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Strangers in life can now become intimates in death at Mountain View Cemetery.

Vancouver’s only city-owned cemetery has historically allowed members of the same family to re-use existing graves, a practice described as rare among cemeteries in North America.

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But based on changes approved Tuesday by council, that option will now be available to people who are not related. It means that up to three strangers could be stacked on top of each other in the same 4 ft by 8 ft by 9 ft vertical column in the ground.

Glen Hodges, manager of Mountain View, said people with relatives in the cemetery shouldn’t worry that anyone is going to start burying strangers with their mom or dad.

That’s not going to happen, he said.

“This is on a go-forward basis. It’s an option for people who want to choose that,” he said. “We’re not changing the past or forcing anything on anyone.”

People may agree to share a grave because they don’t want to have a space dedicated to them forever, or they may want to reduce the environmental footprint of their burial, he said.