Plans for Corner Brook crematorium put on the back burner

Plans for a crematorium in Corner Brook on the west coast of the island haven't gone up in flames just yet, but remain uncertain until council holds a second vote on the proposal next month.

Country Haven Funeral Home has put forward an application to expand its operations by opening a crematorium at its location on Country Road.

Owner Dwayne Parsons said he felt confident after first meeting with the city's engineering staff.

"The engineering staff, they would present it to council and they had no objections with it," Parsons told CBC.

Unfortunately for Parsons, council gets the final word on the matter — not staff. And when the application went to a vote at a public council meeting this month, councillors were evenly split on the decision.

The vote ended in a 3-3 tie after Mayor Charles Pender declared a conflict of interest and removed himself from the vote.

The funeral home is located on a main street, nestled primarily in a residential neighbourhood. It also happens to be near Pender's house.

Pender said his home is about 300 metres from the funeral home and, because his house is for sale, Pender thought it best to sit the vote out.

"Because people may perceive that if I voted one way or the other I'm trying to protect my property values because my house is for sale," said Pender. One councillor, Linda Chaisson, spoke up at the meeting and disagreed with his stance.

Cremations on the rise

Parsons said he isn't concerned about the politics of voting, but more about growing his business and providing a service that doesn't yet exist in Corner Brook. 

When he first opened the funeral home 17 years ago, Parsons said cremation wasn't a popular option — he only performed about 10 per year — but times have changed and demand is on the rise. 

"Today, about half of my families I serve are cremations," he said, estimating he deals with about 150 families a year.  

Parsons currently has to drive about an hour to Stephenville to accommodate cremation requests, where he has an agreement with Russell's Funeral Home to provide the service.

"It's not to harm anybody, it's to provide another service to our families, that is well needed in the area," Parsons said.

Country Haven sits on 2.5 acres of land, and the planned crematorium — about 50 feet long — would be located at the back of the building, with access for company vehicles.

More information needed

The mayor, however, believes the application was delivered "prematurely," and said councilors have more questions about the project — including concerns about emissions from the proposed crematorium.  

The proposal will be voted on again at the next council meeting in August. Pender said this will give councillors more time to learn about the proposal. 

Parsons said 150 letters were sent out to families in the area about the funeral home's proposal, and 86 per cent of households never responded. He interprets that to mean that area residents aren't concerned about the project. 

Mayor Pender said he plans to again declare a conflict of interest at next month's vote, but added that it's up to council to decide whether or not that's the case.