Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery

The Natural Cemetery is accessed via a lane through a farm; is this access guaranteed forever?

Yes, the land that holds the Cemetery and the farm is one property that has a “Certificate of Public Interest” on the Land Title. This certificate ensures the public’s interest in the Cemetery, including access, is protected in perpetuity.

Do you have an electric car charger at the Cemetery?

We have an EV charger at the farmhouse. It is fixed to the split-rail fence next to the gate. You are welcome to use it.

I want to be buried at the Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery. How do I do it?

Contact the Cemetery Manager, Catherine Valentine, anytime during your life and pre-purchase a burial plot, or have your family do it for you after your passing. For a full body or cremation burial plot you will be purchasing a Right of Interment. This is a form of real property that ensures your right to be buried (interred) in this cemetery.

I don’t live on Salt Spring, can I be buried there?

Yes, we welcome everyone. We can work with your local Funeral Director or they can speak with Haywards Funeral Home on Salt Spring to discuss transportation and preservation until the burial. Salt Spring is a spiritual place for many people and a memorable place to be buried. Pre-purchasing a single or multiple graves (Right of Interments) will ensure that your wish to rest on Salt Spring Island eternally will come true.

Can I visit the Cemetery on a regular basis?

Cemetery visiting hours are 9 am to 6 pm daily. Purchasing a Right of Interment gives you a stake in this land – the right to visit and eventually rest here eternally. When there is a funeral, the grounds are closed to other visitors – usually for the whole day. You are welcome to email to enquire if access will be available on the day you would like to visit.

Can I tend my loved one’s grave?

As a Conservation burial ground, we aim to leave the forest enriched from our human input. Once settled, graves are replanted with plants that are indigenous to the Coastal Douglas Fir Forest habitat. Let’s step lightly on the ground and leave only a trace through the carvings on the stones. With approval from the Cemetery Manager, a family member is permitted to assist in planting. Plants are transplanted from elsewhere in the forest or can be purchased by family at a native plant nursery such as Fraser’s Thimble Farm on Salt Spring Island. Cemetery Management will keep the memorial stones fr

What about cremation and natural burial?

Cremated Remains are a source of nourishment for the forest, and purchasing a Right of Interment will help to protect this land in perpetuity from development. Cremated Remains can either be buried in a container, such as a wooden urn, woven basket or cloth sack; they can be poured directly into the grave, or scattered at the base of a tree or into a stump.

Do you organize funerals?

Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery is the cemetery providing the burial site. We are not Funeral Directors but we work with them and the family to create a unique funeral for every person. Christie Doyle of Haywards Funeral Home is the very kind and helpful local Funeral Director. We highly recommend her. There are also a number of celebrants and Home Funeral Support Services on Salt Spring Island and in most communities. Download our information document on Funeral Gatherings: Funeral Gatherings