The Ontario Association of…

The Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals (OACFP) is resubmitting our recommendations initially sent during the 2023 Provincial Planning Statement. While we appreciate the opportunity and welcome the government’s efforts in developing provincial land policies, we were disappointed to find that none of our recommendations were incorporated in the updated provincial planning statement.

Existing cemeteries within urban boundaries are nearing capacity due to population growth and an increasing death rate, particularly in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA). Ontario cemeteries have a unique legal responsibility to be maintained indefinitely, yet the current Provincial Policy Statement fails to address the need for new cemeteries outside established settlement areas.

To address these challenges, we urge the government to prioritize the creation of viable burial spaces within settlement areas and recognize cemeteries as an essential public service. Along with our resubmission of recommendations (Appendix I), we would like to propose the following changes specifically:

• Include a bullet in either Section 3 or 4 of the preamble requiring municipalities to provide adequate land for licensed bereavement services based on growth forecasts, death rate projections, and community, cultural and religious considerations.

• Amend Section 2.1 "Planning for People and Homes" to include cemetery definitions and terminology that align with the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 (FBCSA), and define cemeteries inclusively to encompass all related uses. Municipalities should adopt these definitions in their Official Plans and Zoning By-laws and ensure that cemeteries are provided with suitable and viable land. Furthermore, recognize cemeteries as critical cultural and heritage assets deserving of a 100-year planning horizon.

• Additional recommendations can be found in Appendix II

The urgency for new cemetery lands and related bereavement sector infrastructure in Ontario is critical as the population ages. Families are increasingly burdened with the challenge of finding burial spaces as existing options diminish. The government must act quickly to alleviate this burden by facilitating the establishment of new cemetery spaces that will serve future generations.

The current timeline for cemetery development, from the time of property acquisition, and navigating the approvals process, to preparing the property for interments can take a minimum of 10 years. Given this reality, we urge the government to take this opportunity to provide leadership and be proactive in its approach to bereavement sector infrastructure by providing the necessary policy guidance to ensure cross-jurisdictional guidance for development of that infrastructure throughout the province.