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Campbell River cemetery measures too drastic

Council is essentially taking away every opportunity that we have to care for our loved ones

I wish to thank Paul Rudan and the Webb family for their heartfelt letter regarding the city’s plan to enforce the bylaw prohibiting objects other than fresh flowers at the cemetery.

It deeply saddens me that council is going to such drastic measures. I have three family members at the Elk Falls cemetery, and tending their graves is all that family members have left.

Council is essentially taking away every opportunity that we have to care for our loved ones. It is impossible to leave fresh flowers as the deer devour them the moment we leave.

I do understand that some of the adornments are becoming somewhat excessive; however I would like to believe that the council could be compassionate enough to come to a compromise. Perhaps council could take the money for the “alternate garden” and pay a gardening contractor that would use a push mower that requires a little more time and care, instead of a contractor that whips through on his stand up ride on mower.

It would also be desirable to keep the gardening rocks around the headstones if they were kept in an appropriate and specific framework; which minimal adornments could be kept within this framework.

The idea of a scattered garden, water feature etc is lovely; however we still want to be able to tend to the graves of our own loved ones.

It is quite devastating to feel that being stripped away.

The main purpose of the cemetery is for a family to have a specific place at which to honour their departed loved ones.

Karen Sacht

Campbell River