Death is a natural part of life. But when it comes to deciding on a final resting place, Woodland Memorial Park Cemetery is one step closer to ensuring a variety of internment options are available for generations to come.
Woodlawn Memorial Park general manager, Rebecca Kit said the site plan process did take longer than expected, but if all goes to plan, shovels should be in the ground this spring with a target date for opening the green burial section in fall, 2024.
“This isn’t something we do everyday. We had no idea of the amount of reports and hoops you have to jump to get a development passed,” Kit said.
Once there is a stamp of approval from the City of Guelph, Kit says, Woodlawn Memorial Park can begin tendering out the project.
“We are just about done the on-site plan removal. Hopefully this will wrap that up in a couple weeks and then we can do our construction drawings and tender it out over the winter. We really hope to have shovels in the ground by spring, as long as everything goes to plan.”
Kit said the cemetery is running out of space for casket burials.
"This expansion includes the need to develop more single and double plots,” she said.
However, Kit said, other burial options are also being added to accommodate those not so keen on the traditional burial grave, something that is increasingly becoming less popular.
“People’s mindsets are very different. The traditional two days of visitation, the big funeral service, and a casket burial, those days going by the wayside because of the cost,” Kit said.
“And today, people are concerned about land usage. They think, why take up this big space when they can take up a very small space with an urn?”
Currently, plans are to develop the full 30 acres, across the tracks.
“The first phase of the cemetery expansion was done in the early 2000’s. Right now, we are looking at about five acres of development. We do this in small chunks at a time because statistics keep changing,” Kit said.
“We don’t want to develop all of the land for casket burial, and then all of sudden, we find out cremation rates are through the roof.”
When it comes to cremation, Kit said there are a variety of options on the way.
“We are hoping, with this expansion, to offer lots of new and unique ideas, hopefully entice people to bring cremated remains here, in a proper resting place,” Kit said.
“I think it’s so important to have that resting place for your genealogy. Anyone can call or office and ask where someone is buried. Even if someone’s cremated and their remains are in one of our scattering gardens, this is recorded. There’s that genealogy piece for your future generations.”
Currently, Woodlawn has two scattering areas, and a third option which is an ossuary.
“This is a little different. In the middle of a beautiful Roman-looking structure that includes a brass plate that you lift, and then the remains are placed inside,” Kit said.
A big part of the development is the green burial section.
“We get calls about green burials daily,” Kit said.
“The green burial area is going to be fairly traditional but with no monuments or markers. There will be one communal natural stone where people’s names and dates can be inscribed on it. The area will be left to naturalize. There will be no embalming or caskets made with any metal materials. Everything is biodegradable,” Kit said.
Shroud burials will also be permitted in this area.
“This is something many cemeteries have not offered before and yet that’s how it all started, bodies wrapped in cloth and buried, so we are kind of getting back to that in the green burial section,” Kit said.
“And that’s what people want. They want 'simple', to know that they are not leaving an impact on the environment, and they just want a peaceful and naturalized setting.”
The site plan process did take longer than expected.
“We are just about done the on-site plan removal. Hopefully this will wrap that up in a couple weeks and then we can do our construction drawings and tender it out over the winter. We hope to have shovels in the ground by spring, as long as everything goes to plan.”
The property, with about 80 acres in total, features more than 36,0000 interments.
