>From Elaine Robinson <elainer@stn.net> on ONTARIO-L list. I know of several unrecognized cemeteries in Nova Scotia -- each province has these -- possibly our ancestors buried there! Muriel M. Davidson <davidson3542@home.com> ========================================= Dear Sharon and all, In Ontario there is something called the Cemetery Act which governs everything concerning cemeteries,both old and new. There should be one for each province. The ministry in charge of cemeteries had changed from time to time in Ontario so I'm not sure what branch of your government would be in charge. However, you should be able to get that information from your local MPP or call your provincial government offices and find out. A copy of the Cemetery Act for your province should be available from any place which handles government publications. It's easier to know how to proceed if you know what the act provides for. In Ontario, the fairly new Cemetery Act, does not allow a cemetery to be officially moved without certain steps being taken, the main one being official closure by the provincial government. This is done after a number of steps have been taken, which should be defined in the Cemetery Act. If there is a "suspected" cemetery, that is, local stories about a cemetery on that site, the act requires an archealogical survey to be done before anything can happen. In Ontario, a cemetery closure now requires consultation with both the Ontario Historical Society and the Ontario Genealogical Society. Having said all that, there a number of unscrupulous builders, who will just go ahead if no one says anything, and the cemetery is gone before anyone knows what is happening. Therefore time is of the essence. Local support, lobbying local politicians, and lots of publicity are a good way to keep people aware, while you are finding out what the legal recourse is. Good luck Elaine Robinson Georgetown Ontario ============================== Genealogy calendars, guestbooks and more: Visit RootsWeb's Resource Center at http://resources.rootsweb.com/