Mildmay cemetery facing closure and needs your help!
By Susan Bross
Editor
Mildmay’s only public cemetery, St. Paul’s United Church Cemetery, is getting dangerously close to closing. Board members are reaching out to the public in search of interested parties to join the Board and help keep the cemetery open.
Jackie Canning and George Culbert, members of the Board, said that St. Paul’s is simply running out of people to take over the places on their Board. With a very low church attendance and membership, it has become increasingly difficult to find volunteers to help look after the cemetery. The Board has asked the Municipality of South Bruce to take over the ownership of the cemetery as they know eventually the current Board can not continue looking after the operations of such. If the Municipality does not take over the ownership of the cemetery, it will fall into the hands of the United Church of Canada. If this is the case, the cemetery will close.
What does all this mean?
First of all, Jackie Canning stated that they want to emphasize that no matter what happens with the cemetery – all plots and niches in the columbarium that have already been sold will still be able to be used.
If the United Church of Canada takes ownership, no additional plots or niches can ever be sold. The cemetery will stay as is.
The main point that the Board would like everyone to know is that this cemetery is the only “public” cemetery in Mildmay. Anyone can be buried there – they do not have to be a church member. If the cemetery closed, and someone who didn’t belong to one of the other churches needed to be buried, where would they be buried? The St. Paul’s Cemetery has additional space at the back of the property to expand into. Not all cemeteries do.
George Culbert is the caretaker at the cemetery and looks after many aspects of the day-to-day work. He said that they have worked hard to beautify the cemetery and to keep it up to the standards as directed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Cemetery Regulations Unit. Jackie added that there is a lot of work involved in running the cemetery and they really need some help. They would like to see a South Bruce Cemetery Board formed, but are not sure this is going to happen. Members of St. Paul’s are currently in discussions with the Municipality to see what can be done.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Jackie Canning 519-367-3277 or George Culbert519-367-2565 – they would really like to hear from you.
Culross-Teeswater Cemetery
Public management of cemeteries is not a new thing.
The Culross-Teeswater Cemetery is owned by the Municipality of South Bruce. A Board of Directors looks after the administrative duties and operation of the cemetery. Money raised by the cemetery, including donations, is used to reimburse the Municipality.
The cemetery was deeded to the Village of Teeswater in 1974 to comply with the Ontario Cemeteries Regulation for the investing of Perpetual Care Funds. With ensuing amalagamations, the cemetery came to be in the hands of the current Muncipality of South Bruce.
Board Chairman, Dave McDonald explained, “the way our board operates has worked well for many years. However, in today’s world of almost no interest on general savings and perpetual care funds maintaining the grounds is difficult. If not for the generous donations by many of the families with relatives in the cemetery, the grounds would not be able to be maintained at the standards which we do at this time.” He added, “the public cemetery in Mildmay has a good land base for development but needs strong community minded people to lead the rest.”
