Former PM's grave off limits to cameras Students allowed to take photos for school after father complains Allan Woods National Post Wednesday, October 01, 2003 CREDIT: Kevin Van Paassen, National Post A 10-year-old girl was told on Sunday she could be fined for taking a photo of the tombstone of former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King for a class project. A security guard at one of Canada's most historic cemeteries threatened to fine two grade school students working on a history project when they tried to photograph the grave of Canada's 10th prime minister. The security guard at Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery told the 10-year-old girl, her classmate and the girl's father on Sunday that they could not photograph William Lyon Mackenzie King's grave site except with special permission. Breaking the ban could result in a $150 fine, the guard told them. After learning it was just for a class project, however, he relented and allowed them to take a photograph. Dennis Moir, director of cemetery services for the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries, said the company policy is intended to protect the personal information on headstones, which are considered private property. Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries sets its own rules, Mr. Moir explained. Those rules must then be approved by the cemeteries regulations branch of Ontario's Ministry of Consumer and Business Services. "The bylaw is to protect the people who are buried there," Mr. Moir said. "Even for MacKenzie King's actual headstone, you'd have to get permission from the people who own the monument." The incident has raised the ire of the Dominion Institute, a group committed to preserving and promoting Canada's history. "I think this is hideous," said Jessica Humphreys, manager of the institute's Memory Project. "What [little] we know about our country's past is embarrassing and this is a prime example of why that is." Students are advised to get permission beforehand. Moir added that the company provides a number of educational tours at its 10 Toronto cemeteries, including historical walks and class visits.