COQUITLAM, BC, June 25, 2018 – Coquitlam residents are invited to help the City shape the future of Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery.
Through July, the City will be conducting a survey on future service delivery at the Cemetery. Full details including the survey can be found at www.coquitlam.ca/cemeteryplan.
About the Cemetery Services Plan
The need to develop a Cemetery Services Plan was identified in the Parks, Recreation & Culture (PRC) Master Plan. With space for full burial plots expected to run out within three or four years, the new plan will help address the need while guiding the City’s cemetery services for the next 20 to 30 years.
Specifically, the public engagement process is looking at three key areas:
Services
Regionally, cemetery services are provided by municipalities, private operators, and not-for-profit cemeteries, which are often faith-based. Traditionally, full burial at Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery has only been offered to current and former Coquitlam residents, with other interment options such as cremation also available to non-residents. Additionally, the types of services being offered may need to change as new options become popular such as green burial.
Pricing
Coquitlam has traditionally priced its offerings to cover the direct operating costs, as well as repayment of past debt from cemetery development. Additionally, the BC Cemetery Services Act says the City must collect a Perpetual Care Fund fee to provide for care of the site in perpetuity. Possible pricing models could see increased prices to allow for future cemetery development, while eliminating the need to take on debt.
Land Use
With limited remaining interment inventory – especially for full burials – along with increasing demand for cemetery services, the City is considering a new concept plan for site development that aims to optimize the land available in the Cemetery while respecting the character and beauty of the current site.
About Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery
Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery is a 3.4 hectare (8.5 acre) site in Southwest Coquitlam owned and operated by the City. It has been in operation since 1935. The Cemetery serves current and former residents of Coquitlam and operates on a direct cost recovery basis offering a mixture of interment options for cremated remains and full burial.
For more information on the Cemetery, visit www.coquitlam.ca/cemetery.
Media Contact:
Lanny Englund
Manager, Parks Planning & Forestry
Email
604-927-3549