The P.E.I. government is going to help families left waiting for their loved ones to be buried. The attorney general said Thursday that 32 burials at the Floral Hills Cemetery near Fredericton will be arranged by his department.
Ballem said the owners of the cemetery don’t want to be in the business anymore. He said the province could appoint a board of directors, but his government isn’t interested in running a cemetary.
Instead the government will help with a short term solution.
“We have permission from the company. They give us access to the site to ensure that we are able to have the burials completed. We don’t have it in writing yet but their legal counsel in Newfoundland tells us that that is not a problem. We are in the process now of trying to arrange someone to manage the facility for us, to hire the staff over the next couple of months in order to get it ready for the spring clean-up, arrange for the graves to be opened and closed.”
Ballem said he’s not sure what the temporary burial business will cost taxpayers. However, he said there’s also some money being held in trust for the burials.