Cemetery Green Burial Area

The Blue Mountains Public Library has rescheduled its Green Burials Information Session hosted by the Climate Action Now Network. The event was previously postponed due to inclement weather, and will now be held on Friday, February 27 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the L.E. Shore Library in Thornbury. The event will focus on the general processes of green burials, and will not specifically relate to the design or construction of the green burial area at the Thornbury Cemetery. 

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E. Lees & Associates met with Town staff and members of the Climate Action Now Network to review the proposed site for the Green Burial Area and gather initial feedback to inform the preliminary design.

E. Lees & Associates Consulting Limited has been retained by the Town to complete the consultation and Landscape Architecture for the Green Burial Area. This firm was previously involved in the completion of the Town's Cemetery Master Plan.

Staff Report CS.25.041 was presented to Committee of the Whole on August 25, 2025. This report requested an increase to the project budget from $90,000 to an upset limit of $130,000 including contingency funds to allow for the award of the design and landscape architecture contract. Committee voted in favour of the recommendations, and this direction was adopted by Council at their meeting on September 8, 2025.

Presentation of the report to Committee begins at the 2:46:00 mark of the meeting recording.

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Staff Report CSOPS.23.045 was presented to Committee of the Whole on November 6, 2023. This report provided the Cemetery Master Plan as prepared by Lees & Associates, and requested Council approval to adopt the Plan and proceed with its recommendations. Staff also recommended that the Town proceed with proposed land use Concept B - also known as the Arc Concept - to address the communities current and future cemetery needs. Committee voted in favour of the recommended motions, and made an amendment to prioritize the green burial area in the workplan. This direction was adopted by Council at their meeting on November 20, 2023.

Presentation of the report to Committee begins at the 2:34:45 mark of the meeting recording.

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Green Burial is also known as “natural burial,” “country burial,” or “woodland burial,” and is defined as an earth burial with:

• No embalming
• A fully biodegradable casket or shroud
• No use of grave liners or concrete vaults
• A form of habitat restoration of the gravesite such as planting with native species
• A communal marker, no marker, or a simple marker made of local and natural materials

Jewish, Muslim, and Bahá’í communities have traditionally interred their deceased according to green burial principles. Most recently, the Catholic Church has begun to actively embrace green burial, based on the tenets of green burial aligning well with its core beliefs and practices.

Many cemeteries across Canada plan to add green burial to serve their communities. Green burial is an emerging trend as the philosophy of having a lighter touch on the environment resonates with many peoples’ personal philosophy of trying to live in a way that has less impact on the planet.

The Canadian-based Green Burial Society of Canada (GBSC) is a non-profit organization that offers a certification program to qualifying service providers and lists the Canadian cemeteries currently offering green burial. The process to become certified by the Green Burial Society of Canada, and the related documentation required to apply for certification can be found at the GBSC website. This process includes three steps:

1. REVIEW the GBSC Approved Provider Criteria to determine the appropriate category for the cemetery.
2. COMPLETE the Approved Provider Application and submit it to the GBSC.
3. REVIEW the GBSC Statement of Ethical Practices. Once approved, this document must be signed and posted in the cemetery office.