Cemetery costs begin to fall on the taxpayer

Clearview council has agreed to establish a $55,000 cemetery budget to cover the maintenance and operation costs of active township-owned cemeteries.

“Unfortunately, the cost to maintain township owned cemeteries are increasing and in some circumstances exceeding the available funds in cemetery general accounts,” reported clerk Sasha Helmkay-Playter at last week’s meeting. “We are a small, more rural municipality so our rates for buying internment rights or burials, we have to make sure we are fair with the market and that we’re fair with our comparators for municipalities and that people who want to bury their loved ones in our municipality are able to do so.”

In 2024, Clearview council agreed to take ownership of the West Nottawasaga Church Cemetery, bringing the number of municipally owned cemeteries to 10. Four of those are still accepting interments – Stayner Union Cemetery, Dunedin Union Cemetery, West Nottawasaga Cemetery and Lavender Cemetery. Only the latter is managed by a board with volunteers looking after maintenance, administration and burials.

The fee for plots in the other three township managed cemeteries is $1,500.

The township pays $ 7,024.40 per month for all three cemeteries. “We’ve hit kind of a stalemate where we need to ask council, and essentially the taxpayer, for assistance with this,” said Helmkay-Playter. The new budget line, to be funded from the tax stabilization reserve, will be included in future budget years, growing over time and generating revenue.

She said the fund is really only to support Stayner Union Cemetery and West Nottawasaga Cemetery, as Dunedin Union Cemetery has funds available thanks to a generous donation.

Helmkay-Playter said once that fund starts to dwindle, Dunedin will also come to rely on the new fund.

Cemeteries are governed by the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act (2002), (FBCSA) with oversight from the Bereavement

Authority of Ontario (BAO). Cemetery transfers and abandonments have been an ongoing concern for Clearview Township and other municipalities across the province.
Clearview Township has been calling for the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act to be amended to name the province as the default owner and operator of a cemetery when it is abandoned.

“Since the initial resolution that was passed by council in 2023, requesting ministry support in the administrative and financial aspects of cemetery operations, staff have continued its advocacy on this issue,” reported Helmkay-Playter. “Over 40 municipalities provided support resolutions and Clearview has joined forces with Tay Township to speak about the concerns.”