FILE PHOTO.

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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.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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News from © iNFOnews, 2020