Surrey City Council is slated to formally consider plans to build a designated ash-scattering pier on the Fraser River.
The city already has an ash-scattering garden, but many cultures view scattering ashes into moving water as a crucial part of laying loved ones to rest.
Jay Minhas, a founding member of the Guru Nanak Food Bank, said an aquatic site is particularly important for many South Asian faiths, including for Hindus and Sikhs.
“This is the last ritual when you leave this world, to show respect, because water is very, very important in South Asian culture and tradition,” he said.
“They want the final ashes to be part of the water because everything came from Mother Nature, it goes back to Mother Nature.”
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Surrey city staff have recommended the construction of a designated pier on the Fraser, either at Brownsville Bar Park or at the Surrey Public Wharf.
The city estimates the project would cost between $2.5 million and $3.8 million dollars.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said it was important for the city to have a culturally appropriate place for residents to “put their ashes to rest in a way that provides the kind of dignity and respect that they really want to do for their loved ones.”
“We know that people are doing it anyway, but it is not safe,” she said. “The Fraser River is not forgiving.”
It’s not the first time the idea has been proposed by civic leaders.
Former mayor Doug McCallum said his council had already flagged Brownsville Bar Park as a site after consultation with the community.
He believes the city could have had the pier approved and built already if it had been made a priority.
“We started the process of verbally getting the approval from the federal government from the harbour commission and from the provincial government, and our city manager at the time … got the verbal permissions for it,” he said.
“So it has sat silent, even though the community has been trying to push this current council to get it done, it has been sitting silent for over two years.”
Locke said the previous council never voted on the proposal and never secured formal approval from senior levels of government.
Minhas said getting the project built will be good for the city, but will also benefit people from across the Lower Mainland seeking a final resting place for their loved ones.
He said no similar facility exists in the region, and that the pier would draw people from surrounding municipalities.
“The community is encouraging a lot of municipalities to do this, but it has been ignored for many, many years … so they have to do this in an illegal way, which is not good,” he said.
“This is a perfect location.”
If the plan is approved, city staff will look further into approvals and funding and return to council with a report in 2025.
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