'It’s the right thing to do': Veterans' advocate calling to reinstate city program for free burial plots

More than 300 Canadian veterans and service members are buried at the Transcona Cemetery’s Field of Honour, one of two Winnipeg-owned cemeteries that offer spaces for those who served in Canada’s military.

Each space can be pretty pricey, costing about $1,500 per casket plot. It’s a cost that was previously waivered by a city program that provided veterans with free plots. But that program was quietly axed this year.

Peter Martin, the Manitoba coordinator for No Stone Left Alone and long-time veterans’ advocate, initially petitioned former Transcona councillor Shawn Nason to include the program in the city’s budget in the first place.

“We brought it through council as a motion and it was approved in 2022 that all veterans would receive a free plot in the Field of Honour in Transcona or Brookside, if that's where they'd like to be buried,” he says.

In 2022, 11 veterans were laid to rest in the Brookside and Transcona fields of honour as part of the program.

“Then in 2023, when I was helping a widow of a veteran apply for her plot, I realized that there was no funding going forward,” Martin says.

When the program was initially put in place, it was only included in the city’s budget for 2022. Afterwards it would be referred to city budget processes in subsequent years.

CTV News reached out to the City of Winnipeg to confirm why the program was cut and what the next steps are, but did not receive a response.

This year, Martin petitioned the city to have funding for the program reinstated for the forthcoming years. A new motion was put forward by Mynarski Ward councillor Ross Eadie and seconded by councillor Russ Wyatt, representing Transcona.

In a city council meeting on Oct. 26, Martin spoke in support of the motion that was well-received by most of the council members.

“You're saying it should be universal coverage in the basis of that, because of that sacrifice that they were to do? That's what you're saying. Okay, and I support that,” Wyatt said at the meeting.

The program is expected to cost the city about $23,000 annually.

“It's not a lot of money,” Martin said. “So the worst case, if they say no, I'm not letting it go.”

Martin says if the city decides to go ahead and include the $23,000 in the budget for the forthcoming years, it’ll be an opportunity for both the city and the community to thank veterans for their service.

“It's so important to send the right message about how the city does care,” he said. “And it's another example of how they can offer some appreciation.”

The motion to reinstate the program in the city’s budget for 2024 has now moved into the referral process. Martin says he expects the funding to be discussed in the new year.

“I'll be looking very closely at the details and getting confirmation of the money,” he said. “So I can tell all the veterans and the association, ‘You want a free plot? You’ve got it. It’s back in the budget.’”

Martin says the next step is making sure the program stays in the budget for many years to come.