On Monday, Kitchener city council approved an application by a local business owner to tear down several homes to expand his funeral home business.
The plan, which has caused much consternation throughout the area, will see several homes torn down to make way for the expansion of the Henry Walser Funeral Home at 507 Frederick St.
“We just need more space to care for the deceased, to give community space to gather around them at that time,” Walser told council on Monday night.
He said that when he opened the business in 2001, he served 100 families but the funeral home has also grown to serve 1,400 families per year.
The expansion will allow him to add three additional visitation and reception areas as well as a crematorium.
“It allows us to care for the deceased from the beginning to the end,” Walser said.
Some in the community opposed building a crematorium in a residential area while others lamented the loss of low-rent housing.
The expansion will see two homes torn down on Becker Street that are currently serving as rental properties.
A third was initially proposed to be torn down but Walser’s application was amended and it will remain a residential property.
The city says Walser will work with the displaced tenants to find them new accommodations.
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