Kelowna cemetery will soon reclaim unused burial plots sold before 1973

The Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery (KMPC) has initiated a process of reclaiming unused burial plots.

In a City of Kelowna release issued today, it explained that the cemetery is reclaiming unused Right of Interment Permits sold more than 50 years ago.

The Right of Interment Permit is, simply, the right to be buried in a certain burial plot in the cemetery, the City explained.

These reclamation efforts only apply to plots that were sold in or before 1973 that remain empty, and Cemetery Manager Tracey Hillis says the purpose of this is to ensure responsible land management.

“Because these plots were sold 50 years ago, they often get forgotten about after so many years, or the owner has already been interred elsewhere,” she explained.

“Without completing a project like this, cemeteries would have plots that go unused forever, leaving less space for those who may want to be buried in our local cemetery.”

The City says permit holders, or their immediate family members, have until Oct. 7, 2024, to notify KMPC via email regarding their intent to use, transfer or surrender their Right of Interment Permit.

If that is not done by then, the cemetery will reclaim them.

The City notes that permits issued in 1973 or earlier did not include detailed contact information, or any information provided is likely no longer valid.

“If you are (or think an immediate family member might be) a permit holder for a vacant plot location, please send an email to cemeterypermits@kelowna.ca,” the City release said.

“Staff will review the status of the permit (if any) and update its files with the correct contact information and the intention to either use the permit, transfer the permit to an immediate family member or surrender the permit.”

If the original plot holder has passed away, an immediate family member may be eligible to use the original Right of Interment Permit for a casket burial.