Sunnyside Cemetery Master Plan

At this time, we are reviewing and planning for interment needs over the next 25 years. The master plan will be built out in phases. The master plan will seek to provide a mixture of traditional and new interment options. This will help ensure the existing cemetery and expansion areas are used as efficiently as possible and will provide the community alternative interment options that may be less land intensive in the long term.

Thank you for this suggestion! We look forward to hearing ideas like this from the community at the open house. We are fully open to exploring new options and services as we work through the master plan process.

The City owns and operates three municipal cemeteries, all of which are at or near capacity. Sunnyside Cemetery is the only cemetery with area for expansion.

If the cemetery is not expanded, the City will no longer be able to provide interment as an essential service for residents and their families. For residents wishing to be interred in Surrey, private cemeteries will be their only option; which is not always financially accessible for some. Alternatively, residents will need to inter their family members in other communities outside of Surrey.

One of the objectives of the expansion project is to ensure that residents and their families stay connected to each other, both in life and in death, in the community of their choosing.

We encourage you to come to the open house to provide any additional comments you may have. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the cemetery and the project, ask questions, and provide feedback to staff.

At this stage of the project we are completing the site analysis and gathering information. A key component of this is reaching out to the public with what we have learned about the site, provide information about the cemetery needs, and discuss some of the strategies that could be used to balance protection of forested areas and provide much needed interment space for the City. No design decisions have been made to this point.

The open house is on November 20 Open House at the South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre (14601 - 20 Ave) in the Turnbull Gallery, 5-8pm. If you are not able to attend, the information boards will be posted on the project page after the event.

The project does not propose to expand into the Sunnyside Urban Forest on the west side of 148 Street. All expansion will be contained to cemetery property on the east side of 148 Street. Please see the below image for the boundaries of the cemetery property.

Further information on the project will be provided at the November 20 Open House at the South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre (14601 - 20 Ave) in the Turnbull Gallery, 5-8pm. If you are not able to attend, the open house boards will be posted on the website after the event.

The City is not considering removing or reducing existing cemetery service offerings through this plan but will seek to provide a wider range of interment options that could be considered less permanent than traditional in-ground burial.

 Green burials, which is in-ground interment in a biodegradable casket without embalming, grave liners, or vaults, is being considered as a service offering in the master plan. Typically, green burials involve minimal grave markings/memorialization and promotes habitat restoration on the burial lands. Locations for green burials will be considered as part of this project.

 Terramation, which is the transformation of human remains into soil at a specialized funeral facility, is currently pending government approval. However, consideration for a terramation garden, an area to receive soil remains from the terramation process, is being reviewed as a potential servicing offering in the longer term for the cemetery.

The Semiahmoo Trail is a heritage route through South Surrey. Today, it is used as a commuting route and as a recreational trail for walking, running, cycling, and enjoying nature. More information about the trail is available on Semiahmoo Trail | City of Surrey.

A section of the Semiahmoo Trail runs through Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery. The design will aim to protect the heritage value and character of this important public amenity and will adhere to the Semiahmoo Trail Design Standards.

The total area of Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery is 29-acres, some areas have been developed, others are forested. This master plan will review the extent of future developable areas and identify areas for environmental protection.

Our cemeteries do not offer food or coffee services.

The project is currently in the early stage of site analysis, which includes arborist and environmental assessments of the property.

These assessments will help guide decisions and designs on where expansion can occur while being sensitive to the overall forest and wildlife. This assessment work is currently underway, and no design decisions for the site have been made at this stage. Therefore, the amount of tree removal and impact to wildlife has not yet been determined.

Plant selection and maintenance will be reviewed and considered as the master plan progresses.