Coastal erosion is unearthing ancestral bones on this B.C. Gulf Island
A walk past a cemetery can conjure many emotions – sadness, fear and finality. But rarely does it conjure the idea of actually seeing a deceased loved one again.
On British Columbia's Gabriola Island, however, coastal erosion is unearthing more than just memories.
"I come here and I go, 'What am I going to do about this?' says Jared Hooper, chair of the Gabriola Cemetery Commission.
The cemetery sits atop of a 10-metre cliff on South Road and faces Mudge Island to the west. The land was donated in 1882 by Magnus Edgar, an early settler who is also buried there along with his family.
"It’s a lovely peaceful cemetery,” he says. "Except for the problems we are having with bank slipping away."
Hooper's job is to watch over the island's only cemetery – a cemetery that's slowly sliding off a cliff and into the ocean.
"You can't stop it," he says. "You might as well let nature take its course."
Some of the island's earliest pioneers are buried on the bluff, with graves dating back to 1882.
Approximately 15 of those settlers are buried on what's called a midden, a refuse dump for domestic waste that was used by Snuneymuxw inhabitants centuries ago.
“That midden is full of broken clam shells and artifacts,” Hooper adds.
Geologists have told the cemetery that the lower area of the cemetery near the water is much softer because of the midden.
"It’s sliding seaward over harder layers lower down that go right down to the beach," says Hooper.
With the bank eroding by about 20 to 25 centimetres per year, and the caskets long since decomposed, the problem calls for some out-of-the-box thinking.
"I've got that wire basket hanging over the edge so they don't just fall down to the beach," Hooper says. "You can throw a million dollars at it and it’ll fall down in a number of years."
Leg bones exposed on a bluff on Gabriola Island, B.C. (CTV News)
He's slowly collecting the bones until full skeletons can be relocated up the hill and these unsettled settlers can settle once again.
"These bones, they are going to be coming out of the bank for who knows, 20, 30, 40 more years?"
Hooper has connected with some of the living relatives of the settlers buried on the island and they are OK with relocating the remains once the time comes, he says.
For those plotting their own burials on the island, there's still plenty of room in the back, Hooper says.
"We've got lots of room left for cremations – maybe 100 spots or more."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.