A St. Francois Xavier resident says he is willing to donate land to build a non-denominational cemetery in the rural municipality.

Longtime area resident Kevin Van Camp said he is willing to donate a portion of his property if municipal officials are willing to use it for a cemetery.

Van Camp said he was prompted to make the offer after discovering he is not eligible to be buried at any of the existing cemeteries in the RM.

"There are a number of graveyards in the municipality, but there are certain qualifications to get in to each of them," he said.

Van Camp said one of the existing cemeteries requires individuals to have been hanged by the province in order to be interred there while others require individuals to be Roman Catholic, Mennonite or Anglican.

Van Camp said that means individuals like himself who aren’t members of those particular faiths cannot be buried in the community.

"So what people have to do is either not be buried or go into the city of Winnipeg," he said.

Although he would prefer the municipality build a cemetery on property it already owns, Van Camp said he would be willing to donate about two acres of his own property if it would help speed things up.

Van Camp said he has already discussed his proposal with the local council.

Chief administrative officer Robert Poirier said council is still reviewing the offer.

"This is just at the very preliminary stages so we are looking into how much it will cost and where the cemetery could be located," he said.

Poirier added that establishing a municipal cemetery could cost as much as $40,000.

Van Camp said he is pursuing the matter so people like himself can find a final resting place in their own community.

"I am pursuing this because this is my home," he said.

prescott.james@canstarnews.com