Hundreds sign petition against Vernon, B.C. cemetery rules | 24CA News

Rules limiting the type of tributes allowed to be left at gravesites on the City of Vernon, B.C.’s cemetery have some folks upset.

The metropolis argues the restrictions are wanted to maintain upkeep workers protected, however residents are involved the principles aren’t sensible and prohibit the way in which folks can mourn.

Hundreds have now signed a web-based petition towards the change.

The bylaw change was handed in 2019 however the metropolis solely began implementing it final week after a prolonged “grace period.”

It solely permits fresh-cut flowers within the spring, summer time, and early fall (from March 15 to October 15 yearly) and doesn’t permit non-floral choices.

“They’re far too restrictive. They don’t respect religious beliefs,” stated Joe Langlois who has household within the cemetery and helped set up the petition.

“It’s kind of hurtful the way it was done.”

Previously non-floral choices weren’t particularly restricted and synthetic flowers have been allowed year-round. However, flowers needed to be in a vase and there have been particular guidelines about the place that vase could possibly be positioned.

Vernon’s mayor says town enacted the change as a result of if objects break they will pose a hazard to these slicing the lawns.

“There [are] some safety risks on machine operators and people who are trying to maintain the cemetery when there [are] broken pieces of plastic and glass,” stated Victor Cumming.

Cumming stated different cemetery operators are additionally seeing related issues of safety and are shifting away from permitting tributes that might pose a hazard.

Critics of the change say contemporary flowers will shortly wilt in the summertime warmth.

Some have additionally expressed concern that the brand new guidelines prohibit the way in which folks can mourn and don’t permit households to depart non secular objects.

“They are calling it thoughtless, disgusting,” stated Langlois of the general public response to the rule change.

Langlois is hoping that town and residents can discover a compromise on the difficulty.

Elspeth Manning is one in all greater than 900 individuals who have signed the petition.

“Any burial site is historic and I believe needs to be treated with a little bit more thought and consideration and compromise between the people that are mourning and what the city needs to do to provide good care,” Manning stated.

The guidelines are extra versatile within the week after the burial permitting any kind of floral tribute and the mayor stresses synthetic flowers are nonetheless allowed within the colder months when garden upkeep isn’t occurring.

“Thoughts go out to everybody when someone passes and there is serious mourning that goes on that is why we give flexibility in the first seven days we really do,” stated Mayor Cumming.

“Then we have to weigh what happens after that so council has made this decision they’ve made a clear decision…on the safety side.”

The unique deadline for households to take away tributes that don’t match inside the new guidelines was final week.

Now non-floral choices have been picked up from grave websites and are being saved in a delivery container.

The metropolis says that can give family members until April 14 to gather any objects they nonetheless need.

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