How do I purchase a lot at the cemetery?
Cemetery lots may be purchased through the Township of Georgian Bay. Please contact the Clerk’s Department to confirm availability and current fees and to arrange the purchase. An appointment is recommended to ensure staff are available to assist you.
How many people can be interred in one lot?
For a full-size lot, the following interments are permitted:
- one casket and one cremated remains;
- up to four cremated remains; or
- one adult casket and one child casket.
A cremation lot permits one cremated remains. Double-depth interments are not permitted.
What are interment rights?
Interment rights give the rights holder the right to determine who may be interred in a particular cemetery lot, subject to the Township’s Cemetery By-law. Purchasing interment rights does not mean purchasing the land itself. The Township issues an Interment Rights Certificate once the applicable fees have been paid.
My family member is buried at the cemetery, can I be buried with them?
Possibly. This will depend on the type of lot, the number and type of interments already made in the lot, and who holds the interment rights. Please contact the Clerk’s Department and staff can review the cemetery records and confirm whether another interment can take place.
How can I ensure my family member can be buried with me?
Interment rights holders determine who may be interred in their lot. The Township recommends that rights holders clearly identify their cemetery lot and their wishes in their will. Only the rights holder, or their authorized or legal representative where applicable, may authorize an interment.
What plants can I place at my loved one's grave?
Please contact the Township before planting shrubs, trees or other permanent plantings at a gravesite. The Township maintains the cemetery grounds and may prune or remove plantings that interfere with maintenance. Borders, fences, railings, walls, crushed rock surfacing and hedges around individual lots are not permitted. Floral tributes and artificial flowers may be placed on monuments or flat markers from May 1 to October 1 and must be removed by October 15.
What is the process for booking an interment at the cemetery?
An Interment Request Form must be completed and submitted to the Clerk’s Department at least five business days before the requested interment date. The request must include the applicable burial permit or cremation certificate, supporting funeral home documentation and payment of the applicable fee.
Once the requested date and time have been confirmed with the Township’s Operations Department, an Interment Contract will be issued. The contract must be signed and returned, and payment completed, before the interment takes place.
How do I purchase a monument for my, or my loved one's, grave?
Monuments and markers are generally purchased through a monument or bereavement supplier. Before ordering or installing a monument, please contact the Township to confirm the location and applicable cemetery requirements. Monument work requires advance notice to the Township, and applicable care and maintenance and staking fees may apply.
My family purchased cemetery lots, but ended up making other interment arrangements. Does the Township buy back cemetery lots?
Please contact the Clerk’s Department with the name of the interment rights holder and, if available, the lot information or Interment Rights Certificate. Staff will review the cemetery records and advise what options are available for the unused interment rights.
What is the Care and Maintenance Fund?
The Care and Maintenance Fund is a legislated trust fund used to support the long-term care and maintenance of the cemetery. A required portion of the purchase price of interment rights and certain monument or marker fees is contributed to the fund.
