Making a Reservation
Persons making arrangements for a burial in the Cemetery purchase the right to be buried, as opposed to purchasing a specific plot. Also known as ‘interment rights,’ burial rights can be purchased on a ‘pre-need’ basis (i.e., before a burial is needed) or an ‘at-need’ basis (i.e., when a burial is needed).
Essentially, a Right of Interment represents a contract between the purchaser and the Denman Island Memorial Society (DIMS) that entitles the purchaser to have whole body remains or cremated remains interred in a vacant plot in the Cemetery. Ownership of the land remains with DIMS.
Buying burial rights on a pre-need basis allows people to learn about natural burial, and choose it, when they are free of the stress that comes with the death of a loved one. It also allows them to learn the difference between a standard plot and a family plot (which are described later in this section).
Eligibility for burial in the Cemetery is limited to residents of Denman Island and their immediate families. Persons qualifying are:
- an owner, past or present, of land on Denman Island;
- a full- or part-time resident of Denman Island, past or present; and
- a grandparent, parent, child, grandchild, spouse or sibling of such an owner or resident.
‘Spouse’ is defined as a person who a) is married to another person or b) has lived with another person in a marriage-like relationship for a period of at least two years.
One person can purchase burial rights for up to six persons, as long as the designated individuals meet these eligibility requirements. The names of these individuals are recorded when the burial right is purchased, although one or more of them can be changed at a later date. Pets are not eligible.
Unlike the process in a conventional cemetery, a person purchasing burial rights does not select a location in the Cemetery. With a standard burial plot, that is, a plot for the remains of one person (see Burial Sections), the location is assigned in a sequential manner, so that the land can be left undisturbed after the burial to encourage the return of native vegetation. As a result, it is the Cemetery Manager, not the family, who determines the location of the plot, and this determination is not made until it is time to exercise the burial right.
With a family plot (for the remains of two or more persons), the Cemetery Manager also determines the location of the plot. The determination is made when the first grave is used. Then, however, the family knows that this same location will be used when it is time to use the other grave(s) in the burial plot. In this case, the land will not be left undisturbed until all family burial plots in the area are fully used.
Burial rights cannot be purchased online. Instead, they must be purchased in person or by telephone. Contact us to arrange a purchase.