At the Bronte
Creek Provincial Park in Oakville, Ont., you’ll find more than a dozen signs
that identify trails, hikes, and the local wildlife that live in the vicinity.
And you’ll also
find a sign advertising the park as a scattering area for the ashes of loved
ones. Newly erected,
the sign is the first of its kind in an Ontario provincial park.
Located near a
popular trail, the sign reads: “Families and individuals who wish to scatter
cremated remains of a loved one can do so in Bronte Creek Provincial Park on
both land and water.”
Ontario Parks
installed the sign after receiving numerous requests from the public inquiring
about depositing ashes in the 6.4-square-kilometer park.
Not that the
public needed permission. Since 2009, Government Services announced official
guidelines permitting Ontarians to scatter the ashes of loved ones on Crown
land and water in provincial parks, conservation areas, and the Great Lakes.
Ontarians who want to deposit remains on municipally owned areas of the
lakeshore or parkland, however, must gain permission from the city.
But although
these guidelines have been in effect for six years, some local park visitors
are offended by the new sign.
Marilyn Gould
told the Toronto Star she was “shocked and
horrified” by the sign. Noting that she has never seen human remains before,
Gould worries she wouldn’t be able to identify the ashes while walking with her
two dogs.
“I’d like to
know it’s there,” she said in an interview with the Star. “That’s
the concern.”
Roopnauth
Sharma, the president of the Hindu Federation, understands why the general
public could be concerned about the idea. He told the Starthe park
should consider creating a sanctioned area for scattering, which would quell
the fears of people like Gould.
Cremated remains
pose no environmental risk to local eco-systems and if the cremation process is
done correctly, viruses and diseases cannot survive.
The Bronte Park
sign notes that to minimize environmental impact, “do not leave plastic
flowers, written notes or physical structures” and “do not leave offerings such
as coins, clothing or jewelry in waterways or at the site.”
Source: CottageLife
