About | Canada Green Burial

Effective date: 18 May 2026

Canada Green Burial is an independent online directory of Canada's true natural burial grounds. It exists for one reason: to make it easier for Canadian families to find a cemetery that will accept unembalmed, vault-free, direct earth burial in a shroud or simple biodegradable container.

That information is harder to find than it should be. Many cemeteries advertise themselves as offering "eco-friendly" or "green" options that fall well short of true natural burial. Others quietly offer genuine green burial without much advertising at all. This directory exists to help separate the two.

What We Mean by "Green Burial"

To be included in our directory, a Canadian cemetery must meet four standards:

No embalming required. The body is not treated with formaldehyde or other preservative chemicals.
No concrete vault or grave liner. The body returns directly to the soil.
Biodegradable container or shroud accepted. A plain wooden casket, a wicker coffin, or a natural-fibre shroud — nothing synthetic.
Direct earth contact. Nothing between the body and the soil that would slow or prevent natural decomposition.

Cemeteries that meet these standards are included, regardless of whether they hold any particular certification. Cemeteries that fall short are not, regardless of how they describe themselves.

How Listings Are Researched

Every cemetery in this directory has been independently researched using publicly available information — cemetery websites, municipal publications, news coverage, and where applicable, direct conversation with cemetery staff. We do not accept paid listings. No cemetery has paid to be included, paid to be excluded, or paid for favourable description. We do not run advertising of any kind.

This independence matters. It means listings reflect what cemeteries actually offer, not what they pay to promote.

The Limits of What We Can Tell You

Cemetery policies change. Fees change. Capacity changes. New sites open and existing sites occasionally close or change ownership. We update the directory as we learn of changes, but the information on this site is a starting point — not a final answer.

Before making any arrangements, please verify the current details directly with the cemetery. Call them. Visit if you can. Confirm everything that matters in writing. The site exists to help you find the right cemetery; the cemetery itself is the authoritative source for its own policies and practices.

What We Don't Do

We are not a funeral home, a cemetery, or a funeral planning service. We do not arrange burials, sell plots, sell shrouds or caskets, or provide advice on individual cases. We do not offer professional consultation, religious guidance, or grief support. For those services, please contact appropriate professionals in your community.

We are also not affiliated with any cemetery or burial industry association. We are an independent directory operated separately from the cemeteries we list.

Why This Site Exists

Green burial in Canada is growing, but it remains uneven across the country. British Columbia and Ontario have the most options. Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador have none yet. For families considering natural burial, knowing what is actually available within a reasonable distance can be the difference between making a choice you feel good about and settling for something less.

This directory is, simply, an attempt to make that decision a little easier.

Updates and Suggestions

If you believe a cemetery's information on this site is inaccurate or out of date, the most effective remedy is to contact the cemetery directly and let them know — they are the source of their own information. If you know of a Canadian cemetery offering true green burial that we have missed, the directory will be expanded as we learn of new sites.