Watch above: City-run cemeteries in Saskatoon require what’s called an interment vault around caskets and urns before burial. Meaghan Craig finds out how much these vaults add to the cost of a funeral and why.
SASKATOON – They are structural enclosures designed to cover a casket or urn, protecting it from the weight of the soil and heavy maintenance equipment used at Woodlawn Cemetery. Ultimately, what interment vaults do is prevent the sinking or slumping of graves.
“They do provide a very important function in terms of safety on the cemetery grounds for our visitors and our employees and they also help with the aesthetics of the cement and as well they allow us to provide maintenance at a lower cost because we don’t see as much settlement on the grounds,” said Darren Crilly, director of parks for the City of Saskatoon.
Made mandatory in 1993 in all City of Saskatoon run cemeteries, Crilly explained that they require vaults for for adults.
Infants and small children are buried in a special section of the cemetery where only light equipment is used for maintenance, so the vaults are not imperative but should a family want one the city can accommodate the request.
“It is in our bylaw in regulations, cemetery bylaw in regulations that these interment vaults are mandatory. Our competitors, as far as I know they, extensively use these vaults as well so it is common practice certainly North America-wide to utilize these vaults for the purposes that I described.”
READ MORE: Saskatoon city bylaw requires interment vaults; what are they?
The cost associated with the vaults ranges from $395 to $700. A basic urn vault is $80 dollars and installation fees are built into the pricing.
| Interment vaults | |
| Lightweight dome only | $395 |
| Oversized lightweight dome | $715 |
| Lightweight base only | $80 |
| Non-sealing concrete | $995 |
| Sealing concrete | $1,150 |
| Basic urn vault | $80 |
“People can pay them on pre-need basis so knowing that they require a plot and a service in the future they can pay on a pre-need basis or they can pay as well on an as-need basis.”
If you prefer to shop around and price vaults out, the city says that’s OK too.
“As long as the vaults meet our specifications, they can purchase their vault on their own.”
According to provincial officials, the bylaw requiring interment vaults isn’t across the board. That decision is up to those operating each individual cemetery.
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