The City has a new Cemetery Bylaw.
Owing to the recent expansion of the Yorkton City Cemetery the Community Development, Parks and Recreation (CDPR) Department undertook a complete review of the existing bylaw.
At the regular City Council Meeting March 13, Darcy McLeod, CDPR director, reported several additions and revision were required related to improving referencing when looking for direction from the bylaw, improving definitions and clarifying the intent of certain sections, accommodate the recent expansion referred to as the “Meadow,” and establish a fee schedule for 2017 through 2019.
Specifically, there are now six types of plots including traditional four- and three-foot plots in the original section (the “Hill”); traditional plots in the Meadow; cremation plots in both Hill and Meadow; and child plots. These now range from $500 to $1,450 for 2017 rising to between $550 to $1,750 in 2019.
“The fees and charges are the result of calculating actual costs to the City as well as comparisons with other municipal cemeteries in Saskatchewan,” McLeod told Council.
Additionally, there are spots in the columbarium that will run $2,300 for a middle niche and $2,100 on the top or bottom going up to $2,500 and $2,300 respectively in two year’s time.
Funeral surcharges cost $450 on Saturdays and $980 on statutory holidays.
The bylaw also includes regulations on the specifications, restrictions, materials and permitted locations of monuments. There is an additional permit required for monuments.
As of the March 13 meeting, Council heard that there were a total of 321 plots available for sale on the Hill and 1,172 in the Meadow, 266 of which are smaller cremation plots.
“Although east central Saskatchewan has a demographic that supports traditional interments, creation interments have become more popular and are anticipated to increase over the next number of years,” McLeod said. “This will become more evident as people realize that more than one cremation inurnment is permitted in a plot.”
Because there are not statutory or regulatory requirements for public notice to be given for a cemetery bylaw, with unanimous consent, Council was able to pass all three readings of the new legislation at the March 13 meeting, making it law.
