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8*-The Canadian Champion, Tuesday, April 18, 2000 vSufdil!;;:zr LVWA#,878-2881' *Cbami~U con. Despite growth, Evergrteen Cemetery should hold out for another 40 years By IRENE GENTLE The Champion When it cornes to choosing a final resting place, traditional burials may be a dying trend. And if they are, MiIton's Evergreen Cemetery should have the capacity 60, operale for another 40 years, said Jim Strain, secretary treasurer for the Ontario Street cemetery. Tbat's despite a projected population boom expected 60 take Milton from 35,00060c 85,000 by 2016. Traditional buriala tu-st took a beating in Britain, where it aim- ply man out of space, said Mr. Strain. Space is plentiful in Canada, but the appeal of cremation bas crossed the ocean anyway. ISince the early 1 990s, cremation bas been making slow but steady gains in Ontario, going from a low of 33 per cent in 1993 toa higb of 38.5 per cent in 1997, said Mr. Strain. But preliminary 1998 figures indicate the growtb trend may have stalled. "While il is climbing, il isn't growing by big leaps and bounds," aaid Mr. Strain. Opened in 188 1, Evergreen Cemetery is non-profit, stakehold- er-owned and govemed by an eigbt-person board of directors. In Ibis case, a stakebolder is anyone who holda intertiment rigbts on tbe land. Burial trends different: But burial trends bave cbanged drastically since tbe cemetery's inception. In the old days, families were apt 60 buy eigbt burial lots, eacb one a full nine-by-four feet. Over lime, four lots becamne the norm. Then just two. Now, wilb cremation, one lot, sized about tbr.ee-by-ftve feed, is tbe usual purcbase. But tbat depends on tbe type of memorial requested. A flat grass marker doesn't take up mucb space, but it lags bebind tbe uprigbt monument in popularity. One reason is visibility. In a cold climate, a snow-covered ground can make il tougb for Ioved ones to navigate a fiat grass marker. "People eboose tbe type of grave based on tbe type of memort- alization tbey wanl," aaid Mr. Strain. As the only active cemetery in a growing town, a skyrocketing population could be expected to do a number on tbe 13.5 acre Evergreen. But it probably won'î, aaid Mr. Strain. Since young farnilies will make up a large portion of new resi- dents, bie ian'î predicting a surge in burials for a wbile. "Will tbe cemetery see tbat growtb? 1 don't tbink so," said Mr. Strain. "Look wbo's moving in." And wben deatb rates do rise, tbe newer residents may not cboose to, be laid to ttin Milton. Instead, tbey may bave family plots in otber areas. Eitber way, tbere's plenîy of roora in Evergreen if cremation continues ita rise. Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Multon's Evergreen C.metary has plenty of spacS Ieft despîte havlng been In operation since the early 1880s. "If tbe numbers keep climbing, space in Evergreen is virtually limilless," said Mr. Strain. Some of Ibat is due to a local bylaw tbal allows tbree crema- tions to, be layered above a single tradilional burial. So even wben the cemelery'a full, tbeoe's room for more. "Il would continue to operate doing cremated remains,' said Mr. Strain. "You could keep going and going." Wben space doea gel tigbt, unused roada or palhways could be transformed mbt cemelery lots. And an even greaier apace saver is an on-aile granite monument witb tbe abiliîy 10 bold about 120 cremated remaina on a plot of land sized for îwo conventional buriala. But tbe cremalion versus traditional burial debate is largely aplil by Hwy. 4031. The furtber norlb of Hwy. 401 one Iravels, tbe bass popular cre- mation becomes, said Mr. Strain. Wbicb juat goes 10 sbow Ibat even in deaîb, il's ail about loca- tion, location, location. "t's tradition. Il's wbaî people bave bislorically done," said Mr. Strain. "TMe tbinking of tbe consumer is tbat traditional burial is tbe way lo go." But since aIl tbings muat come 10 an end, Evergreen may one day be forced 10 close ils doors 10 new burials of any type. Wben Ibat bappens, tbe cemelery board would likely approacb tbe Town 10, begin tlka on a new site, said Mr. Strain. el4t"% COGECO 14 Programming Schedule - April l8th, 2000 -AprIt 24th, 2000 i~ia M . 5.3 t:30,710p Pt*tw j5:3.6:30» PWM i' 5:30,630,72Mp Pud rk 4:30Pn T Lscà SM 5:30,15M, 7M" PIlW www.cogeco.ca 7.p T 5 s. &00p swaCakt - [W ffn iaoN LâS :0m SmqS 60p W on Mathe 21 Main Street North, AmY lm8 519-853-4270, or 853-4700 Feature this week: "Living on the Edge" - Health, Fltness & Ufestyle wlth Edge Goba & Susan HaletI Monday, 6pm