Pleasant Valley Cemetery (Vernon Matters file photo)

By Liam Verster

Grave Site Tribute Rules

New regulations for tributes at Vernon’s cemetery

Jul 21, 2022 | 5:00 AM

Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Vernon will have new regulations regarding leaving flowers and memorial items at grave sites.

Changes are being implemented at the cemetery that will restrict private floral tribute holders and require the purchase of holders through the city

Other new rules include to only allow fresh cut flowers be placed on plots between March 15 and October 15; to only allow potted plants, wreaths and artificial floral tributes on plots between October 16 and March 14; and to not allow leaving trinkets at grave sites at any time.

The City of Vernon said the changes align with operation practices of many other cemeteries in B.C. and Canada, and take into consideration the safety of the public and caretakers, maintenance operations and environmental impacts.

A report to city council said information regarding the changes should be provided to the public to ensure people know what is acceptable to leave at a grave site under the bylaw.

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All local funeral homes will be advised of the changes and temporary signage containing information on the changes will be installed at the cemetery entrance.

There will be a grace period extending to March 14, 2023 for people to remove all plastic/silk flowers and other trinkets from the site. After that, the items will be removed and disposed of by a contractor.

The changes were detailed in a report that also outlined improvements to the cemetery, including establishing an information kiosk, restoring the entrance sign and retaining walls, and doing landscaping. The upgrades are part of a Cemetery Master Plan which was adopted in 2019.

Administration has also been working on improving the cemetery’s irrigation, as the existing system is old and difficult to operate, wastes water, is inefficient and prone to breakdowns.

Construction of the new irrigation system is expected to begin in 2023.