Former premiers honoured with gravesite markers.
The Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Nick Harrison, the great, great, great grandson of The Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat (premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896) unveil a marker honouring five premiers who are buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Staff photo/DAN PEARCE
Five of Ontario's premiers were honoured at Mount Pleasant Cemetery as part of a program designed to honour those who have led the province throughout its history.
The midtown cemetery is the final resting place of Sir Oliver Mowat, Sir George William Ross, Sir William Howard Hearst, Sir George Howard Ferguson and Sir George Stewart Henry, Ontario's third, fifth, seventh, ninth and tenth premiers, respectively.
Over their decades of leadership, the five men helped shape the province and bring about systemic reforms, with their efforts improving the rights and lives of countless Ontarians over the years.
They were honoured on Thursday, Oct. 15 with bronze markers identifying their gravesites and outlining their years of service.
The ceremony was attended by a number of dignitaries, including Ontario's current Lieutenant Governor David Onley, former Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander and Minister of Culture Aileen Carroll.
The markers are part of the Ontario Heritage Trust's Premiers' Gravesites Program. The program, supported with funding from the province, will eventually commemorate 18 former Ontario premiers through the installation of markers at their gravesites.