Dear Editor:
Today the Canyonview Cemetery was cleared out of all statues, flowers — everything other then the headstones — with no notice to families or friends.
Staff were instructed to remove everything and pile it across the street for anyone to take away.
My two-year-old son has been buried there for several years and we place statues and butterflies, etc. on his plot during the spring and summer and have never had a problem.
Today we were lucky. I received a message and was able to retrieve most of my son’s items from the pile, but there were families that were not as lucky.
We were told council would be meeting to discuss this and to call Town Hall next week to see if we can bring the items back.
The disrespect shown today towards my family and my son are unthinkable.
At this point I will not be taking items back, and I will warn anyone I know that has to make the decision of where to place a loved one not to go to Summerland.
I would like to hear what the Town of Summerland has to say as to why this has happended. Why were families not contacted and asked to remove items? Why was nothing in local newspapers? The photo I have of the pile of items left for disposal should not be acceptable.
There are families tonight that have no idea what has happended. Families that do not live close by. Families whose grief is still raw and should not be strained anymore than it already is. Families like mine who take our school aged children to leave birthday presents for an older brother they will never meet.
Katie Weitz
Summerland