The trustees of the Long Lake Finnish Cemetery wish to express their disappointment with the actions of certain individuals who have recently started to use the entryway to the cemetery to dump their trash.
The Long Lake Cemetery first came into use in 1930 and it remained in service until 1989. During this interval, it is thought some 54 people may have been buried there.
The cemetery was then abandoned and remained out of the public eye until the turn of the century, when the trustees of the cemetery and the Finnish-Canadian Historical Society of Sudbury joined forces to rehabilitate the site.
Volunteers cleaned up the entry road to the cemetery, erected a fence around the property, planted more than 250 trees and established memorial trees and plaques to honour the past presidents of the Historical Society and the families of pioneering Long Lake residents.
Each year a candlelight ceremony is also held to honour those buried there.
Recently, however, these activities have been overshadowed by individuals who are using the site for their own dumping purposes. The trustees and the society consider these actions not only to be illegal, but also disrespectful of the efforts undertaken to enhance the heritage site.
We respectfully ask those who are using the site for this purpose to cease doing so immediately. If there are public-minded citizens who are aware of any individuals who continue to perform these acts, we ask them to contact the local police.
Veikko Kivikangas
Long Lake Finnish Cemetery trustee