In the early nineteenth century, when the population of York (Toronto) was rapidly expanding, the only two cemeteries in town were operated by the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches. However, many new immigrants were of neither faith, and thus had no burial ground. In the 1820s, this lack of community facilities became critical as, among the immigrants came carriers of such diseases as cholera, small pox, scarlet fever and tuberculosis. As the need for a general burying ground grew, a few community leaders took the initiative to develop a non-sectarian cemetery.

• On January 30, 1826, an Act of Parliament permitted the purchase of a plot of land on what is today the north-west corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets. This first non-sectarian, public cemetery was named the York General Burying Ground, but soon became known as The Potter's Field.
• In 1855, The Potter's Field was ordered closed by the government as the town of York was expanding and some felt that it was inappropriate to have a cemetery within the town limits.  The Trustees of the Toronto General Burying Grounds purchased the Necropolis from the group of citizens who had founded it five years earlier. Over a period of 21 years, the pioneers interred in The Potter's Field were transferrd to the Necropolis and the newly developed Mount Pleasant Cemetery. 
• Mount Pleasant Cemetery was opened in 1876 on land purchased three years earlier on Yonge Street, far north of the city limits.
• In 1890 Prospect Cemetery, on St. Clair Avenue West, was opened to meet the needs of the west-end of the city.
  

• In 1917, The Veterans' Burial Plot, a section set aside solely for the burial of Canadian and allied veterans of the First World War, was developed in Prospect Cemetery. In 1919, H. R. H. The Prince of Wales, planted a young Silver Maple tree on this section, in honour of his comrades-in-arms already buried in the plot.
• In 1920, the first community mausoleum was opened in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, thus providing affordable above-ground entombment for those wishing it.
• In 1928, with the city spreading to the east, Pine Hills Cemetery was established on the north-west corner of St. Clair Avenue East and Kennedy Road. In 1939, a Veterans' Section was established in this cemetery, (as has been done in each succeeding cemetery established by the organization since the end of the First World War), for the burial of Canadian and allied veterans and their spouses.
• In 1933, the Toronto Crematorium, the first such facility in Ontario, was established at the Necropolis (now called the Toronto Necropolis) to meet a demand for cremation services.
• In 1948, York Cemetery was established on Senlac Road in North York.
  

• In 1965, to ensure availability of burial space for the rapidly developing north-west area of Metropolitan Toronto and the Town of Vaughan, Beechwood Cemetery was established in the Jane Street and Steeles Avenue area.
• In 1967 a crematorium and chapel were added to Prospect Cemetery to provide for the increased demand for cremation facilities in the Metropolitan Toronto area.
• By 1973, it was clearly evident that two such facilities were insufficient to meet demand, and a third crematorium was opened in the mausoleum at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
• At the request of the Town of Richmond Hill, Elgin Mills Cemetery was created in 1979, to serve Richmond Hill and the surrounding communities.
  

• In 1980, in response to a growing demand for above-ground burial, a garden-crypt mausoleum was opened at Prospect Cemetery.
• Meadowvale Cemetery, Crematorium and Mausoleum was opened in 1981 to serve the needs of the Brampton and Mississauga areas.
• In 1984, at the request of the Oshawa City Council, Toronto Trust Cemeteries opened Thornton Cemetery, Crematorium and Mausoleum to serve Oshawa and surrounding communities.
• By 1986 there was a growing demand for cremation services in the northern reaches of the Greater Toronto area, and so a crematorium was established at Elgin Mills Cemetery.
• In late 1986 Phase I of Prospect Court Mausoleum opened in Prospect Cemetery. Additional phases have been added in the ensuing years.
• In 1988, one hundred and sixty-two years after the purchase of the York General Burying Ground, a plaque was erected on the front of the building on the north-west corner of Yonge and Bloor Streets, commemorating The Potter's Field.
• In 1990, the company changed its name to Commemorative Services of Ontario.
• In July 1993, in their continuing efforts to meet the needs of an ever-expanding community, Commemorative Services of Ontario opened Duffin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering.
• In 1997, Commemorative Services Canada, Inc. (now known as Mount Pleasant Group), also a non-profit organization, was established as a management services company, providing accounting, financial, human resources and sales/marketing services to two operating companies: Commemorative Services of Ontario, and Canadian Memorial Services which operates The Simple Alternative Funeral Centres.
• In 1998, the name of the organization was changed once again to Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries (MPGC) to tie the suburban cemeteries to the recognised name and long-standing reputation of Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
• Also in 1998, MPGC opened the first Garden of Remembrance cremation garden in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) at Mount Pleasant Cemetery; a "cemetery within a cemetery" designed to offer the cremation customer a variety of options. In 1999, the second Garden of Remembrance was opened at Meadowvale Cemetery.
• In 1999, at Pine Hills Cemetery, MPGC opened the first Visitation Chapel and Reception Centre in the GTA. This innovative facility was established for the convenience of our customers, to enable them to have all their needs met in one location.
• In 2000, two additional such facilities were opened at York Cemetery and Elgin Mills Cemetery, and Necropolis celebrated it's 150th anniversary.
  

• In 2001, Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries celebrated 175 years of service to the community and the new Saint Clair Mausoleum was opened in Prospect Cemetery.
• In 2003, the Mausoleum of the Risen Christ opened in Pine Hills Cemetery, which celebrated its 75th anniversary; and, the Mausoleum of the Angels opened in Beechwood Cemetery.
• In 2004, the Mausoleum of the Heavens was opened in Elgin Mills Cemetery.
• In 2007, the Mausoleum of the Sacred Souls opened in Prospect Cemetery
• In 2009, the Mount Pleasant Visitation Centre started to serve the midtown Toronto community.
  

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