Hennessey Cutcliffe Charlottetown Funeral Home wants to set up its own crematorium but in order to do that they need city council to change its bylaw.
And the public is going to have its say.
Two resolutions came to council at its regular public monthly meeting on Monday – to proceed to the public consultation phase to amend the business office commercial zone as it pertains to 33-35 Longworth Avenue in order to permit a crematorium in the existing funeral establishment be approved.
Coun. Greg Rivard, chairman of the planning committee, also put a resolution on the floor to proceed to a public meeting to amend the definition of funeral establishments in the zoning and development bylaw to include crematoriums as a permitted use of funeral establishments.
“Right now, the definition of the zoning bylaw under funeral homes doesn’t have a crematorium in there. In the past, a crematorium was something that was off site (and) wasn’t in residential areas,’’ Rivard said.
“But, times have changed; technology has changed and now people are looking to have everything under one roof – the preparation of the body, be cremation, be it whatever (take place) all in the same funeral home and not have to have the body shifted around.’’
According to the city, the Belvedere Funeral Home is the lone funeral home in Charlottetown to offer the service.
Rivard said planning board decided when the request came in from Hennessey Cutcliffe to make a change in the bylaw governing all funeral homes, rather than just deal with the current request.
Notices will be sent out to residents in the immediate area of Hennessey Cutcliffe and a public meeting will be scheduled for a later date.
“We don’t have it as a definition in the zoning bylaw under funeral homes and we’re looking to add it to the bylaw, (to) change the zoning bylaw to include crematoriums under the funeral home section of the zoning and development bylaw.’’