Ontario

I visited the graves of three generations of the Smythe family, each buried in a different cemetery across Toronto and Muskoka. They were a family of achievers, but like many families, they were divided by conflict and discord, and their story has slowly faded from memory. Generation One: Albert Ernest Stafford Smythe Toronto Necropolis Albert […]

On my visit to Park Lawn Cemetery in Toronto’s west end, I visited the grave of the country doctor best known for delivering and caring for the Dionne quintuplets — the first quintuplets known to survive early infancy anywhere in the world. On May 28, 1934, Dr. Dafoe, who ran a medical practice in Callander, […]

On my walk at Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay, Ontario, I visited the unique grave of modernist architect and visionary, John Cresswell Parkin, whose projects many Canadians continue to admire. John C. was born in Toronto and grew up in a city still shaped by Edwardian and late Victorian traditions, with Art Deco only beginning to […]

On my walk at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Thornhill, Ontario, I visited the Priests’ Burial Section near the main gates of the cemetery, established in 1954. There, I found the crypt of Cardinal Gerald Emmett Carter — one of the most influential, and at times controversial, Catholic leaders in Canada. Gerald was born on […]

When I arrived at the tiny Burdick Cemetery in Elgin County, southwestern Ontario, I was aware that I was about to visit the person responsible for Canada’s most bizarre legal stories. The cemetery, founded on October 3, 1828, began when Methodist clergyman, Reverend Caleb Burdick donated a portion of his farm for burial purposes. Before […]

Visit the graves of the McDermid Brothers at Woodland Cemetery in London, Ontario, and discover how they founded O-Pee-Chee gum and iconic hockey trading cards.

On a recent walk through Woodland Cemetery in London, Ontario, I visited the grave of the man who in 1962 at his restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, decided “for the fun of it” to put sliced canned pineapple on a pizza and call it Hawaiian. That man was Sam Panopoulos. While working at his family’s Satellite […]

On my walk through Woodland Cemetery in Burlington, Ontario, I visited the grave of long-serving New York Ranger and star defenceman Henry “Harry” Howell. Affectionately known as “Harry the Horse,” Howell became a Rangers legend, setting a franchise record with 1,160 games played and missing only 20 games over 17 seasons with the club. Before […]

On my walk through Park Lawn Cemetery in west-end Toronto, I stopped by the grave of NHL veteran Glenn Brydson — who was, for a time, the brother-in-law of Kenneth Thomson, Canada’s richest man. Glenn (spelled “Glen” on his hockey card) was born in the nearby Swansea neighbourhood, just minutes from the cemetery where he […]

When Tom Thomson was two months old, his parents moved to a farm in Leith, on the Bruce Peninsula. This is where my journey began on my return visit from Manitoulin Island. With a framed, numbered print of Tom Thomson’s and a paintbrush in hand, I arrived at Leith United Church in the small hamlet […]

On My Beautiful Walk at Prospect Cemetery – Discovering J.E.H. MacDonald On my beautiful walk today at Prospect Cemetery in west-end Toronto, just prior to Easter weekend, I discovered the grave of J.E.H. MacDonald—one of Canada’s most celebrated artists and a founding member of the Group of Seven. In January 1913, MacDonald and fellow artist […]

On My Walk: Asylum Point Cemetery – Remembering the Forgotten While walking in Penetanguishene, Ontario, a serene town perched at the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay, I came upon a place both peaceful and poignant — Asylum Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of what is now known as the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health […]