Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
“I have not forgotten you, gentle Piggy,” the headstone reads, with a 1982 date engraved at the bottom of the granite slab. “Rest in peace.”
Surrounded by detached homes, Turnberry Developments wants to build several more houses on the site – despite community opposition and a petition with more than 2,800 signatures – and is offering access for exhumation of interred pets. “No trespassing” signs dot the property, which Turnberry bought in the 1990s, and the company would not agree to an interview.
For weeks, local animal lovers have been advocating for the preservation of the resting place of beloved animal companions, which served as an unofficial pet cemetery for decades. CTV News spoke with someone who paid $325 to bury a pet there more than three decades ago
Among the opponents of the development is Kristin Schumacher, who observed the removal of dozens of headstones this week and is frustrated at what she considers callous desecration of resting places.
None of her companion animals are buried there, but she said the idea of other people’s pets being “dug up, thrown in the back of a dump truck and then dumped in a landfill somewhere … breaks my heart.”
Linda Annis, a Surrey city councillor, says she’s re-visiting a long-abandoned idea of turning the property into a park.
“It's something, certainly, I'm exploring,” she said. “Unfortunately the land was zoned for a subdivision a number of years ago and there was a covenant on this property up until the early 2000s but the covenant has since expired.”
BC Assessment lists the assessed value of the bare land at $953,000.
The province’s foremost animal law specialist says it’s hard to protect land for pet cemeteries, since there’s currently no legislation or regulation to that effect, even if a Good Samaritan made a donation with a covenant that the property be used for that purpose.
“Given the housing situation, or lack thereof in British Columbia, a covenant made specifically for a pet cemetery could potentially be overturned by a court order,” explained Rebeka Breder. “If there's anything that we learn from this is that it shows there's definitely a need for pet cemeteries in this province, a place to go where people know their animal is buried and they can pay their respects.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING 3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area mosque
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
11-year-old boy dies after subway surfing in NYC
An 11-year-old boy died Monday after subway surfing in New York City. He's the fourth person to die from subway surfing in the city this year.
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
What Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, says she hasn't done is make the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and wounded more than 2,000 in Lebanon this week.
Top Hezbollah commander among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.
'A fake, a phony and a fraud': Heated exchange between Pierre Poilievre, Jagmeet Singh
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.