Cemetery charges to increase in qathet Regional District

Approval was granted for increases to the 2023 cemetery fees and charges schedule at the September 29 qathet Regional District (qRD) board meeting.

According to a staff report, each year, staff reviews the input costs of cemetery sales and services to determine if fee increases are needed. The report stated that cemetery fees are set to cover the costs of the goods sold, plus an additional 25 per cent, which goes toward general operations of the cemetery service.

Sale of plots, crypts, mausoleum and columbaria niches will be going up five per cent to offset inflation. Service fees will see increases of $15 to $90 for a few specific items to maintain the 25 per cent margin on cemetery services. The increases are driven by wage increases, according to the staff report.

The services include interment, disinterment, exhumation, memorial installation and memorial repairs. The staff report stated the proposed fee increases ensure revenue will cover direct costs of cemetery services and will reduce reliance on taxation to subsidize services.

qRD's finance committee recommended ncreases to the cemetery fees and charges for 2023 at the September 20 finance committee meeting.