The group that operates several cemeteries throughout the Greater Toronto Area has issued a public apology after religious gravesite items at Pine Hills Cemetery in Scarborough were removed, sparking outrage amongst family members of the deceased.Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, which operates the Pine Hills site, posted the apology on Wednesday and says it is pausing its articles removal program.“We want to begin by expressing our heartfelt apology for the pain, distress, and frustration caused by our recent removal of articles at gravesites,” the group wrote. “We acknowledge that our actions — though rooted in safety concerns — have hurt many families and disrupted moments of remembrance and reflection.”We hear you. We’re listening. We’re committed to doing better. MPG has paused our gravesite article removal program and issued a public apology. Read the full statement: https://t.co/yi4JDJRUT2 pic.twitter.com/YABlYujL7C— Mount Pleasant Group (@MPGC_GTA) August 27, 2025 The group says it tried to contact families about the item removals “over the past six months,” but some family members told CityNews they only learned about it when they arrived at the cemetery to find the items bagged up, as one person said, “like trash.”“Families of loved ones were not informed of this change in any way, there was merely a vague sign placed outside of the cemetery itself a couple of months ago noting that they are trying to maintain ‘safety, beauty and inclusivity’ at the cemetery,” Joanna Nikiforos told CityNews.“Many members of the Greek community are outraged by the lack of respect and care that these religious items were handled with,” she added. “It’s a horrible feeling to see items which are so valuable to you be treated as trash by those who don’t understand it. The memorial boxes and candles are lit as a way to symbolize the dead’s entry to the light of Christ and as remembrance.”The sign she referred to states that items have “carefully been removed and placed for you to pick up. Items are kept for 60 days, after which it will be disposed of.”In its apology, the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries notes that the policy changes were approved by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario and were intended “to protect the health and safety of all who visit our cemeteries, including family members, staff, and volunteers.”Despite that, it acknowledges the rollout of the new rule wasn’t handled well.“We acknowledge that our messages did not reach everyone, and we could have done better—particularly in communicating with faith-based and culturally diverse communities, including members of the Greek and Greek Orthodox communities.”A video posted to Instagram by Yannis Kakagiannis showed rows of bags containing the items filling a section of the cemetery.Screengrab from an Instagram video showing the items in bags. Yannis Kakagiannis/InstagramA voice over on the video states:“It is expensive to bury someone in this country, it is not cheap, and to take down someone’s marker and to not allow for that, that creates barriers. When you think of the word inclusive it’s to make everyone feel comfortable, but many Greek people do not feel comfortable.”“To look at this video is horrifying in my mind.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maria Papaioannoy (@northumberlandwomen)In response to the backlash and hurt, the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries says it is reviewing its operating by-laws and will work with families to restore meaningful items, including the “holy houses” that were removed from gravesites beginning tomorrow.“Additionally, we are exploring better options for storing items currently placed in bags within the contained area, to ensure they are preserved with dignity and care.”