A Wingham funeral home is pushing to get the town's winter burial rates in line with surrounding communities.
Dayna Deans, owner of McBurney Funeral Homes, spoke to North Huron council on Monday, requesting that winter burial rates either be changed, or the by-law be amended so that the charges don't need to be applied to all burials.
Deans said the winter burial rates were only meant to cover caskets, but a recent change to the fees means all types of burial now face an extra charge if interment occurs between November 15 to April 15.
"Obviously, people are not as well-versed in the Cemetery By-laws as I am," she told council. "I feel it's my job to make sure they're looked after during a particular vulnerable time in their life... I think if anybody sitting up here said they agree with paying a thousand dollars more for taking four screws out of a wall because it's November 20, I think you're fooling yourself. I don't think anybody can justify that."
She said it also doesn't make sense that these burials cost extra, considering the mild weather often means no extra work for staff in late November and into December.
Deans says to her knowledge, nobody has had to pay the increased winter fees since they were changed last year. But she says since the change, she has been advising families to wait until spring or to choose another cemetery.
"I deal with a lot of tragic circumstances and if I have to tell a mother who just lost her child to suicide we have to wait six months because of a calendar date, or a mom that just lost her stillborn baby you have to wait six months or pay an extra $1000; it's pretty hard to justify."
Council were told that changing the dates for the winter season could be difficult as it's part of the Cemetery By-law, so it would need approval from the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BOA). But Deans said council could change the fees without going through the BOA.
Council directed staff to prepare a follow-up report with potential options and bring it back at a future meeting. Council will also conducts its annual review of its fees and charges in the coming months.