The Cemetery Devastated by the Ice Storm

La Fabrique, l’organisme sans but lucratif chargée de gérer le site historique du Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, souhaite à nouveau souligner que les services considérés essentiels, notamment les inhumations, sont offerts malgré le conflit de travail du personnel administratif.

Following the end of the labour dispute which led to the closure of the Cemetery, La Fabrique announces that the near-entirety of the Cemetery will once again be made accessible to the general public, as well as the site’s three entrances, starting on September 11, 2023.

Many families have suffered for several months because they’ve been unable to complete their mourning or access the Cemetery to visit a loved one. We’re well aware of this and sincerely apologize for this situation.

Representatives of the Fabrique met today with the Minister of Labour, Jean Boulet, to review the current labour dispute and the status of discussions underway between the parties, in collaboration with the chief mediator-conciliator, since June 29th.

Un protocole de retour au travail, contenant les dispositions usuelles, a aussi été soumis aux syndicats le 15 juin 2023.

The Fabrique's negotiating team met with representatives of the unions representing its operations and office employees on June 2, in the presence of the head conciliator. The Fabrique presented them with a global settlement offer, which the two cemetery unions rejected.

Montreal's Botanical Garden, part of Canada's largest natural science museum complex, Space for Life, has officially recognized the Cemetery as a biodiverse haven.

Despite our work to repair the damages and clean the site, trees and branches still block many of the cemetery's 33 kilometres of roads.

Following yesterday's major ice storm, on April 5th, the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is devastated, as are many other areas of Montréal.

The Fabrique announces that Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery will soon be open to the families of the deceased.

Since the beginning of negotiations with the union, the Cemetery has sought to reach a reasonable agreement to continue to treat its employees well.

The Fabrique has learned of the decision of the union representing its operations employees to call an unlimited general strike while negotiations are still underway.

Our green actions have contributed to a significant increase in the number and variety of insects and butterflies, including the return of the Monarch butterfly, Montreal's emblematic pollinator.

While negotiations for the renewal of the collective agreement continue, the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Office Employees Union has announced that its members will be on strike as of September 20th.

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%.

For the second year of implementation of the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery's green plan, the Artists' Union and Foundation announce their support for and association with the cemetery’s objectives of reducing its impact on the environment and maximizing its contribution to the development of biodiversity on Mount Royal.

Read our regulations concerning the placement of natural flowers during the holiday season in our mausoleums. 

We try our best to keep our clientele informed about the Green plan as well as present the ongoing challenges the cemetery faces.

Located on the Mount Royal Heritage Site, the Cemetery has the privilege of hosting a portion of the Escales découvertes, an initiative of the City of Montréal in celebration of its 375th anniversary.

We are proud to announce that we are proud partners with the nonprofit Leave No Trace Canada, an organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible use of natural areas.

Every year on the first Sunday of June, the Last Post Fund visits Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in order to pay tribute to the deceased who died honourably for our freedom.

The cemetery, like the rest of Mount Royal, is home to many animal species, such as groundhogs (Marmota monax), also known as woodchucks.

Today, we pay tribute to Mrs. Ana S.L., who was interred yesterday afternoon under the first tree of Remembrance Grove. She thus inaugurates a new chapter at Notre Dame des Neiges, a chapter in her image: in harmony with nature.