Why Plan Ahead?
Planning ahead means you can decide how you would prefer your final arrangements be carried out.
Just like estate planning and will writing, pre-planning for your final resting place is equally important and will take some of the stress off of your family during a very difficult time.
Celebrate Your life, Your Way
When you choose to pre-plan your interment, you’ll ensure your own wishes will be recorded, and your family will not need to question their choices.
While so many of us have big questions about what happens when we die, we often forget to reflect on the question of how to capture the way we lived.
Knowing how you want your life celebrated will help friends and family honour your memory.
Take the time to start planning the type of cemetery options you feel would celebrate and memorialize your life. Once you’ve made your selection, we encourage you to share your wishes with your loved ones.
Advance Planning Puts Your Family First
Here are some tips that may help you start the advance planning conversation with your loved ones:
- Set a comfortable time to have the conversation. You can schedule it as an appointment with your loved ones and tell them you want to share your plans with them. Or, ask them to make their plans to share with you.
- Ease into the conversation. Questions such as “Have you ever thought about where you would like to be buried?” may open the discussion to more details about your loved one’s wishes.
- Pre-planning your final arrangements is a gift of love. Explain to your loved ones you don’t want to burden them with difficult decisions when you’re gone.
Whether you’re just beginning to consider sharing plans for your own final arrangements with loved ones, or you’d like to encourage loved ones to make and share their plans with you, the conversation about planning ahead for cemetery arrangements is an important one to have.
When You Are Ready
The caring team at Chilliwack Cemeteries is here to help and assist you with your interment, and marker options.
Make an appointment to meet with one of our friendly, compassionate, and supportive staff who are available to answer all of your questions and help you take the first step to making arrangements.
Your Rights of Interment
When you purchase a burial plot, you are purchasing the right to be buried in that space – not the land itself.
The land and control of it belong to the cemetery.
The right of interment can be sold or transferred, however the transfer paperwork must be done in the office and may be subject to restrictions and administration fee.
Do I Own My Plot?
As an interment rights holder you have the right to be buried in your grave or cremation plot and what memorialization, if any, will be placed there – providing it’s permitted within the cemetery’s bylaws.
The land remains the property of the cemetery, is subject to the cemetery’s bylaws, and will be cared for in perpetuity by the cemetery.
Things to Remember With Rights of Interment
- You are purchasing an interment right – not the actual land.
- All plots are subject to the cemetery bylaws regarding issues such as number of interments, types of interments, and markers.
- Interments are forever. Unlike other countries where you may purchase an interment right for a number of years and then have the option to extend it for a fee, interment rights at Chilliwack Cemeteries do not expire and the perpetual care fee is included in the plot price.
- All direct descendants wanting to be interred on an existing ancestors’ plot will have to pay for their own right of interment.
Can I Sell My Plot, Or Give It To A Relative?
Yes.
If you want to transfer your plot, please make an appointment with an advisor and bring the original purchase documentation with you.
The Rights Holder(s) listed on the certificate will be required to make any changes.
The cemetery will update its records and provide a replacement contract reflecting the changes.
All changes must be registered with Chilliwack Cemeteries, as we maintain the official book of record.
Perpetual Care
For traditional casket burials, and in-ground cremations, 25% of the price paid for the right of interment is contributed to our perpetual care fund. For above ground cremation interments, a 10% perpetual care fee is contributed.
This perpetual care fund is governed by British Columbia Provincial law.
This means there is no time limit to your right of interment.
How Does a Perpetual Care Fund Work?
At Chilliwack Cemeteries, every interment right is sold in perpetuity. This means once you are interred, you are there forever.
A percentage of the purchase price for each interment right sold is placed in a care and maintenance trust fund.
These contributions are non-refundable and used to provide regular care and maintenance at the cemetery, such as: cutting grass and general maintenance.
