The living are being asked to weigh in on what happens with the dead in Kamloops

Kamloops cemeteries are running out of room and the city is calling on the living to decide how to manage their final resting grounds.

A lot has changed since the Cemetery Master Plan was adopted in 2013, notably that the Hillside Cemetery is getting closer to running out of room. A proposed solution to this is densification, where burials are stacked vertically below or also above ground with retaining walls, or burying new remains in an occupied plot after a set time period.

The city also said that more residents are interested in environmentally conscious methods of internment and that there is a significant demand for mausoleum spaces, which is a trend unique to Kamloops. 

Further highlights of the proposed plan include future road and path layouts, identification of areas suitable for full burials, cremation plots, double-sided columbarium, a green burial area, a scattering garden, mausoleum expansion, viewpoints, a stormwater pond, and landscaping, according to the City of Kamloops website. 

The City will also be updating the cemetery bylaws, proposing the following:

• Restricting the transfer of right of interment to immediate family members only
• A 25 per cent surcharge for digging winter graves from Nov. 1 to March 1
• Expanding the conditions for dispersing cremated remains
• Increases to the minimum and maximum fines for bylaw offences
• A more comprehensive list of required information for an interment/inurnment application

Amendments to service fees have also been suggested. 

Administration has proposed increasing interment and inurnment service fees by 25 per cent starting in 2021 and a 2.5 per cent annual increase until 2030, in addition to a five per cent increase starting in 2021 and a 2.5 per cent annual increase until 2030 for all other services.

The draft of the plan also recommends using price incentives to encourage greater uptake of double-depth plots vs. single-depth plots to conserve land.

To provide feedback on the proposed changes, residents can fill out a survey here, and fill out a quick poll here. 

The feedback will be compiled into a report to Council in September 2020.

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