A Fort St. John family is calling for changes to the city's cemetery bylaw, saying workers have "desecrated" their decades-old family plot by tearing down their handcrafted memorial without notice or permission.
Patricia Dyck and her family were shocked to discover city workers had torn down the wooden cross and fence that marked the grave of her parents, Amy and Clarence Letendre, as well as her baby sister, Tracy.
The plot at the Fort St. John Cemetery on 100 Avenue has been in the family for 50 years, Dyck said, when her sister was first buried there after dying in childbirth, and when the cemetery was run by the Catholic Church. Her parents were later buried in the same plot, most recently her father last year.
"Every time I drive by, I look every single time. It's right next to the road," Dyck said. "I chose that word really carefully when I said they desecrated our plot. It's a strong word and I totally meant it."
Dyck's husband and her late father built and installed the cross to mark the grave nine years ago when her mother died and was buried there. The cross was made from treated cedar and which had a family picture inlayed into the varnished wood. The plot had long been bordered by a wooden fence and filled with rock, and had been maintained through years of vandalism, she said.
But Dyck's husband noticed the cross was missing when he drove by the cemetery on Wednesday, she said. Further inspection found the entire memorial was removed and all that was left was a patch of dirt, Dyck said.
The family was told by the city's public works department that the memorial was removed as part of a council crackdown on bylaws, Dyck said.
The family was provided no notice, and is investigating its legal options and whether the city broke federal or provincial law by disturbing a grave marker, she said.
"They violated it," she said.
"This issue is so personal to everybody. It's not something you can brush off."
The city's cemetery bylaw states memorials must be made of either granite or bronze — marble and wood aren't allowed.
It also gives the cemetery caretaker permission to remove "alternative landscaping or non-permanent adornments," among other provisions. The city asks residents to remove any non-permanent ornaments, such as flowers, by October 1 of each year to avoid being damaged by winter maintenance.
Dyck isn't sure why the memorial was suddenly removed after all these years without issue. But, the bylaw needs to change so families can personalize their memorials and mourn in their own ways, she said.
"A wooden cross that was handmade, hand built with love, that's way too personal I guess," Dyck said. "There are many municipalities in B.C., in this country, that do not have bylaws like this."
The city's cemetery bylaw was first passed in 1997, and was updated this summer, though changes were mostly focused on increasing fees for interments. A city spokesperson said staff will be in contact with the family to discuss their concerns.
"We are re-sodding the plot and will replace the non-conforming memorial until we can work with the family on a permanent memorial," city spokesman Ryan Harvey said.
Responding to the family's concerns on Facebook, Couns. Trevor Bolin and Becky Grimsrud said council is discussing how the cemetery bylaw is being interpreted, and the provisions for ornamentation.
"That is not what the city or council wanted in any capacity with this bylaw," Bolin said. "In no way did we intend to disrespect your family, or the site. I am positive this can and will be resolved for you and your family and a new solution going forward in regards to this."
- Matt Preprost, Alaska Highway News
