Concerned Fort Smith, N.W.T., residents call for completion of cemetery fence

People in Fort Smith, N.W.T., say it's time to solve a longstanding issue: the lack of adequate fencing around the Saint Isidore Cemetery.

Several years ago, the town started a project to replace the old chain-link fence, but that was never completed. Now, residents who visit the cemetery regularly say they are concerned the current fence leaves the burial site vulnerable to wildlife, litter and vandalism.

Fort Smith resident Brad Tuckey, who lost two of his children, has spent the last two years tending to the graves of his son, Brandan, and then his daughter, Emily.

He said the cemetery is a place to grieve and honour loved ones who have passed away. Yet, the incomplete fence adds an additional burden for grieving families.

"Everybody that goes there has lost somebody dear to them," he said. "Grief is hard enough without having to worry about whether the cemetery is being properly maintained." 

Tuckey wants the town to act more urgently to finish the fence and enclose the area and better inform the community about why it's taking so long. He attended several town hall meetings, but said the issue was never addressed properly.

"They just go, 'We understand people are not happy, and we're working on it,' and it just seems to end there," he said.

Tuckey, who sees the cemetery as a priority, feels the town should see it that way, too. He said many grieving families who spend time at the cemetery also try to clean and maintain the area as best they can.

"I don't think there's anybody that doesn't have a vested interest in just trying to honour and do the last things they can do for their loved ones," he said.

Marlene Evans, whose two children Elly-Mae and Trevor are buried there, said she, too, thinks the current fence isn't good enough.

"The dogs go under it. They go and pee on all the graves, and the garbage from the street blows all through the graveyard," Evans said.

Like other community members, Evans has taken it upon herself to maintain the cemetery as best she can while caring for her children's graves. Both her and Tuckey's children are buried beside the fence. While Tuckey's children are closer to a field, Evans' children are beside a road.

Evans said she worries about what would happen if, say, a vehicle came through the fence and destroyed the headstone.

"If I had to replace them, I don't know if I could afford it again," she said.

Like many others, she said the town needs to take action soon.

"Sometimes I just need to go there and talk with my children. And if it's got nice surroundings, you know there's not garbage everywhere," she said. "It just makes it more comforting,"

At a town hall meeting earlier this month, several town councillors expressed the need to finish the fence, arguing it's disrespectful to families and their loved ones who have died to keep it the way it is.

Tracy Thomas, Fort Smith's senior administrative officer, said the town lacked a project manager to finish the job and had to prioritize other commitments.

"We're very short-staffed, and without a project manager, we just cannot handle the 30 different projects, so we focused in on the public health and safety projects," she said.

Since that meeting, the town has issued a request for tenders. It is looking for a supplier of chain-link fencing for the project.