Members of a family are decrying the way they were treated at Montreal’s Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery when unforeseen events following the death of a loved one prevented them from being treated with dignity.
Richard and Elizabeth’s brother died suddenly of a heart attack. He was to be buried on January 17 at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery, where an industrial dispute has been going on for months.
A few days before, they are informed that the funeral will not take place because the company’s employees are on an indefinite strike.
However, the staff assure Richard and Elizabeth that their brother will have a funeral service worthy of the name.
“He explained to me: ‘No, don’t worry, we’ll make it nice, we’ll take him to the chapel, that’s where you have your service, after that he goes through the floor into the altar,'” explains the brother of the deceased.
But on the day of the funeral, after the religious ceremony, nothing goes as planned when they arrive at the cemetery.
“There was no chapel, nothing. They drove it into a garage. Then even the priest was surprised. He says, “What, here?” Richard explains.
Family members, relatives and friends, accompanied by a priest, are led to the crematorium, understanding that the last prayer will take place here.
According to relatives, the crematorium’s ovens are also in operation when they are there.
“It was traumatic for everyone,” says Richard.
“These aren’t the last moments we were hoping for,” continues Elizabeth, the deceased’s sister.
By email, the spokesman for the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery indicates that it is the funeral home that, after consulting the family, would have given them their consent to proceed there.
“The undertaker didn’t want their pallbearers to maneuver the coffin twice because of its weight. Funeral home officials have spoken to the family and told our representatives that they are willing to come downstairs to receive the coffin in an unusual location for families.
“Our representatives were dealing with a very unusual situation, namely a coffin weighing over 800 pounds, which the undertaker wanted to maneuver as little as possible. We have tried our best to accommodate the family,” he explains.
The family of the deceased hopes that such a situation will not happen again.