Here is a plain look at where green burial stands in Ottawa and the surrounding region right now.
Is There a Green Burial Cemetery in Ottawa?
Not at the moment. As of 2026, no cemetery within the City of Ottawa offers true green burial — meaning burial with no embalming, no vault, and direct earth contact between the body and the soil.
The nearest green burial option is Locksley United Cemetery, a rural cemetery in the Ottawa Valley just off Highway 41 outside Pembroke. It sits roughly 145 kilometres northwest of downtown Ottawa — about an hour and a half by car. Locksley is currently the only cemetery in Eastern Ontario offering full green burial: direct-to-earth burial in a shroud or biodegradable casket, with no embalming and no grave vault.
It is a real option. But it asks something of Ottawa families that no local cemetery has yet matched — a drive of well over an hour, each way, for every visit to the grave.
Why Ottawa Has So Few Natural Burial Options
The shortage isn't for lack of interest. Judith Wouk, who leads the Funeral Information Society of Ottawa, has pointed to rising interest without a matching rise in local options — Ottawa families are asking about natural burial, but area cemeteries have been slow to offer it. Part of the problem, she notes, is simply that many people don't know green burial is a choice at all, so the requests that would prompt a cemetery to act never get made.
The other factor is regulatory latitude. Ontario cemeteries operate under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, overseen by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario. The province lets each operator define what "green" means on its own grounds, so whether a city has a natural burial option comes down to individual cemetery decisions rather than any provincial rule. That's why availability is so uneven from one part of Ontario to the next — and why Ottawa, a city of more than a million people, still has none of its own.
Green Burial Is Coming to Ottawa: Beechwood Cemetery
Beechwood — the National Cemetery of Canada — is preparing to open a dedicated green burial ground in Ottawa. No public opening date has been announced yet. When it does open, it will be the first true green burial option within the city itself, giving Ottawa and Eastern Ontario families a natural burial choice close to home for the first time.
We'll update this page as soon as there's more to share. In the meantime, if you'd like to be notified when Beechwood's green burial ground opens, you can add your name to the notification list.
Planning a Green Burial Near Ottawa Right Now
If a green burial is needed in the near term, Locksley remains the only cemetery in the immediate Ottawa region that meets the full standard — no embalming, no vault, direct earth contact.
Families willing to travel further have more choice. Ontario has a small but growing set of natural burial sites, several of them within a few hours' drive of Ottawa: Glenwood Cemetery in Picton, St. James' Cemetery in Roseneath, and Cobourg Union Cemetery all offer shroud burial in the wider eastern part of the province. Our complete Ontario green burial guide lays out every site we've independently verified, with what each one accepts and where it falls short.
Browse every verified green burial ground in Canada, filtered by province.
View the Directory →Green Burial Near Ottawa: Common Questions
Where is the nearest green burial to Ottawa?
Locksley United Cemetery near Pembroke, about 145 kilometres and roughly 90 minutes northwest of the city. It is the only full green burial site in Eastern Ontario at present.
Is green burial legal in Ontario?
Yes. Green burial is legal across Ontario. What varies is availability — each cemetery sets its own rules under provincial regulation, and most have not established a natural burial section.
What's the difference between green burial and natural burial?
None — the two terms are used interchangeably. Both describe burial without embalming chemicals, without a vault or grave liner, in a biodegradable shroud or container.
Can you have a shroud burial near Ottawa?
Yes — at Locksley near Pembroke today, and, once it opens, at Beechwood within Ottawa itself. Both accept direct earth burial in a shroud.
How much does a green burial cost near Ottawa?
It depends on the cemetery, but green burial is often less expensive than a conventional one: you skip embalming, a sealed casket, a vault, and typically a headstone. The plot itself is usually priced much like any other. See our guide to planning a green burial for the full breakdown.