Following the unanimous approval of a conditional use application on January 6, the door has been opened for a funeral home and crematorium to set up shop at 295 Main Street in Niverville.
“I had a funeral home operator come and view the space some time back,” says Ray Dowse, spokesperson for the building’s ownership group. “He liked the property a lot, as well as the building, and in conversation he mentioned that if the site had the option to do cremation, it would help the viability of a business plan for a funeral home.”
It’s not hard to see the appeal. The centrally located property offers 2.85 acres of land with plenty of grass and trees.
After speaking to the board members of several funeral homes, it became clear just how important it was to be able to operate a crematorium.
“A crematorium at this site not only has the potential to service the funeral home in Niverville, but potentially provide the service to other funeral homes in southeast and southcentral Manitoba, as well as Winnipeg, that currently do not do their own cremations,” says Dowse. “We were pleased to find out that new technology in cremation offers next to no emissions.”
Dowse says that the latest cremation machines come equipped with sensors that monitor emission and automatically shut the machinery down in the event of any noticeable emissions.
Although the approval of the condition use application has created public interest, Dowse clarifies that they do not at this time have a commitment from any particular business.
“We are currently in conversation with several different businesses who have an interest in the property, but this is not a done deal,” says Dowse. “We hope to have some more clarity on the property in the near future.”
The economic benefits could be substantial. A funeral home and crematorium would create local jobs and provide a service that draws thousands of visitors to the community each year. The facility would also support local businesses like caterers and florists.
