Municipal Cemetery | Town of Smithers

The Town of Smithers Municipal Cemetery is located at 1958 Dominion Street, Smithers. The cemetery has been serving the public since April 16, 1921.

Opening Hours are 7:30am to 10:00pm daily. Access is through the pedestrian gate to the left of the main gate on Dominion Street. The vehicle gate is generally locked, but can be opened on request for visitors with access difficulties A cemetery map is posted just inside the Dominion Street entrance, or a copy can be downloaded from the Downloadable Documents section below.

For inquires, please contact the Municipal Office at 250-847-1600 Monday – Friday, (except holidays), between 8:30am and 4:30pm.

Town of Smithers does not provide funeral home services; however, the following services are available directly through the Municipal Office:
- Burial plot sales and columbarium niche sales (including plot and niche reservations).
- Headstone installation.
- Placement of cremains in a columbarium niche without a scheduled service.
- Placement of cremains in a cremains plot without a scheduled service.
Schraders Funeral Home (250-847-2440) provides the above services and offers ceremony and other arrangements as well.
A regular burial plot is 1.5m x 3.0m (5ft x 10ft). With preplanning, each regular burial plot has space for two caskets (one above, one below) and four cremation urns. See the Schedule of Fees and Charges for costs. Please review the following when planning a casket burial:
- To reserve a plot, only the plot purchase is required to complete the reservation.
- The open/close (excavation) fee is paid at the time of interment.
- To plan ahead for a second casket burial in the same plot, the first casket must be placed at extra depth. There is a fee associated with the extra excavation required. See this fee in the ‘Extra Charges’ section at the bottom of the Fees and Charges document. A casket buried at the standard depth does not incur this charge. However, if the first casket is buried at the standard depth, installing a second casket into the same plot is not possible.
- Casket burials must be arranged through a Funeral Home.
- In addition to regular burial plots, plots are still available in the designated sections of the cemetery that exist for veterans, Masons, and children.
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There are three options for the interment of cremated remains:
1. Cremains burial in existing family plot:
  Each regular plot has space for burial of up to four urns. This is true whether the plot holds one casket or two. The fee for placement of an urn in an existing plot is listed under the ‘Special Circumstances’ section of the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
2. Cremains burial in a smaller ‘Cremation plot’:
  Smaller plots (0.8m x 0.8m; 2.6ft x 2.6ft) are available to hold cremated remains. Each plot holds up to two urns, and a small headstone may be mounted at ground level. The cost of the first “open/close” (burial) is included in the plot purchase. The fee for a cremation plot is listed in the ‘Cremation Plot’ section of the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
3. Niche in the Columbarium:
  The columbariums are the above-ground stone structures located to the left upon entering the cemetery. Each columbarium niche can hold two standard size urns; see niche dimensions here. Placement of the first urn is included in the cost of the niche. Arrangements to place cremains in a reserved niche must be made either through the Town, or through Schrader’s Funeral Home. Niche plaques can be ordered through Schraders Funeral Home.
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The Town's Cemetery Bylaw includes a number of rules regulating headstone size and installation, including:
1. Memorials and markers must be laid flat at ground level.
2. Memorials and markers for cremated remains shall not exceed 450 mm x 450 mm (18 in. x 18 in.) in size.
3. Memorial markers for regular burial plots shall be between 500 x 300 x 75 mm (20 x 12 x 3 in) and 900 x 400 x 75 mm (36 x 16 x 3 in).
4. No grave marker shall be installed by any person other than persons duly authorized.
Headstones and memorials are not sold by Town of Smithers. Local providers include Northern Memorials (Vanderhoof), Spirit Stones (Terrace), and Schrader’s Funeral Home. If using another supplier, ensure they are aware of the Town`s monument size and style restrictions by providing them with a copy of Cemetery Bylaw 1565.
Columbarium plaques may be purchased through Schraders Funeral Home (250-847-2441). Identical plaques help maintain a consistent and cohesive look to the columbarium section.
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Mementos and flowers are important for the memory of a loved one and add interest and beauty to the cemetery. However, the Town’s Cemetery Bylaw includes the following regulations to improve the upkeep of the cemetery and assist Public Works with maintenance:
1. Cut flowers, wreaths, and floral offerings may be placed on graves but may be removed when their condition is considered to be detrimental to the beauty of the cemetery.
2. Curbs or upright memorials are not permitted, and no grave or grave space shall be defined by a fence, railing, coping, hedge, or by other marking except by an approved memorial marker, tablet, or monument.
3. The Smithers Cemetery reserves the right to remove, without prior notice, memorial products, personal mementos, decorations, or floral tributes which do not comply with the Cemetery Bylaw and Regulations.
Generally speaking, Town staff endeavor to leave minor decorations, mementos, and flowers in place until maintenance or other circumstances require their repositioning or removal. Please see the Cemetery Bylaw 1565 for the complete Cemetery regulation.