|
Resources
in Canada —
Post-Death Page
As
pan-death alternatives are a very new development
in Canada, we have only listed those which we
are aware of. We
hope to be able to eventually provide links to
specific information for each of the provinces
and territories.If
you are aware of an alternative death-care service
or supply being offered in your area, please let
us know —
contact us by email. Information
on the actual pan-death process (what/when/where/how)
is covered under the Post-death
Care/Home Funerals page.
One
of CINDEA's mandates is to bridge the gap
between pre-death and post-death services —
services that are rarely directly connected.We
recognize that we are reinforcing that gap by
offering pre-death and post-death resources on
separate pages of this site.However,
it was necessary to avoid the Resources in Canada
pages from becoming too long.We
hope that you will consider both the pre-death
and post-death pages when looking for resources
to plan your end-of-life affairs.Alternative
death-care providers are listed in the brighter
blue text.
 |
|
Symbol
for CINDEA-recognized practitioners
of death midwifery/pan-death guides. Please
contact
us if you wish to go through the recognition
process — see our CINDEA
Recognition page. |
CINDEA
also has a 'training
options' PDF —
including
programs (or singular courses)
in Canada (usually 'in person'),
and online (but not necessarily
Canadian) that are accessible for Canadians
interested in the alternative death-care field. Unfortunately,
this PDF is out-of-date but to the exponential
growth of training programs —
please
contact us
for further options. CINDEA
can provide the Canadian component
(ex. Canadian laws/regulations) and support
for Canadians taking any non-Canadian online training
program.
Table
of Contents for Canadian Resources
(click
on any of the headings or sub-headings below to
jump to that section)
(For
pre-death resources, click here)
|
Primarily
during/post death care
|
Post-Death
Directory
of DWENA Practitioners
At-Home
Post-Death Care and Home Funeral Guides —
'home funerals' may involve keeping the body at
home after death, or returning it there from a
hospital, hospice or long-term care facility
(which is legal in most provinces); washing/dressing/etc.
the body; and having viewings/wakes/vigils at
home, as an option to using a funeral home. Some
funeral homes are supportive of home funerals
and will offer 'a la carte' services (usually
transportation and paperwork): they are
listed below.
General
Alberta
|
|
End
of Life Pathways — St. Albert —
family-directed post-death care, and funeral
alternatives. Contact Sarah
Wourms by
Email
or Phone
(587) 290-4465
|
 |
Soul
Passages —
Calgary
— death
and dying guide, home funeral guide, and funeral
celebrant (for ceremonies both
before and after death -- including grief).
Free
introductory video lessons and
for-pay
courses about pan-death
issues. Sarah Kerr
Email
or Phone 403-289-2230
|
British Columbia
|
|
Journeying
Beyond —
Victoria —
death midwifery services —
offering pan-death
(before, during and after
death) education and support to families,
including
home funeral and funeral celebrant services;
as well as advance-care planning consultation,
particularly comprehensive Advance Directives
and Representation Agreements.
Pashta MaryMoon
is available by phone, email or Skype for
consultation
Email
or Phone
(250) 383-4065 and
Facebook
page
|
|
Moving
Ceremonies
— Victoria — funerals, 'celebrations
of life', 'cremation witnessing', etc., as
well as home funeral guidance and other death-related
support services. Contact Penny
Allport at Email
or phone 250.592.6400
(Cell) 604.803.4607 |
|
Sacred
Journey Pathways
—
New Westminister and area — home funerals,
funeral celebrant, supporting families in
child loss (including home
funerals for them), and death education
and support for children. Contact
Holly Milton
online,
Email
or Phone (778)
709-9917 |
|
Salt
Spring Island Home Funerals —
Salt
Spring Island —
home funerals. Contact
Email
or Phone (250)
537-0096 |
|
End
of Life Matters —
White Rock/Surrey — End of Life doula
services offering pan death education, emotional,
spiritual and practical support to individuals
and families in advance care plans, sitting
vigil, legacies, home funerals and celebrations.
Contact Pamela Stadnyk
at Email:
or by phone 778-549-5260 |
| |
| and
friendly funeral homes/directors that are
willing to offer 'a la carte' services (transportation,
paperwork, provide casket, etc) |
| |
|
KORU
cremation/burial/ceremony
—
Vancouver
— funeral home supportive of DIY/home
funerals, as well as 'a la carte' services
(transport of the body, etc.). Contact
KORU
online,
Email,
or Phone Vancouver
(604) 324-8285 or
North Vancouver (604)
770-1471 |
|
ANORA
cremation/burial/ceremony —
Coquitlam
— funeral home supportive of DIY/home
funerals, as well as 'a la carte' services
(transport of the body, etc.). Contact
ANORA
online,
or
Phone Coquitlam
(604) 475-7322 |
|
Ancient
Burials —
Aldergrove
— supportive
of DIY/home funerals (see 'a
la carte' services for home funeral towards
the bottom of the page) Contact Ancient
Burials online
or Phone 1-800-888-2806 |
|
Evergreen
Cremation Centre —
Ladysmith/Vancouver
Island — supportive of home funeral,
as well as 'a la carte' services. Contact
Evergreen
Email
or Phone Nanaimo (250)
591-8426, Ladysmith
(250) 924-8484,
Duncan (250)
597-8484 |
|
Earth's
Options —
Victoria — funeral home supportive of
DIY/home funerals, as well as 'a la carte'
services (transport of the body, etc.). Contact
Earth's Options online,
Email
or Phone
(778) 440- 8500 |
Nova
Scotia
|
|
Death
Matters —
Halifax
— home
funeral guide and funeral ceremony services
(including pre/post-death
'celebration of life') —
as
well as spiritual and personal care directives
and on-going support for 'exit planning',
regular 'end of life'-related film night,
Death Cafes and development of green burials
— Deborah
Luscomb and Dawn Carson are available
via
email or Phone
(902) 403-7590
|
Ontario
|
|
Funeral
Alternatives —
Hamilton —
offering education
sessions and individual consultations re
after-death care and home funerals, green
funeral and burial options, Ontario regulations
pertaining to after-death care and burial.
Rochelle Martin is available
by phone or email for consultation Email
or Phone:
(905) 746-3074
|
|
Barb
Phillips —
Cobourg — thanadoula and life-cycle celebrant
services —
offering pan-death education and support to
families for advance-care planning, home funerals,
and funeral celebrant services. Barb
Phillips is available by phone, email
or Skype for consultation
Email
or Phone
(705)
924-3763 |
|
Brigid's
Balm — Smith
Falls — thanadoula providing spiritual
and emotional support for individuals and
their families with regard to end of life
care, via Advance Care Planning, thanadoula,
legacy, home funerals, and funeral/other celebrant
support (as well as local Death
Cafes) Debbie
Seddon is available by email consultations
Email,
and WordPress
blog |
|
The
Soul Circle —
Waterloo/Wellington — Advance Care Planning,
death doula/thanadoula, legacy projects, home
funerals, pan-death ceremonies, grief support
and a variety of 'energy therapies'. Contact
Krista Brenner at
Email
or Phone
(519) 591-0494
(Call or Text)
|
|
End
of Life Navigation
—
London —
Pre and Post-death care support and education. Contact
Shannon Calvert via
Email
or Phone (519)
494-8851 |
|
Erin
Bidlake
— Ottawa/Gatineau — Vigilling, home
funerals, and funeral/memorial ceremonies
support. Contact Erin
Bidlake via
Email,
or Phone 613-260-5593 |
|
Death
Doula Ottawa
—
Ottawa —
caregiver support circles, Advance Care Planning,
legacy work, vigilling, home funeral guidance,
and grief support. Contact
Christiane Zeithammel, Lisa Rhoades, Debbie
Charboneau, or Joey Ward via
Online
|
|
Jenn
Chalifoux,
Tree
Rings Death Doula Home Support —
Thunder Bay and district area— Death
Doula, Personal Support Worker, and Home Funeral
Guide. End of life /or older age
preparing and planning with options of pairing
personal support work, caregiver respite and
guided /or hands-on home funeral support.
Call / text Jenn, 807-626-9633
or Email
|
|
Deathcare
Kingston — in Kingston — Offering
practical, heart-centered planning and support
for end-of-life, death, and family-directed
funerals. Contact Aileen
Stewart Email:
or (613)-539-3610.
|
| |
|
| |
and
friendly funeral homes/directors that are
willing to offer 'a la carte' services (transportation,
paperwork, provide casket, etc) |
| |
|
| |
Circle
of Life
—
Dundas Ontario —
Contact Circle of Life via Phone (905)
628-8558 or Fax (905)
628-0404 |
Funeral
Celebrants
— provide a funeral, memorial or celebration-of-life
service that is highly personalized, to honour
the personality, lifestyle and beliefs of the
person who died [Note:
many pan-death guides and home funeral guides
also offer funeral celebrant services as part
of their pan-death services.]
CANADA
Alberta
British Columbia
|
Journeying
Beyond —
Victoria —
death midwifery
and Advance-care Planning services, including
personalized funeral/memorial services.
Contact Pashta MaryMoon
via Email
or Phone
(250) 383-4065;
Skype or Zoom consultation also available;
Facebook
page
|
|
Moving
Ceremonies
— Victoria — funerals, 'celebrations
of life', 'cremation witnessing', etc., as
well as home funeral guidance and other death-related
support services. Contact Penny
Allport at
Email
or phone
250.592.6400
(Cell) 604.803.4607 |
|
|
Sandra
Ollsin — Victoria
and Vancouver Island —
offering funeral celebrant services and information.Contact
Sandra Ollisin at
Email
or
Phone
(250) 592-7544
—
also see Sandra's
"Between
Worlds: Communication Perspectives of Female
Funeral Celebrants in British Columbia An
interactive, multimedia presentation" |
|
Sacred
Journey Pathways
—
New Westminister and area — home funerals,
funeral celebrant, supporting families in
child loss (including home
funerals for them), and death education
and support for children. Contact
Holly Milton
online,
Email
or Phone (778)
709-9917 |
|
Healing
Through Ceremony —
Gabriola Island — End of Life Funeral
and Grieving ceremonies (and
other rites of passage) — healing-focused
counselling, as well as a knowledge of the
practicalities of a home funeral. Contact
Michele Fire-River Heart at
online |
|
Life
Celebrant BC
—
Richmond
— funeral
celebrant (including final
blessing when the body is still home),
scattering ceremonies, etc. Contact
Kimberley Evans by Email
or Phone (604)
603-5540 |
|
New
Narrative Memorials
—
Vancouver
— help families create personalized and
meaningful Celebrations of Life on their own
terms. Contact Christina Andreola
by
Email
or Phone / Text:
+1 (778) 960 8782 |
Ontario
|
|
Ready
or Not —
Ottawa city and valley — life-cycle
celebrant specializing in funerals/ end-of-life
celebrations/ memorials — one-of-a-kind,
personalized, memorable ceremonies.
Contact Julie Keon
Email
or Phone (613)
646-9912
|
|
Barb
Phillips —
Cobourg — Thanadoula and life-cycle celebrant
services —
offering pan-death education and support to
families for Advance-care Planning, home funerals,
and funeral celebrant services. Barb
Phillips is available for consultation
by Email
or Phone
(705) 924-3763 |
|
Funeral
Alternatives —
Hamilton —
'End of Life' and home funeral guide services
—
supporting families before, during, and after
a death; and in saying good-bye, in whatever
ways they find most meaningful. Rochelle
Martin is available by phone or email
for consultation Email
or Phone
(905)
746-3074 and Facebook
page |
|
Divine
Heart Centre —
Aurora/York — Sacred Ceremony for End
of Life transition and spiritual
last rites, Celebration of Life, memorials,
funerals, and interment; as well as pastoral
and spiritual care for bereavement. Tracy
Cox is available by phone or email for
consultation Email
or phone (289)
879-0177 |
|
Thresholds
of Life — Carleton
Place — life celebrant offering healing
and memorial ceremonies Including: celebrations
of life, funerals and memorials, loss of baby
in utero, and stillbirth and early infant
death, as well as other 'loss' ceremonies. Patti
Koeslag is available by phone or email
for consultation Email
or Phone (613)
699-2153 (h)
or (613) 809-7115
(c) |
|
Woven
Threads – Handcrafted Ceremonies
— Guelph —
life-cycle celebrant creating meaningful,
custom, secular or spiritual funerals, memorials,
and celebrations of life as well as pre-death
ritual support. Contact Christine
Lafazanos by Email
or Phone/text at
519-823-0038
and Facebook
Page |
|
The
Soul Circle —
Waterloo/Wellington — Advance Care Planning,
death doula/thanadoula, legacy projects, home
funerals, pan-death ceremonies, grief support
and a variety of 'energy therapies'. Contact
Krista Brenner at
Email
or Phone (519)
591-0494 (Call
or Text) |
Quebec
|
|
Lorraine
Cowan — South
Shore of Montreal and surrounding areas —
life cycle celebrant offering custom and personal
end of life ceremonies and rituals including:
celebrations of life, funerals and memorials,
miscarriage, stillbirth, early infant death,
ash scattering, interment as well as pet and
other loss ceremonies. Service
includes accompanying bereaved to register
the death with a funeral director as required
by Quebec law. Contact Lorraine
Cowan by Email
or by Phone (450)
659-2603. |
|
Voluntas
Commemorations — Montreal —
creative alternative to traditional funeral
services, and offering aquamation
Contact by Email,
online
or by phone 514-695-7979
|
Nova
Scotia
|
|
Death
Matters —
Halifax
— home
funeral guide and funeral ceremony services
(including pre/post-death 'celebration
of life') — as
well as spiritual and personal care directives
and on-going support for 'exit planning',
regular 'end of life'-related film night,
Death Cafes and development of green burials
— Deborah
Luscomb and Dawn Carson are available
via
email or Phone (902)
403-7590 |
Saskatchewan
|
|
Karla
Combres — Saskatoon
and area — multilingual life-cycle celebrant,
creating and performing custom ceremonies
for the milestones of life. Specializes
in personalized, meaningful funerals, memorials,
celebrations of life (pre- and post-death),
home funerals, and other observances of loss.
Karla Combres is available
by phone or email for consultation.
Email
or Phone (306) 491-9176
and Facebook
Page. |
(return
to top)
Legal
Information and Regulations
CANADA
by
Province and Territory
[Note 1: we
have included links for Consumer Protection Services
and the office of the Coroner or Chief Medical
Examiner, because they may be the best source
of information for choosing to do post-death care
yourself —
including whether or not a permit is required
to transport your deceased loved one.]
[Note 2: if you choose to deal with
post-death care at home, including all documents/forms
—
given that our culture is used to having a funeral
home formally deal with things, such as Registration
of Death —
you will need to clarify to your Vital Statistics
office that you are not using one and ask for
the forms that the funeral home would usually
address. Ask for a supervisor at the
Vital Statistics office, or someone who knows
the law regarding not using the assistance of
a funeral home.]
|
Alberta |
Saying
Farewell - Alberta Health (PDF
see page 19 for home funerals).
Registration of Death and Death
Certificate, and
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Community
Deathcare's Provincial Home Funeral Documentation
Pathways |
|
British
Columbia |
Government
pages on "Dealing
with Sudden Death" (PDF),
Expected/Planned Home Deaths,
Notification
of Expected Death in the Home (PDF),
Registration
of Death (available only
directly through the Vital Statistics office),
Death
Certificate Application(PDF),
and
Death Certificate,
Consumer
Protection contact info, Consumer
Protection generalities re cemeteries
and crematoriums
Information
on Private Transport Permits [Notice
"However, sometimes we get requests
from individuals who wish to take personal
responsibility for the transfer of remains
of a loved one to a funeral home, crematorium
or cemetery." —
which implies that the body may not go to
a funeral home before being transported
for final disposition] Private
Transport Permit,
Private
Property Burial Permits, Hierarchy
of those allowed to make post-death decisions,
Governement offices that will help
with death registration (where
no Vit Stats office),
Funeral
Service Association, and
Coroners Service Contact Info,
plus Community
Deathcare's Provincial Home Funeral Documentation
Pathways
|
|
Manitoba |
Government
"Dealing with Death", Registration
of Death and forms,
Dead
Bodies Regulation (note:
focus on special infectious disease
—
no requirement to use funeral director),
Vital
Statistics Act (see ""lay
funeral director" definition) and
Death Certificate,
Consumer Protection contact info, and
The Role of the Chief Medical Examiner's Office,
plus Community
Deathcare's Provincial Home Funeral Documentation
Pathways |
|
Newfoundland/Labrador |
Death
Certificate, and Coroner's
Service |
|
New
Brunswick |
Death
Certificate, and
Coroner Services,
Community
Deathcare's Provincial Home Funeral Documentation
Pathways |
|
Northwest
Territories |
Government—Death
Registration,
Vital
Statistics Act (PDF: see
definition re 'funeral planner', and sections
60 and 61: representative of Vit Stats has
confirmed that home funerals are allowed,
no transport permit required; but as
in most provinces, a burial permit is needed
to transport)
Death
Certificate (direct PDF
download), and
Coroner's Service |
|
Nova
Scotia |
After
the Loss of a Loved One,
Preparing for Death and Dying (at home) [note:
excellent, but doesn't include home funeral
info], [statement from NS Vital Statistics
—"There
is nothing in our Vital Statistics act that
precludes a family member from transporting
a body."]
Application
for Death Certificate, and
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner |
|
Nunavut |
Application
for Death Certificate, and
info for contacting the Office
of the Chief Coroner |
|
Ontario |
What
to do when someone dies (info
—
see "If you do not use a funeral service
provider"), EDITH
(Expected Death in The Home)
form and information,
Consumer Information Guide to Funerals,
Burials and Cremation services and form
at Bereavement
Authority of Ontario's
A
Guide to Death Care in Ontario
(PDF) (see "Transporting the Dead Body"
pg 7 and "Family-led Death Care: page
10) or Arrange
a funeral, burial, alkaline hydrolysis, cremation
or scattering (see "If
you don't use a provider"),
Family
Access to Cremation Permits,
Death
Registration — Statement of Death and
form
(PDF), and
Death Certificate and How to Apply, and
Coroner's Office (Ask for
or download 1. Warrant
to Take Possession of the Body of a Deceased
Person, and 2. Warrant
to Bury the Body of a Deceased Person),
plus Community
Deathcare's Provincial Home Funeral Documentation
Pathways |
|
Prince
Edward Island |
Death
Certificate, and
Coroner |
|
Quebec |
Government
re general death information, What
to do in the event of Death (PDF
guide to death issues),
To Order a Death Certificate,and
Office of the coroner (we
couldn't find the English version, but you
can google the page and have it translated)
Note: Quebec has more restrictions
on home funerals than other provinces —
see Sections 34 and 64 of Bill
66 and What
to do in the event of death (and PDF
version): see also Community
Deathcare Quebec for developments
|
|
Saskatchewan |
Government
"Dealing with Death", Saskatoon
Health Nursing Manual PDF (see
3.24-5 re not using a funeral home),
Funeral
and Cremation Services Act PDF (see
4(2) re family transporting body),
Funerals,
Cremation & Burial (see
'burial' re not using funeral home),
Funeral
and Cremation Services Council of Saskatchewan
(see 'can I perform any funeral
services myself?),
order
Death
Certificate
Consumer
Protection, and
Office of the Chief Coroner,
plus Community
Deathcare's Provincial Home Funeral Documentation
Pathways |
|
Yukon |
Public
Guardian and Trustee, Preparing
for death: a guide for caregivers (see
"after death")
Death
Certificate, and
Coroner's Service
|
(return
to top)
Further
Post-Death Care Information
Canadian
Funeral Consumer Information
Instructional Videos/Films [Note:
Muslims also have several YouTube videos on their
traditional form of washing and shrouding the
body]
Other Useful Information
|
Natural
Transitions Magazine — regular editions
with articles on conscious, holistic approaches
to end of life and death (free
e-version available to subscribers) —
including some Canadian articles |
|
Institute
of Traditional Medicine —
Toronto, Ontario —
Contemplative
'End of Life' care training (click
on "Professional Programs", then
"Contemplative End of Life Care program'
and then its sub-menu for further information) |
|
Dying
Consciously Program/Teachers
—
directory
of teachers in Canada, as well as Australia,
Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway,
Switzerland, U.S.A, and the U.K. |
|
Dying
into Love — website of free and paid
videos focused on 'conscious dying', or 'personal
healing while dying' (vidoes
by Ram Dass, Joan Halifax, Dale Borglum, Bodhi
Be, and others —
as well as articles, mediations, etc.) |
|
ComfortDying
—
extensive information on end-of-life, death
and dying (including a long
list of books on the subject) |
(return
to top)
Natural/Green
Burials —
burials that don't include embalming the body,
any non-biodegradable parts to the coffin, cement
grave liners, etc.The
body is allowed to return to the cycle of life,
and the graves are usually maintained as a reclaimed
indigenous eco-system. [Note:
a full body burial at sea is also a 'green' burial,
but logistically prohibitive and expensive in
Canada. See 'Burial at Sea' below.]
CANADA
|
Green
Burial Society of Canada — promoting
green burials, list of providers/cemeteries
throughout Canada (see approved
cemeteries) |
| |
Natural
Burial Association (of Canada) —
association to further the development of
green burial grounds in Canada |
|
Funeral
Service Association of Canada Burial at Sea
Burial at Sea
— falls
under the Disposal at Sea permitting provisions
of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
—
list of Disposal at Sea regional offices |
|
|
Green
Burial Council — developing eco-friendly
end-of-life rituals; protecting the legitimate
benefits of environmentally sustainable deathcare;
and using burial as a means of acquiring,
restoring, and stewarding natural areas; registry
of certified funeral providers, cemeteries,
and cremation disposition programs for the
U.S. and Canada |
| |
Finding
a Provider
—
listed by names of providers in alphabetical
order —
A-N
and O-Z
(Green Burial Sites, Green Funeral Homes,
and Approved Products) |
|
The
Natural End Map
— connecting families
with funeral directors, cemeteries and service
providers offering simpler, more natural end-of-life
options. Find
a provider (by province/territory)
through the side menus[note:
'search' function doesn't work]; and
Biodegradable
Coffins, Eco Friendly Caskets, and Ash Burial
Urns for North America —
see store
(including shrouding
boards) |
|
Seven
Ponds — excellent review of the ecological
impacts of conventional death practices at
Environmental
Impact of Death page |
|
Living
Reef Memorial The
Living Reef memorial is an eternal legacy
of everlasting life to the world and to the
souls we leave behind.
Where
available and kinds
of Reef Memorials |
|
Green
Burial Cemeteries in the US and Canada
— a directory of green burial grounds
across the world, including Canada (see
green background listings at the end of the
page) |
Alberta
British Columbia
|
|
Royal
Oak Burial Park, The
Woodlands — Victoria — offers
green burials (as well as 'hybrid
burials', which use a cement liner on top
of the grave, but otherwise natural/biodegradable
materials) — the first green burial
ground in Canada |
|
|
Memorial
Society of B.C. — working on a range
of green burial options, as described on its
website.Contact:
Memorial Society of BC, 205 - 640 West Broadway
Vancouver BC V5Z 1G4;Tel: (604)
733-7705 or 1-888-816-5902
(24/7);
Email |
|
Denman
Island Natural Burial Cemetery
— Denman Island, BC — the first
contemporary cemetery in Canada that is exclusively
green. Please note that graves
are only available to Denman Island residents
and immediate family. Excellent
information available about the process of
Denman Island Memorial (non-profit) society,
as a model for other small communities. Contact
DINBC
(online) or by mail at 6400
Denman Rd, Denman Island, BC V0R 1T0
|
|
Mountain
View Cemetery —
Vancouver —
hybrid green cemetery which means that the
Cemetery allows biodegradable urns, caskets,
and shrouds and does not require casket vaults
and liners or the process of embalming. It
also allows for more than one casket to be
buried in each grave.
Email
or Phone: 604-325-2646 |
|
Green
Burial Garden, Heritage Garden Cemetery
—
South
Surrey — home to our very own pollinator
meadow with two resident bee hives.
Email
Phone:
604-538-0074
|
|
Salt
Spring Island Natural Cemetery —
Salt Spring Island — Coastal Douglas
Fir forest, with Fir and Maple; protecting
the land in perpetuity — the first fully
green burial ground in Canada to be open to
the public. |
|
Yates
Memorial Services
— Parksville and Port Alberni —
offers green burials, including double depth
green burial (2 internments
per grave) Email
for both sites Phone Parksville
1-250-248-5859,
Phone Port Alberni 250.723.5859
Toll Free for both sites
1-877-264-3848 |
|
Living
Reef Memorial —
Gulf
Islands/Georgia Strait locations
—
cremains
are eternally preserved within a scientifically
engineered artificial reef designed to be
forever permanent and vital to the success
of this marine habitat rehabilitation project.
|
|
Green
Burial News BC — development of new
green or hybrid graveyards |
|
Natural
Burial in B.C.
—
list of current green
burial grounds in B.C. |
|
Consumer
Protection BC Can I be buried on the family
farm? Information
on home burial in BC |
Nova
Scotia
Ontario
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Additional
Natural/Green-Friendly Options for the Remains
(Alkaline Hydrolysis, green
embalming, outdoor funeral pyres, scattering/burial
of ashes, etc.)
— more to come as it becomes available
CANADA
(unfortunately several Canadian
Alkaline Hydrolysis/Aquamation options have been
withdrawn)
|
|
Cremation
Association of North America provides
information on Alkaline Hydrolysis
(also called Resomation, Aquafication, or
Bio-cremation) in Canada.
This option
to fire cremation operates by
dissolving, rather than burning, the body;
and is significantly more eco-friendly. |
British
Columbia
Ontario
Quebec
|
|
Funeral
LeSieur — Granby and Waterloo —
both offer Bio Cremation (Alkaline
Hydrolysis) option to fire cremation.
|
|
Residence
Funeraire
(in French
only) —
Abitibi-Témiscamingue (western
border with Ontario) —
offers
Aquamation (another name for
Alkaline Hydrolysis) to all residents
of Quebec. |
|
Voluntas
—
Kirkland — offers
Bio
Cremation (Alkaline Hydrolysis)
|
Saskatchewan
Washington
state
|
|
Return
Home — Auburn, WA — offers
Terramation (Natural Organic
Reduction, composting bodies) and can
accept Canadian bodies until we have our own
Recomposition. |
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Eco-friendly
Coffins/Shrouds/Urns
|
|
|
|
6
Designs for Shrouds — written and
graphic instructions (by CINDEA) |
|
Last
Things: Alternatives at the End of Life
—
blueprints and instructions for making your
own coffin |
|
WikiHow:
How to Make a Coffin —
blueprints and instructions for making your
own coffin [Note:
it would need to be revised to be used in
a green burials
ground — no paint, metal,etc. —
nothing that isn't biodegradable] |
|
Shelves
for Life —
blueprints available for a bookcase (usable
during life) that reassembles into
a coffin |
|
Build
Your Own Coffin —
coffin blueprints (PDFs) or fits, variations
for green burials |
| |
Also
see various YouTube videos on making your
own casket |
|
TheSoulCircle
— shrouds (made from CINDEA
designs) prepared
for you to sew yourself
or ready-made |
| |
|
Canadian-based
Products and Supplies (or
information)
|
|
Rawganique
willow-hemp caskets — made on Denman
Island, British Columbia — handmade and
completely eco-friendly, can be ordered in
specific sizes and shipped world-wide
|
|
Evergreen
Coffins — Royston, B.C. — made
with a mix of sustainably grown Vancouver
Island softwoods: spruce, hemlock, pine and
fir; as carbon neutral as possible, so we
use no metals or plastic, plywood or toxic
glues, and only untreated Manilla hemp rope
for the handles; no finishes to our coffins,
leaving the wood the way nature made it. Evergreen
Coffin kits are flat packed for easy shipping
and assembly. |
|
Casket
Depot — Toronto, Ontario — have
inexpensive plain cardboard caskets which
you can buy one at a time |
|
Imperial
Evergreen —
Port Coquitlam, BC —
rebuilding
their site but have offered a range of ecological
urns and a few caskets in the past. Note:
if you use the code "CINDEA"
when checking out, you will get 10% off the
item (not including shipping
costs or taxes) |
|
Fiddlehead
Caskets — New Brunswick —
"simple
pine box" hand-made caskets — made
from locally sourced pine, re-purposing the
wood shavings from the milling process to
fill an unbleached cotton mattress and pillow;
available throughout the Maritime Provinces.
Option to build yourself with
a casket
kit. Contact Master Craftsman
Jeremy Burrill via email
for specifics on shipping the casket outside
of the Maritimes. |
|
Ecofuneral
—
Ontario
— especially
for
inexpensive
cardboard caskets and
more eco
shrouds and more casket options |
|
TheSoulCircle
— shrouds (made from CINDEA
designs) prepared for you to sew yourself
or ready-made |
|
Cedar
Creek Caskets Facebook page —
Nanaimo, BC — Phone 250-816-0464
for more information |
| |
|
|
Selecting
a casket or an urn – know your rights
(Consumer Protection BC) |
| |
|
|
Mprint
— Acheson, Alberta — will customize
a casket with beautiful designs — ask
about using cardboard caskets Phone 587.597.1310 |
| |
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Products
and Supplies from
Elsewhere
|
|
Natural
Burial Products — U.S.A., and available
in Canada — coffins-catalogue shipped
directly to clients in U.S.A. or Canada |
|
Passages
International — U.S.A — specializes
in eco-friendly funeral products, including
caskets. Note: this
is a wholesale company, but you can order
a casket via CINDEA and have
it shipped directly to you (plain
cardboard or the 6-point bamboo casket will
be the least expensive to ship -- assembly
required). |
|
Coeio
— U.S.A. — producer of the Infinity
Mushroom Shroud (and other
products), designed to remove toxins
from the decaying body to make a green burial
even greener (but not proven) |
|
|
Eco-pod
— U.K., and can be shipped to Canada
— distributor for North America is the
Natural
Burial Company, Oregon Note:
Eco-pods may be produced in Oregon in the
near future (see Eco-pod
North America) |
|
Natural
Funeral Company — Australia, and
available in Canada — Eco-Weave casket
(from bamboo) and other
products  —
71 Colin Shaw Lane, Ponsonby 1011, Auckland |
|
My
Alternatives
—
Canada/BC
— cardboard caskets
(note: many cemeteries will allow cardboard
caskets for green burial) |
|
Green
Burial Council
—
check Finding a Provider
on top menu for range of approved green products
and providers (includes
some Canadian ones) |
|
Natural
Endings —
UK— range of eco caskets, good for ideas
but doesn't ship to Canada |
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Funeral/Memorial
Poems
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On-line
Memorial Services
Note that many newspapers now offer
on-line memorial services if an obituary is placed
in their paper, although you may need to specifically
ask for it.Some
funeral homes may also provide this service.
On-line memorial services make it possible for
family members and friends
especially those who lived
at a distance, and/or were otherwise unable to
attend the funeral/memorial
to share their memories,
and celebrate the life, of the person who has
died.Those
listed below are only a sampling of those available
free of charge.Others
are easily Googled; and for a small charge, offer
a more extensive website tribute, the ability
for family and friends to add tributes, and/or
maintenance the site for at least a year's time
or more.
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Grief/Bereavement
Counselling and Services
(see also Canadian
Hospice/Palliative Care —
and check if your local Hospice has grief counselling
available)
CANADA
|
|
Canadian
Professional Counsellors Association —
choose your province under 'Province' and
'grief counselling' under 'Counselling Approaches'
|
|
|
Canadian
Centre for Bereavement Education and Grief
Counselling
—
49
Gloucester Street, Toronto, Ont. Educates
professionals who are working with the dying
and the bereaved as well as providing counselling
services and resources for those who grieve.
Telephone: 416-926-0905 |
|
Canadian
Association for Spiritual Care (pastoral
counselling) |
|
The
Centre for Grief Journey —
wide range of books,
videos, meditations, discussion forums, and
seminars for grieving people -- including
a online support forum called Among
Friends |
|
|
Canadian
Mental Health Association Branch locations
— across the country — many branches
offer grief/bereavement support |
|
Theravive
Therapist Directory —
listings by province and cities (check
individual listings for grief/bereavement
or end-of-life counselling) |
|
Canadian
Directory of Hospice Palliative Care Services
—
Directory
of Services — most of which will
have grief/bereavement support programs
|
|
Canadian
Mental Health Association Grieving —
general information |
|
The
Lifeline Canada Foundation — resources
for grief and bereavement by province/territory |
|
Canadian
Alliance For Grieving Children and Youth
— links to resources for all provinces/territories |
|
MyGrief.ca
— is an online resource to help people
work through their grief from the comfort
of their own home, at their own pace. It was
developed by family members who’ve “been
there,” and grief experts. |
| |
|
| |
General
Grief/Bereavement Resources |
|
Canadian
Virtual Hospice Gallery — under Grief
and Loss — articles and videos, as
well as discussion forums for the grieving,
including children |
|
Room
217 Foundation —
useful products
pan-death |
| |
Bereaved
Families of Ontario Affiliates
(resources coming soon) |
| |
|
| |
Specially
for grieving children |
|
Kids
Grief supported by Canadian Virtual Hospice
Gallery |
|
Canadian
Alliance For Grieving Children and Youth
— links to resources for all provinces/territories |
| |
|
| Specially
for grieving teenagers |
|
What's
Your Grief —
for
teenagers as
well as other family groups/issues |
|
Canadian
Alliance For Grieving Children and Youth
— links to resources for all provinces/territories |
| |
|
| |
Specifically
for the deaths prenatal, stillborn, infants
or children |
|
|
Baby
Steps —
Infant
Loss |
|
|
The
Compassionate Friends (when
a child dies) — see province branches
under 'chapters' — offers support in
the grief and trauma which follows the death
of a child, no matter the age or cause |
|
|
CLIMB
(the Center for Loss in Multiple
Birth), Inc — International group,
including Canadians — providing support
for all who have experienced the death of
one or more of their twins, or higher multiple-birth
children, at any time from conception through
birth, infancy and early childhood.
|
|
Empty
Cradle Pregnancy
and Infant Loss Support, Education and Remembrance,
only available in BC |
|
|
Canadian
Resource Centre for Victims of Crime |
|
Theravive
—
overcoming loss and death, grief counseling
—
plus directory of therapists for Canada by
province (includes U.S.A. by
state as well) |
|
A
Heartbreaking Choice supports women who
have made the "Heartbreaking Choice"
to terminate a much wanted pregnancy —
includes
Canadian
resources under
'Local Counselors and Support Groups'
(do a 'find'
for Canada —
local groups in Mississauga, Ontario: Wednesday's
Child; North York, Ontario: North York
General Hospital; Vancouver, British Columbia:
Empty Cradle) |
| |
|
| |
Specifically
for those choosing or witnessing MAiD
|
| |
MAiD
Family Support –
Formerly Bridge 4 You – compassionate,
lived-experience support and connection to
people helping a loved one who is considering
or planning for Medical Assistance in Dying
(MAiD) or those who are grieving a loss due
to MAiD. |
| |
|
| |
And
other concerns |
|
|
Pet
Loss Partners support groups |
|
by Province and Territory
|
Alberta |
Alberta
Health Services re Grief support
Red
Deer Hospice ‘Good Grief’ support
group,
Alberta
chapter of
Compassionate
Friends |
|
British
Columbia |
Living
Through Loss Counselling Society of BC
—
information,
counselling and referrals where necessary,
BC
Bereavement Helpline, Lower
Mainland Grief Recovery Society,
Mission
Hospice Society Bereavement Support &
Resources, Prince
George Hospice Rainbows Child Grief Support
, Broken
Circle and Grief and Grub for Guys,
North
Okanagan Hospice Society Grief and Bereavement
Services, BC
chapter of Compassionate
Friends
|
|
Manitoba |
Canadian
Mental Health Association Manitoba
branches,
Palliative
Manitoba Bereavement, Manitoba
chapter of
Compassionate Friends
|
|
Newfoundland/Labrador |
Newfoundland
chapter of Compassionate
Friends |
|
New
Brunswick |
Canadian
Mental Health Association New
Brunswick branches,
Hospice
southeast New Brunswick
(scroll down), Canadian
Alliance for Grieving Children and Youth,
New
Brunswick chapter of
Compassionate
Friends |
|
Northwest
Territories |
Virtual
Hospice NWT resources, Theravive
Grief and Loss Counselling in Yellowknife
and other cities,
EMental
Health NWT, |
|
Nova
Scotia |
E-Mental
Health NS grieving, Caregivers
NS Association Grief & Bereavement,
211
Nova Scotia Grief and Bereavement Support,
Grief
Therapists in Nova Scotia, Virtual
Hospice Grief NS, Hospice
Halifax Grief and Loss (resources
beyond Halifax)
|
|
Nunavut |
Virtual
Hospice Nunavut grief resources, E-Mental
Health grief, and Kamatsiaqut
Helpline |
|
Ontario |
Canadian
Mental Health Association Ontario
branches,
Bereavement Ontario Network — directory,
Bereaved
Families of Ontario affliliates, Ontario
Caregiver Organization grief, AIDS
Bereavement and Resiliency Program of Ontario
, Ontario
chapter of Compassionate
Friends, Bereaved
Families —
Ontario —
Kingston
—
online resources (forum and
chat room) for teenagers |
|
Prince
Edward Island |
Canadian
MentalHealth Association
Prince
Edward Island branches,
Hospice
Palliative Care Association of PEI
|
|
Quebec |
Quebec
chapter of Compassionate
Friends, Grief
Therapists in Quebec, Canadian
Alliance for Grieving Children and Youth Quebec |
|
Saskatchewan |
Canadian
Mental Health Association Saskatchewan
branches,
Sask.
Health Authority Palliative Care Services
and The Bereavement Centre on bereavement,
—
Sask. chapter of
Compassionate
Friends |
|
Yukon |
Hospice
Yukon Society bereavement support |
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