Proposed crematorium has some residents feeling uncomfortable

Henry Walser Funeral Home has been located on Frederick Street in Kitchener since 2001. The idea to attach a crematorium to the building has been in the works for over a year now but the pandemic has postponed the new addition.

The crematorium would be part of an addition added to the west side of the building. It could be accessed through the parking lot and would back onto Becker Street.

Henry Walser is the owner of the funeral home and a licensed funeral director. He appeared on the Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570 on Monday and said that the new crematorium would bring families a sense of security after losing their loved ones.

“I really belive that it would bring them a lot of comfort in knowing that their loved ones would never leave our care,” said Walser. “Currently when you serve a cremation family, we have to deliver the deceased to the crematorium and then have them returned back to us.”

While the families may appreciate everything happening in one place, the residents that live in the area are not as happy about it. Walser said that when he first came up with the idea, he held a meeting with the neighbours to hear of their concerns. The list included air pollution and the overall uncomfortable feeling they got about the disposal of bodies happening next to their homes.

Walser, who also lives in the area, said that impacting the neighborhood in a negative way, is the last thing he wants to do. He has also consulted with multiple certified specialists about the potential project.

“About 18 months ago, I contacted treaty environmental consultants and they did a report which is published on the city's website,” said Walser.

The report has since been peer reviewed and found that adding a crematorium to the area would bring no harm to the neighbours, properties or overall neighborhood.

“I really try to do my homework and I'm happy to share information with the city or anyone else that want to know about it,” added Walser. 

A year ago when the idea was presented, he held a meeting at the funeral home where citizens were invited to voice their concerns. According to Walser, he was able to provide an answer to every issue brought forward.

He has also been in contact with combustion engineers to make sure the environment wouldn't be impacted when the cremation happens. Walser also said that he has taken it upon himself to research the most high-end crematoriums on the market in order to reduce any emissions that would come out of the smoke stack.

There is a meeting being held by the city on Tuesday in order to hear first-hand from the residents of the area.

A recommendation to council must be done before any further plans can go forward. If the project does not get the needed approval to carry on, Walser said the funeral home will still see a renovation.

“The crematorium is just a part of the addition planned for the funeral home. We're interested in making a whole cremation centre so we would continue to go ahead with that addition.”