Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Section 24 Lot 1
Purple Lilac Park, Brampton
Early on Sunday morning, July 5, 1970, Air Canada Flight 621, nicknamed the California Galaxy, was making its final approach to Toronto International Airport. The DC-8 jet, en route from Montreal to Los Angeles, touched down hard on runway 32, rupturing a fuel tank. The crew attempted a go-around, unaware that an engine had torn away. Moments later, the aircraft exploded and crashed into a farmer’s field in Toronto Gore Township, now Brampton. All 109 passengers and crew perished in what remains one of Canada’s deadliest aviation disasters and the worst in Air Canada’s history.
In the aftermath, two memorials were created to ensure these lives would never be forgotten.
In May 1971, a granite monument was erected at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. Surrounded by the graves of 49 identified and three unidentified victims, the memorial bears all 109 names, a solemn circle of remembrance where families and visitors are welcomed to gather and reflect.
Decades later, the crash site itself became Purple Lilac Park, dedicated on July 4, 2013. Here, 109 polished granite markers line a pathway, each representing a victim, grouped to symbolize the families who travelled together. At its heart stands a pink granite boulder with a plaque listing every name, a powerful tribute set amid lilacs that once grew on the site.
Together, these memorials, one at the burial ground and one at the crash site, tell a story of loss, resilience and remembrance. They invite visitors to pause, honour the past and reflect on the enduring impact of that frightening and tragic summer morning.
Sources:
• Mount Pleasant Group – “Air Canada Flight 621”
• Wikipedia – “Air Canada Flight 621”
• City of Brampton – “Purple Lilac Park”
• Famous Grave Tours – “AC Flight 621 Crashed on July 5, 1970”
Photo:
• Monument - Courtesy of Colin Clark
• Clean-up - baaa-acro.com
