St. James Cemetery is a welcoming, safe, and inclusive sanctuary for all GTA residents and visitors. To maintain this serenity and dignity, we have by-laws that all visitors must follow – these by-laws include rules for burial and visitation hours, jogging, recreational activities, dog-walking and permitted items at grave sites. We ask all visitors to respect these by-laws to ensure the safety and care of our cemetery. Our staff regularly monitor grave sites to uphold these standards.
Which By-laws Affect Me?
All of our by-laws affect our visitors. If you are visiting our cemeteries or have a loved one laid to rest here, you should be familiar with our by-laws. They ensure the highest standards of health and safety, maintenance, client service and environmental sustainability. Here are some of the common ones that you should know about:
- Articles Placed on Lots and Graves: The Cemetery is committed to supporting a broad array of religious and ethnic preferences, and strives to create a respectful and dignified resting place for the multicultural communities that we serve. Permitted articles must be placed within the designated planting area of the lot, or grave, as defined in our By-laws/Article 6 respectively (see bylaw booklet, below).
- Private Property: Our cemetery is privately owned land. Interment Rights Holders and public visitors enjoy the use of the Cemetery at their own risk and shall be governed by the following:
- Damage to Property: Any person found or suspected of damaging, destroying, removing, or defacing any property on Cemetery grounds may be subject to removal from Cemetery grounds and subject to a notice of trespass by police.
- Dogs: Dogs must be on leashes, and are permitted only on Cemetery roadways and hardscape. We ask that all owners respect the sanctity of the Cemetery grounds and pick up after their pets.
- Photographing, Filming, or Videotaping: Photographing, filming, or videotaping of any part of the Cemetery may only take place with the prior written approval of the Cemetery.
- Roller Blades and Skateboards: The use of roller blades and skateboards is strictly prohibited within the Cemetery grounds.
- Cyclists/Joggers: To ensure the safety of our employees and visitors to the Cemetery, cyclists and joggers must carry themselves in a safe manner that respects the sanctity of the Cemetery and funeral processions. They must keep to the Cemetery roads, single file, at a speed less than 15 km/hour. Bicycle speed training and racing are strictly prohibited.
The complete by-laws may be downloaded in PDF format here, or you may peruse them in the viewer below.
sjcem-bylaws-booklet-v5-web