Plans to build Saskatchewan's 1st Muslim cemetery near Saskatoon

Saskatchewan's first Muslim cemetery could be built near Saskatoon if the Prairie Muslim Association can raise enough money to buy the land. 

• New Muslim burial ground could be in the works for Saskatchewan

The association says it has put down a deposit on 32 hectares of agricultural land in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park, about 30 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. 

According to a fundraising page for the cemetery, the association has until July 1 to raise the $440,000 it needs to buy the land.  

Issues with space, fees

Afzal Mehmood, who is a member of the association, said there is currently a section of the municipally-run Woodlawn Cemetery in Saskatoon for Muslims. 

However, he said that section is filling up and the City of Saskatoon cemetery is too expensive for low-income families. 

An adult casket grave at the Woodlawn Cemetery costs $1,530 in new areas and $2,000 in established areas. 

There have been 95 burials in the Muslim section of the cemetery since it was established in 1982. About 25 plots are still available and there is room for another 45 plots nearby.  According to the City of Saskatoon, those two areas should be adequate for another 14 years, based on an average of five burials per year. It added that more plots could be allocated once those sections are full. 

"This way we have our graveyard, we can open a fund or collect the money or hold an account if somebody dies," said Mehmood. That means families who cannot afford the services can still have a funeral and burial for their loved one.

He said there were no major differences between the Muslim cemetery and the city's facility in Saskatoon, except for the issue of payment and fees. 

It would be open to people of any religion and Muslims throughout Saskatchewan, he added. 

Cemetery needs RM approval

The association has set aside eight hectares for the cemetery. There are no plans for the rest of the land at this point. 

In order to build the cemetery, the association will need approval from the rural municipality.

Adam Tittemore, who is the administrator for the RM, said the application process involves notifying all landowners within one mile of the property. 

Those landowners would have a minimum of 21 days to respond with questions or concerns, after which the RM council would decide if it should proceed. 

Mehmood said there was no timeline for when the new cemetery would be ready to open. 

Population growing

Currently, some Muslims living in rural Saskatchewan bury their dead at the Muslim cemetery in Calgary.

According to Statistics Canada, there were 2,230 Muslims living in all of Saskatchewan in 2001. The latest census in 2011 reported 5,655 Muslims in Saskatoon alone.

In 2015, the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan estimated the population of Muslims across the province was close to 10,000 people.