Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
Peace River town council adopted a new policy addressing roadside memorials at its Jan. 9 meeting.
Before approval, the Town did not have a policy or bylaw in place to address memorials being erected following a tragic incident within the town.
“This is a new policy that council reviewed at the November governance priorities meeting,” says director of community services Tanya Bell.
“Overall, this policy is addressing roadside memorials, the development of roadside memorials that happen spontaneously by members of the public, family members and friends that happen after an incident.”
The policy creation was created to have a policy in place to deal with these situations when they occurred on Town property and roadsides.
The main purpose, as outlined by Bell, was to ensure memorials are not placed in hazardous locations and do not become unsightly, but still being aware of the desire of family members to recognize the loss of a loved one.
Council approved roadside memorial policy as presented.
In addition, Peace River has a Town’s Memorial Bench Program that allows family and community members to purchase a bench in honour of their loved one.