Some Fort Langley residents are unhappy with the crews who come to use their local cemetery as a background for various television and movie productions.
The issue surfaced Monday, while Township council was considering new regulations that increase the fees companies must pay to film in the community and funnels that money into a municipal reserve that will fund “specific, small-scale improvements across all Township communities.”
Written feedback from a March open house on revisions to filming guidelines heard from several residents who object to allow filming in the local graveyard.
Linda Mitchell wrote to describe how, when she went to visit her late husband, the production crew asked her how long she would be, and one of them told her that husband “was probably bored and welcomed the filming.”
Mitchell, who has more than 20 relatives in the Fort Langley cemetery dating back to the 1800s, said she complained to the municipal hall about the filming, but it has been allowed to continue.
“I feel I was lied to and the municipality values money more than respecting the dead,” Mitchell wrote.
Randy Hewitt, who estimated he has more than 40 relatives dating back to 1850 in the cemetery, described taking flowers to his son’s plot while a film crew was laughing and joking nearby.
“This is about money, not respecting the dead,” Hewitt wrote.
His 80-year-old mother, Shirley Hewitt, said she was unable to lay flowers on her husband’s grave because a film crew was shooting there.
“It’s not right, it upsets me, I have to go back to try and put my flowers on,” she wrote.
In all, there were eight who filed complaints.
At the meeting that unanimously approved the new guidelines and fee structure, two councillors related their own run-ins with production crews.
Councillor David Davis said a few months ago, he had trouble attending a community open house in Fort Langley because a crew had set up outside.
Davis said the only reason he got in was because he ignored the crew members’ objections and parked his motorcycle near the entrance.
“My wife couldn’t get in,” Davis said.
The hearing was interrupted when crew vehicles started arriving and residents were asked to move their vehicles from the hall parking lot, Davis added.
Councillor Charlie Fox came to council with a notice that arrived in his mailbox from a production company that was going to be filming near his home on Monday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 28.
He received it on Saturday, Fox said, forcing some abrupt changes of plan.
“My wife and I had to abort our walk,” Fox said. He suggested more advance notice should be required.
Councillor Kim Richter was reluctant to tighten the rules even further.
“I don’t think we should be putting up more roadblocks,” Richter said.
The revised Township regulations do not specifically address filming in cemeteries, but there is an existing category of “film sensitive” sites, defined as locations where film is restricted because there have been three or more different productions in a 90-day period, or more than 20 filming days over the same time period.
However, no area has ever met that threshold, according to Township business manager Val Gafka, who spoke in response to council questions.
Gafka also said production crews filming in the cemetery do not trespass on plots and stay on main pathways.
According to a staff report, filming brought in $455 million worth of economic benefits into Langley between 2005 and 2012.