(Gatineau) To put an end to the accumulation of metals and plastics in the ground, 16 cemeteries in the Outaouais now require that the coffins and urns buried in their new sections be biodegradable. And by the end of 2025, it will be mandatory in all their lots.
The Saint-Rédempteur cemetery, in the Hull sector, is one of the 16 cemeteries in the Archdiocese of Gatineau to have taken this turn on May 8. The organization Les Jardins du Souvenir, which manages it, inaugurated a new curvy section there on Sunday.
Around the terrace topped with a pergola, islands covered with mulch await their first biodegradable urns. The tombstones will be carved from natural stones from the region.
Trees and perennials taken from other cemeteries in the group punctuate the space. The fine river rock trails rest on a base of recycled crushed asphalt.
A few meters away, a small waterfall flows into a pond.
PHOTO ÉTIENNE RANGER, THE LAW
Mini waterfall overlooking a pond in the new section of the Saint-Rédempteur cemetery, reserved for biodegradable urns.
“It is for contemplation and possibly, it may also be used for the scattering of ashes, explained the general manager of the Gardens, Daniel Dezainde, during our visit. This is a possibility that we will explore. »
This area will only hold urns, but in other cemeteries in the group, a dozen biodegradable coffins have been buried in new sections since May. At the end of 2025, this obligation will be extended to all burials. Only columbariums and mausoleums will be able to accommodate non-biodegradable urns and coffins.
The initiative aims to put an end to “the burial of thousands of urns and coffins made of plastic and metal which will not degrade and will contribute to soil pollution”.
Now that we know it, can we seriously pretend it doesn’t exist?
Daniel Dezainde, general director of the Jardins du Souvenir
Lead by example
Quebec cemeteries already offer more “natural” options, burying the ashes at the foot of a tree, for example. But for a group of Catholic cemeteries to impose biodegradable urns and coffins is an initiative “disturbing to say the least for certain people,” admits Mr. Dezainde. He therefore took care to explain the process to funeral homes in the region before making the official announcement.
At the May 8 press conference, the Archbishop of Gatineau cited “the urgent challenge of safeguarding our common home,” an expression of Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’ on the environment.
“Cemeteries are ideal places to have an impact. I really hope that this becomes a trend at the provincial level,” says Mr. Dezainde, who is also president of the Association of Christian Cemeteries of Quebec, a group of more than 500 cemeteries.
PHOTO ÉTIENNE RANGER, THE LAW
The islets covered with mulch in the new section of the Saint-Rédempteur cemetery, intended to accommodate biodegradable urns.
At least one other parish, that of L’Assomption in Maniwaki, also in Outaouais, has adopted the same standard for the nine cemeteries it manages in seven villages.
“We know today that there is a lot of metal in our cemeteries, so when all that decomposes, it goes into the earth. And what’s underneath are our water tables,” underlines Father Sylvain Desrosiers in a telephone interview.
He would rather “people are not happy now” than see the Church being reproached “in five or ten years” for having done nothing even though it knew.
That’s language that we’ve already heard about something else. So me, being a 45-year-old priest, I don’t want to experience that. I know there could be a problem and that it could cause pollution, so I react immediately!
Sylvain Desrosiers, abbot
A trend
In Gatineau, the Jardins du Souvenir funeral home notes: there is no shortage of biodegradable solutions.
“Over the past year, there have been many new products that have appeared on the market,” says Mr. Dezainde, showing a window filled with urns made of wicker, cardboard, sand and, even, pink salt from the Himalayas.
The wooden coffin displayed in the next room has no metal ornaments, and the cushion hidden under the ecru fabric is stuffed with straw, but the look remains very classic. “You are not ashamed to have grandpa or grandma in there if they have chosen to be exposed”, slips the DG.
The Gardens have not had the quantities of metals, plastics and other synthetic materials assessed that they will thus avoid burying in their 16 cemeteries; ” [mais] If the initiative were to extend, as we wish, across Quebec, we could find the necessary resources,” hopes Mr. Dezainde.
PHOTO ÉTIENNE RANGER, LAW
The grass in sections of cemeteries that have not yet been developed is mowed approximately once a year for the past three years.
The organization has also not measured the amount of fuel saved over the past three years by stopping mowing the grass in the undeveloped sections of its cemeteries, but “it is a good example of sustainable development,” argues the DG. .
“What is the logic of sending employees with their machinery to sections that may not be used for years or even decades? There is none, so let nature take over. »