Cemetery

Departments

Mountain View Cemetery

Mountain View Cemetery was founded by the Methodist Church in 1878. It was transferred to the United Church in 1926 and then became property of the Municipality in 1962. This 14-acre cemetery is located at 6493 Somenos Road (the corner of Drinkwater Road and Somenos Rd). It has beautiful, expansive views of Mt. Prevost and Mt. Sicker, along with many other surrounding mountains.

North Cowichan strives to maintain our cemetery to create a peaceful resting place for your loved ones. We have established the newest section as a lawn cemetery, where the grounds are enhanced to surround burial places with decorative trees, shrubs, and natural scenery. Beautiful memorial trees and benches add to the serene, quiet atmosphere – a special place for families to visit, reflect, and cherish memories.

Pioneer Cemetery

Pioneer Cemetery is only for persons residing in the Cowichan Valley prior to 1900 and their direct blood descendants. It is located at the end of Pioneer Rd, off Herd Rd.

Grave Space (plots)

Our cemetery features full sized, in-ground burial plots. For cremation burials, we offer marble columbarium niches and in-ground burial plots.
Payment in full must be received before registering the right to reserve or occupy a plot.
To secure side-by-side plots, both plots must be purchased at the same time.
We will allow up to 5 interments in any one full sized plot; no more than 1 to be a casket burial.
We will need permission (in the form of a letter) from family to place cremated remains on someone else’s plot.

Interments

We require 48 hours advance notice for any work to be done at the Cemetery. Guidelines are that interments may be scheduled between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm for full burials or 9:00 am and 3:00 pm for cremation burials. Overtime charges will apply after 4:30 pm on weekdays and at any time on Saturdays or Sundays. We do not have services on statutory holidays.

*A copy of a Burial Permit or Death Certificate must be provided prior to any burial.

Liners

A fiberglass liner is required in the new section of the cemetery. This is because the ground can become waterlogged and the ground will sink. The liner prevents this.

Headstones

All grave markers or memorials must be of the tablet variety made of stone or bronze. Bronze memorials must have a three-inch thick concrete or stone base, and all memorials, whether of stone or bronze, must conform to the following specifications:

Maximum overall size including any border or base
Single (adult or child) 18" x 30" x 3”
Double                       22" x 48" x 3”
Cremation Single        12" x 20" x 3”
Cremation Double       16" x 28" x 3”

Memorial Trees

We offer a variety of memorial trees and benches to honor your family.
Please make an appointment with one of our caretakers to decide the best location to place your tree, as well as the type of tree that would thrive in that area. The price includes the tree, a bronze plaque with pink granite base, and labor, plus replacement of your tree for up to 10 years.
When a bench is purchased, the plaque is not included and must be purchased separately.
See our application form for all your options.

Pricing

We have 2-tier pricing for residents/non-residents of North Cowichan. All prices include the contribution to the perpetual care fund.
Please add GST. Our brochure lists all our prices.

Veterans’ Section

Mountain View Cemetery has a special section set aside as a final resting place for those who served in the military and their family members.
We require a signed letter from the legion before anyone is interred in the designated Veterans’ section.

Decorations

Flowers, wreaths, etc. are allowed, but may be removed by our discretion. NO GLASS. Rock/gravel is not allowed. Our bylaw lists all our rules and regulations.