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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1992-01-15, Page 3- Promsed tombstone tax misses as unik, says monument 4ilealer By Adrian -Marie CENTRALiA - An accident which claimed the life of a four- year old -girl •in 1987 has "prompted„ -the-revision revisioon of th -Ontario -eerrte --eery Act, but a local businessman is one of many who. say a proposed new tax does more to hinder than help cemeteries. In July 1987, Kristie Vratdes- cheur was killed by a 75 year-old tombstone which toppled over on her in. an Old Nkh cemetery - An inquest into her death recom- mended improved _upkeep of old stones. Consequently, a new tax has been proposed for ,gravesite headstones. If approved by the pro- vincial legislature, ..Bill.3I could -go into ofi'ect this_ Sgt, .placing __a "E0 -tax on smait headstones, $100 on average stones, and $200 on larger monuments. Steve Ferguson at Pryde Monu- ments in Centralia insistlithat the tariff is misdirected and potentially damaging to the monument -indus- try The -tax will be collected on the sale of monuments and will go into a perpetual care fund at the ceme- tery where it is installed. "The crime is the cemeteries that need it aren't going to get it," ex- plained Ferguson, who said that small- closed cemeteries, like Nor- wich, will not receive any tax funds. tor monument r and upkeep, but Huge Toronto operations which already have perpetual care funds will see the taxes flooding iti. He said the Centralia Catholic Church cemetery, which has sever- al monuments in need of repair. does not receive enough burials to build up a fund. Ferguson also said the -tax hits senior citizens who might be plan- ning to pay their funeral expenses ahead of time. "The person who can barely al - .ford to pay for their funeral is go ing to be stressed by this." said Fer- guson. However, Ferguson agrees with the.ovetall principal of setting aside funds for monument repair, but would rather see a "central" govern- ment fund which could allocate tunds to those cemeteries° which need them. He said anything for the upkeep of gravestones can only reflect-wef-otrhisindt>,stry. - Nevertheless, he said the possibil- ity rs there for profit -motivated and unscrupulous cemeteries to "create" their ()yin monumem-repair opera- tions in order to gain access to their tai: funds, with . no guarantee of At top: Centralia monument manufacturer Steve Ferguson stands :wit a grave marker that a: a $200 tax a; pro. .. . d Cemetery 4ia> :eves; tthso : h. At left: _Several. -monuments in the Centralia Catholic Church cemetery -have collapsed ;-and arc-rsneed of repair, but some doubt new legislation will hale sinsli tr eiies. Mi. Computer Resources 130 William Street - Unit 1 Exeter Ontario 235-2070 MONDA ` 1 UESUAI WEUNE.Si?A1 7 HURSUAI FRIO SATURUA' February 3.99? „it:0 009‘‘t • *`..a 3 41h9' 5 h 7 061 10 1111#°12 13 14 I �o `"��Q pfd 11 a SY 189- 19 20 21 25 • A r :moi213 4c;";``e 1 .1) .7._ .17 2 24. Call for registration and further tails , 1 quality "You wouldn't want to ruin some thing - it is heritage - it is a memo- rial to someone ," he said. -- The t $iaif e -1d slimes is a valid issue said Fergusoit. 'Standards for grave markers have changed in the -past century or more. - For ertaniple, thmih plot "spires" were often erected right above the first'grave. When the gmond settled, the monu- ment would topple. Small cemeter- -iss-otl€wdonl-have-enough-in -per- petual care funds to make such • repairs to their communities ties with the past, but Ferguson says this tax does little to help them. "Either go the whole way come --up-with -a-system-that--works: -or - .. ave ltdhe.wa.Y-at-ig,"--advised-ilii - - guson. The Ontario Monument Builders Assoeianon is still lobbying the provincial government in an effort to ward oft the new tax, hut Fergu son says he worries the protest is falling on deaf ears. "What is a monument dealer - it s a small 'business, and the NEW doesn't stand for small business,' he commented. - While the new bill is "cleaning up" some disreputable practices in the bereavement industry, such as eliminating door-to-door and tele- phone elaphone soliciting; and the dise:nu -ragement of high-pressure profit- -lrraii aired '71tIe= pis lopping" fu- neral arrangements as ftmnd in some cities, Ferguson says the pro- posed hill isnot all gond. "We've gained a bit and we've lost a lot," he said. Tom Tomes, who sits on the Clandeboyc Cemetery board, agreed that there4s-much coatis ins as to what the revised Cemetery Act will entail, especially the mon- ument tax. "Ws not clear to me if it can he used for the whole cemetery or just monuments -going -in -after—that date," he said. adding: that the -male thrust of the Act will be to transfer the safety responsibility of grave markers from the family_ to the ce- metery itself. Tomes said the Clandehoyc Ce - meter} . which is the, largest Pmtcs- tent plot in Biddulph Township, has several markers dating from the 1840s. which need repaii Under the present Act. a ceme- tery had the right to remove an un- safe marker, but the revisions arc likely to require repair. A tax for a perpetual care fund would help in such repairs, said Tomes, bee*use families aren't always willing to make the repairs thethselvvs, "A lot of families drift away and no o nc'wants to repair the o$d mt n- uments," he said. "it, was dine something was done." Ham' Knip, caretaker of the Ex- eter Cemetery agrees that the old 1960 Act is nut of date and needs revision; Mit also has some misgiv- - emtbou Lire -prortrisret eh -MV es. -- He said a higher4ax on burial Tots may discourage pit' -arranged buri- als, much in the war the GST intro- duction last year caused a marked drop in lot sales in the cemetery. -nrrmtttnent 1iui1cle-r; are •-dilrite- vomit -'rrhnnt - f t e - propose Act{, but the cemeteries are quite concerned too." said Knip. The monument tax, he said, will take some time to accumulate to the point w c it can be used. - It would a ere funds for future work, hut will do nothing for olki, unsafe facilities like the one in Norwich. Municipalities will become respon- sible for the upkeep of closed ce- meteries under the new Act. "So they're left holding the bag, financially," observed Knip. � �16f'illi 'hy IiS mor that ddy's not paying Ns family support A lot of -athero* is Ontario who are supposed to be paying family support, aren't. And it's time we got -mad about it. Because they're hutting their kids - ourkids — and they're hurting you and me. It's not "ok" that over 80,000 kids ate going without more than $400 million in support payivaents. It's not "ok" that three-quarters of all faltlimily suppc rtibn't being,paid the way k 4hould be. It's not "ok" than ver $140 million of our .tax doll s have gone' to families who were forced to'tum to social assistance , because their support pay papas'were not being [Dade. • The. Ontario Government's new Family Support Plan will introduce automatic . wase deduction of sup- port payments, and specify' to whom and when theN apply. Because children shouldn't have to be told that. daddy's not paying family support. Pleas Wad rix nture inturmatwn about, Auto - HAM ukrwa1' Wage dcductiun ,n the new l aeu►v Support Plan Act. - tom,' lasegicatr • e,a,;a"' . -Pert Cale Mail to MinerGeneral (,unity Supp* PJtn craPO. gv%Ow,,*Won :A" Sserbereeiit,Oseeen MiK sC L_ :PAY-Yeltrianilly sue t. T iere's• t . . *97% of wrens ordered to pay.fam►1V support are when. 4 ►y.- 1 • • • • •