BY MICHAEL JAMES
Sylvie Primeau is upset about the selective way the City of Greater Sudbury chooses to enforce its cemetery bylaw.
Under the bylaw, which came into effect last April, people are not allowed to bring flowers or ornaments to the creamation areas during June, July and August.
According to Primeau, when she went to the crematorium internment area of the Chelmsford cemetery the other day to pay her respects, she discovered maintenance workers had removed flowers, ornaments ? everything ? and stuck them in a back shed.
She contacted city hall to find out what was going on.
Primeau said she ended up speaking to Al Sizer, the manager of cemetery services for Greater Sudbury.
According to Primeau, Sizer told her people were not allowed to put flowers or ornaments around or near the crematorium internment area because it interfered with maintenance workers? ability to mow the lawn and trim its edges.
Primeau was confused. Shouldn?t it apply equally to all areas of the cemetery, and not just the crematorium area, she asked.
By the time the phone call was over, Sizer had agreed to meet Primeau at the Chelmsford cemetery to address her concerns.
When Sizer arrived at the cemetery, there were about a dozen other people there, looking for answers, she said.
?(Like me) they just found out about it last night (Thursday) on the six o?clock news,? she said.
The people were upset and were asking Sizer a lot of questions, she said.
?He (Sizer) left promising to bring their concerns to the attention of city council,? she said, adding she has no idea what, in concrete terms, will be done to correct the problem.
Northern Life attempted to reach Sizer?s office, but he wasn?t available for comment at press time late Friday afternoon.
People who left decorations at the Chelmsford cemetery, can pick them up in the chapel area.
For more information, phone 855-9333.
