Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is attracting an increased number of families this year. Since January 2022, more than 2,410 families have chosen the cemetery as the burial place for their loved ones, an increase of 11% compared to 2021. In addition, the number of families who have acquired a lot at the Cemetery has increased by 23%, and the total area of lots acquired is up by 48%.

Since 2020, the Cemetery has historically undertaken its most important green shift in order to reduce its ecological footprint and contribute to Mont Royal’s biodiversity, while ensuring the respect and enhancement of natural environments. Reduction, recovery, recycling and reuse are at the heart of its the ecological reflection, as well as the will to innovate.

The Cemetery has also set up ecological burial zones allowing people who choose cremation to replace the installation of a monument with the planting of a tree belonging to a native species. More than 156 families have chosen the Remembrance Grove to make an ecological gesture at the time of their death by returning their ashes quickly to nature thanks to a young tree that will grow in an exceptional and protected site on the slopes of Mount Royal.

"We are grateful to all the families who trust us for this important step in the life of a loved one and we aim to offer each of them the best possible experience," said Éric Choinière, Director of Sales and Customer Service. "For a growing number of families, our environmental actions are important. Their impact on biodiversity is noticeable and positive, but we are aware that the ecological conversion of such a vast space, covered with 13,000 trees of a wide variety of species, is a complex process that must be well communicated, and done gradually and respectfully.”

To stop the waste of water caused by its outdated water supply system, the Cemetery installed 22 water tanks on site, which also collect rainwater.The Cemetery then consulted with its customers and undertook the conversion of a large area of 93,000 m² into a field of flowers and perennial native plants. The measures implemented by the Cemetery include planting 305 new trees, converting a parking lot into a new green space, etc. As a result of these measures, 14,000 liters of gasoline, 22,600 liters of diesel, and nearly 400 tonnes of salt and gravel were reduced between 2020 and 2021.

The Cemetery serves approximately 4,000 bereaved families each year and we hope that this place of peace and remembrance will become more beautiful, more peaceful, less polluting, as well as contribute to the improvement of the Mont Royal’s flora and fauna.

About Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery

Since its founding in 1854, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery has welcomed close to one million deceased persons in a unique site that is recognized, with its 343 acres, as the largest cemetery in Canada. A national historic site, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is a place of peace and remembrance, as well as a jewel of Montreal's architectural, historical, arboreal and environmental heritage.