West Nipissing has nearly doubled down on its memorial policy.
It is tradition in West Nipissing to provide flowers for a municipal employee’s funeral. A sitting councillor, including members of their immediate family, or a previous mayor or reeve of a West Nipissing municipality before amalgamation, all receive flower arrangements at their memorial.
The same goes for current municipal employees or a member of their immediate family. A retired employee also receives the courtesy, but not members of their immediate family.
In May of 1999 this policy was enacted, and it was revised in June of 2020. At that time, $75 was allocated for the flower fund, and recipients could also choose to have a charitable donation made for the same amount, in lieu of the bouquet.
Now, council has agreed to raise that amount to $125.
Councillor Georges Pharand suggested the flower option be removed from the policy, leaving only one choice – donate the money to a charity of the family’s choice. The money “could potentially help a charity,” Pharand emphasized, “much more than giving flowers.”
“Most people now, in their obituaries, ask for a donation to a specific charity,” he added, and if not, he felt the municipality could reach out to see what the family desired. Council discussed the suggestion but decided to leave the option for flowers within the policy.
Councillor Kris Rivard felt that option “was the best of both worlds,” and urged council “to leave it to the families which they prefer, flowers or a donation.”
In the end, the updated policy prioritizes donations first, with option two being flowers, if the family so chooses, with an upward amount of $125.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
