Burial
Providing Meaningful Burial Options that Honour Traditions and the Environment
Conventional Burial and Mausoleum Entombment
In-ground whole body burial and above ground entombment are established and respected practices which many still choose today. If other family members have been buried or entombed in a mausoleum, it can be reassuring for the surviving members and future generations to know that their family tradition continues.
Conventional Burial is when the deceased is buried in a cemetery which requires the use of a wood or metal casket to enclose the deceased, the deceased is often embalmed even though it is not mandatory, a grave liner or vault is placed over the casket before final burial and individual headstones mark the grave.
Photo taken at Salt Spring Island Natural Burial Cemetery
Green Burial 
The resurgence of green burial and natural death care options in recent years has encouraged people to continue their sustainable life values at death.
KORU Cremation | Burial | Ceremony is one of a select number of funeral homes that meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council.
There are five essential principles of green burial
- No embalming (natural body care only)
- Direct earth burial
- Ecological restoration & conservation
- Communal memorialization
- Optimize land use
For a detailed explanation of these principals, visit Green Burial Society of Canada.
“Green Burial is a statement of personal values for those who seek to minimize their impact on the local and global environment. For people who are mindful of the cyclical nature of life, green burial is a spiritually fulfilling alternative to conventional burial or cremation. It is an environmentally sensitive practice: the body is returned to the earth to decompose naturally and contribute to new life.” – Green Burial Society of Canada
Green & Natural Burial Cemeteries
The cemeteries in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands that have achieved a green burial designation from either the Green Burial Society of Canada or The Green Burial Council International are listed below:
- Denman Island Natural Burial Cemetery, Denman Island
- Heritage Gardens Cemetery, Surrey
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver (hybrid green burial cemetery)
- Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria
- Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery, Salt Spring Island
- Yates Memorial Services, Parksville
If Green Burial is not possible for you but you are interested in reducing your environmental impact during the funeral planning, here are 10 simple things you can do to make a difference:
- Carpool to any gathering
- Donate to a charity rather than sending flowers
- Choose a biodegradable urn (if cremation has been chosen)
- Choose an eco-friendly casket
- Leave a living marker in memory of the one who has died by planting a native tree or shrub
- Choose a memorial marker made from local stone, rather than using markers made of imported stone
- Choose to use local foods and beverages for your gatherings
- Use recycled paper for memorial cards
- Leave condolences online rather than sending a card
- Tell others about the option to choose eco-friendly funeral products and service
Cemetery Directory, Metro Vancouver
Mt. View Cemetery
5455 Fraser St., Vancouver, (604) 325-2646
Capilano View Cemetery
1290 3rd St., West Vancouver, (604) 925-7007
Boundary Bay Cemetery
856 56th St., Tsawwassen, (604) 943-4445
North Delta Cemetery
at Brooke and Dunlop Streets, North Delta, (604) 946-3293
Fraser Cemetery
100 Richmond St., New Westminster, (604) 522-1323
Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery
621 Robinson St., Coquitlam (604) 927-6020
City of Surrey Cemeteries, (604) 598-5770
Surrey Centre Cemetery
16671 Old McLellan Rd., Surrey
Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery
14850 28th Ave., Surrey
Hazelmere Cemetery
19198 16th Ave., Surrey
Heritage Gardens Cemetery
19082 16th Ave., Surrey, (604) 538-0074
Ocean View Burial Park
4000 Imperial St., Burnaby, (604) 435-6688
Forest Lawn Memorial Park
3789 Royal Oak Dr., Burnaby, (604) 299-7711
Boal Chapel Memorial Gardens
1505 Lillooet Rd., North Vancouver, (604) 980-3451
Victory Memorial Park
14831 28th Ave., Surrey, (604) 536-6522
Valley View Cemetery
14644 72nd Ave., Surrey, (604) 596-8866
Pacific Heritage Cemetery
4305 Halifax St., Burnaby, (604) 294-4143 or (877) 290-4144
Schara Tzedeck Cemetery (Jewish)
2345 Marine Dr., New Westminster, (604) 522-1754
Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery
15800 32nd Ave., Surrey, (604) 531-2141
- Most cemeteries require 48 hours notice prior to the date of burial
- Conventional Burial is different from Green Burial, click here to learn why
- Burial can only take place on property the provincial government has designated as suitable for burial
- Every cemetery has its own unique bylaws, so what is protocol or expected practice at one cemetery is not necessarily the same at another cemetery
- All funeral homes, regardless of who owns them, can organize a burial at any cemetery, regardless of who owns the cemetery. In other words, if your cemetery of choice owns and operates a funeral home, you are not obligated to use their funeral home
- Cemetery plots used for full-body burial (vs cremated remains burial) often have room to include one or more set of cremated remains
- There are many cemeteries in the Lower Mainland. To review our list of municipal, private faith-based and green burial cemeteries, read more
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