As not-for-profit organization, Mount Pleasant Group (MPG), founded in 1826, marks its 200th anniversary this year, the organization is looking to the future with plans for a new 21,000-square-foot funeral centre at Duffin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering.
The facility, located at the southeast corner of Brock Road and William Jackson Drive, is expected to open in 2028.
Duffin Meadows Cemetery has served the community since 1993 and offers a range of burial, cremation and natural burial options. The addition of a funeral centre will provide families with the convenience of accessing cemetery, funeral and reception services in one location, said a MPG statement.
Once complete, the facility will join MPG’s network of funeral centres across the GTA.
The facility is being planned as MPG’s first funeral centre with zero natural gas combustion and will utilize geothermal technology for heating and cooling. The Duffin Meadows Funeral Centre is also undertaking to meet Rick Hansen Foundation Gold Certification and Canadian Green Building Council Zero Carbon Design and Zero Carbon Building Performance certifications. It has already been nominated for a Durham Region Accessibility Award.
“As we celebrate our 200th anniversary, we’re continuing to invest in the facilities and services families need today and in the future,” said John Monahan, Mount Pleasant Group’s CEO. “This new funeral centre has been designed with accessibility, environmental stewardship and family comfort at its core.”
He did not give any investment figures.
The Funeral Centre
The funeral centre will feature two large, flexible gathering spaces designed to accommodate a range of services, visitations and receptions. Both spaces can be divided into smaller rooms as needed, allowing families to create arrangements that reflect their traditions, preferences and group sizes.
To mark the start of construction, MPG hosted a ground-breaking ceremony at Duffin Meadows Cemetery yesterday July 28.
The new Duffin Meadows Funeral Centre is being built to replace the current TSA-Pickering location. Families will continue to be served at TSA-Pickering until the new facility opens, at which time funeral centre operations will move to Duffin Meadows.
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