc. has recently purchased the entire property which includes the cemetery, and the north side open fielded area, and the beautiful church.
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As new land-owners, it has also become their responsibility to operate Churchill Cemetery, but we understand that this brings up a bunch of questions, which we are hoping to answer in this section below.
There are some individuals spreading a lot of hate and false information about this whole acquisition without coming to actually ask us or the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) for clarity, so we thought it best to provide as much clarity to all of this as possible.
Who can buy a property with a cemetery on it?
Most cemeteries are privately owned by a vast range of entities, being non-profit, for-profit, corporations, trusts, religious institutions, and even individuals can legally purchase and operate a cemetery in Ontario. The only time a municipality takes over a cemetery is if it has been abandoned or neglected.
Can a cemetery be sold even if others already own burial rights in certain plots?
Yes. Ownership of a cemetery (the land and business) can change hands even if interment rights have already been granted for specific plots. Under Ontario’s Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act (FBCSA).
Cemetery operators do not sell the land but sell rights to be buried in a grave/lot or plot on the land, regardless of ownership changes.
Is the fence on the north side of the Church property legal?
Yes, the fence on the north side of the property is fully legal. It complies with all applicable municipal by-laws regarding height, placement, and zoning. Importantly, this portion of the property is not zoned as cemetery land — only the south side holds that designation.
The primary entrance to the cemetery remains on the south side, through the main gates, which are always open for visitors. The north-side fence does not restrict access to the cemetery or violate any cemetery-related regulations under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act (FBCSA).
Can a family reside in the Church building, even though it is designated as Heritage?
Yes. Before the acquisition, the heritage team of Stouffville was over to the property, and updated the by-laws of this specific property, as it was due an update regardless. During this, they confirmed that only the outside of the building is protected and is to stay unaltered. As for the inside, there was nothing they considered to remain the same, and confirmed the inside of the church can be renovated as we see fit. The by-law followed all public notices and durations. Since the zoning of the property under the oak ridges moraine also allows for a single family unit dwelling, and the church building itself is also registered as residential use, and no longer religious, the family is allowed to reside in the property. As the family are also the cemetery operators and are the groundskeepers, under the BAO, they are also allowed to reside there under that designation.
Do two families live on the property?
No. Only a single family resides on the property. The family owns 3 vehicles.
Will developments take place on the north side of the property that is not zoned cemetery?
No. This area is designated under the oak ridges moraine, and only a single family unit dwelling may reside on the property. It is also designated for agricultural use, and allows for accessory buildings, farming, or cemetery use.
Can the new owners move tombstones to the back corner of the cemetery (Yes, people have been spreading this lie.)
No. This would be considered illegal, and the BAO is the authority over all cemeteries in Ontario. The cemetery will remain as-is, and has to be maintained in perpetuity, with access for the public within operating hours (dusk till dawn), which is being done by the primary gates that are always open on the south side of the building on Ninth Line.
Will the new owners discriminate on who can be buried there? (Some people have been spreading the lie that we will make it a South African only cemetery)
No. Anyone who wants to call Churchill Cemetery their resting place is welcome here.
For Sale signs were never placed outside the church, so how where they able to purchase the property?
The property was privately owned, and as with any sale of private property, can be sold privately too. There is no legal requirement to publicly place a "For Sale" sign outside for a sale of private property. The previous owners have the legal right to sell it internally to whomever they choose, and for whatever price they choose to do so, as is the same with any other piece of private property.
Weren't the previous Trustees of the cemetery co-land owners? Did they have to give their approval in the purchase of the entire property?
No, they were never land owners in any capacity, they simply had a vested interest in the management of the cemetery. They did not want to work with the new land owners in a model where the land owners would have joined the trust and operated the cemetery with them. Since the land owner carries all liability, the land owners decided to acquire their own operator license, as is their legal right to do so, to ensure that all aspects of the cemetery are operated in accordance to the FBCSA and BAO regulations.
Why weren't the interment rights holders notified of the sale of the property?
The land owners did not hold any contact information for the interment rights holders. The previous trustees did, and they were notified in the beginning of 2025 that the acquisition had taken place, and that we now resided on the property. We personally spoke to Don, one of the trustees, on the property, and notified him. Now that we have the appropriate contact information, we have set up a website to make it more public, and are contacting individuals with an update to everything.