Port Coquitlam revises cemetery rules around non-residents

This article has been amended to include the full price of a cemetery burial.

There should be a clearer path for former Port Coquitlam residents who wish to be buried in the city cemetery, following a recent unanimous vote from city council.

Citing limited space, the city opted to sell cemetery plots strictly to residents beginning in 2022. However, many former residents asked to buy plots, leading to uncertainty about who qualified as a resident.

“Former residents, in many cases, do not have sufficient evidence to show residency due to the length of time that has passed, making residency decisions more difficult,” stated a city staff report.

The new rules define a former resident as anyone who lived in Port Coquitlam for three straight years within the last 10 years.

They may be asked to prove their residency with documentation or a sworn affidavit.

A resident is anyone who lives in the city, or who lived in the city, immediately before death.

Senior staff are set to adjudicate potential disputes.

The total cost for a Port Coquitlam resident, including the burial, is $7,214 for 2025. That price includes $2,053 for a plot.

Beginning in 2026, the city is set to charge $2,258 for an adult burial plot for a resident and $5,081 for a non-resident.

Council officially adopted the new bylaw on Wednesday.