Ontario woman wins fight to keep coffin flowerbed following neighbour's complaint

A coffin repurposed as a flowerbed is seen in front of Christina Calbury's St. Catharines home. (Instagram/sometimesipeeabitwhenisneeze)

TORONTO -

The owners of an Ontario home that is displaying a coffin repurposed as a flowerbed on their front lawn have won their fight to keep the unique decoration after a neighbour filed a complaint with the city.

St. Catharines resident Christina Calbury loves horror movies and so naturally, she says her eyes lit up when she saw someone selling coffins on Facebook Marketplace last month.

“I said to my boyfriend ‘Look, this lady is selling coffins. Looks pretty crazy and she only wants $200 for it,’” Calbury told CTV News Toronto Wednesday.

The couple agreed on using the structure to house a flowerbed which would be placed in the backyard.

“It looked absolutely gorgeous and then he suggested we should contact the lady again…and do the exact same thing in our front lawn,” she said.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Christina Calbury (@sometimesipeeabitwhenisneeze)

Some innovative gardening and $400 later, Calbury’s home was outfitted with two of the most unique flowerbeds on the block, if not the city.

Overall, Calbury said reaction to the addition was quite positive. She said they hadn’t received a single negative comment about the display and that some passersby had even stopped to snap a picture of the coffin.

However, unbeknownst to Calbury, at least one neighbour did not see the appeal and filed a complaint with the city.

“When I got this letter from the city, with this silly little bylaw they’re claiming, we were quite shocked actually,” she explained.

The bylaw in question, no. 2020-106, states that “the use of certain lands for the disposal of waste and establish standards respecting their maintenance” is prohibited.

Calbury said that the letter from the city reads, in part: “The City of St. Catharines deems refuse, waste, loose rubbish and debris on lands and unkempt yards a nuisance that could create a health and safety hazard for the public.”

Despite that, Calbury said that she doesn’t believe she’s in contravention of any bylaw, especially considering the coffin is not waste and was purchased specifically for the purpose of being a flowerbed.

“There’s no specific reasoning under the bylaw [infraction] that I have received,” she argued. “I called [the city] again this morning and I called yesterday. No one’s returning phone calls anymore,”

In an email to CTV News Toronto Wednesday, the City of St. Catharines said, “Upon further review by Bylaw this file has been closed and no further action will be taken.”

Calbury said she was thrilled by the reversal by the city and hopes to spread the word about her incomparable coffin.