Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham-Kent. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham-Kent. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)
Chatham

Demand for cremation growing, CK cemeteries changing

Cemeteries across Chatham-Kent are changing to keep up with the growing demand for cremation.

McKinlay Funeral Homes President Nathan McKinlay said cremation in Chatham-Kent accounts for about 70 per cent of all burials, which is about par with the national average. The Cremation Association of North America reports the cremation rate in Canada has risen from 48 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2018 and it expects the rate will keep rising over the next few years.

McKinlay said cremation is popular because it gives people with varying cultural and religious values more options and it's cheaper.

"A lot of families who are trying to connect with their families at existing family plots are choosing cremation so they could be buried above their parents for instance. If someone's parents were buried in a traditional burial, there would theoretically be room for four urns above those two caskets," said McKinlay.

McKinlay said some people find going into the ground unsettling and cemeteries are running out of land.

"There are above-ground columbariums in a lot of municipal cemeteries now where families may choose to be cremated and remain together in an above-ground niche (recess in a wall) so they don't have to go into the ground because there are a number of people who still don't want to go into the ground," McKinlay said.

Life Transitions Burial and Cremation Service Owner James Mac Neil said there is a cultural shift taking place.

"People are saying well I don't see value in an old casket and three days of visitation and three hearses and limousines. We see value in a different type of gathering which often ends with cremation," said Mac Neil.

Mac Neil said some ceremonies, such as golf course ceremonies, that would have been considered disrespectful at one time are now acceptable.

McKinlay said some people choose to scatter the ashes of their loved ones in water or a forest while others choose a private funeral and scatter part of the ashes in a different place, and some with blended families will split the ashes to scatter in the two cemeteries.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent wants to add two more columbariums (storage units) for urns at Maple Leaf Cemetery on top of the four already there. The current units are 82 per cent sold and more are needed as consumers seek alternatives to traditional in-ground burials in municipal cemeteries.

A report goes to Chatham-Kent council on Monday night to add the two columbariums.

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