CREMATION

Cremation is the process of reducing the body to bone fragments through the application of intense heat using fire. This usually takes two to four hours and occurs in a cremation chamber or retort at a crematorium in Calgary. The remaining fragments are processed into a finer substance. We refer to the remaining material as “cremated remains”.

There are several options that you can choose for your loved ones cremated remains. A family can choose to bury the cremated remains in a cemetery, or to have them placed within a niche in a columbarium. Columbaria are often located within a cemetery and may be a building, a room or a series of niches along walls. Some cemeteries also have other options including scattering gardens where many cremated remains may be placed together. You may also choose to take cremated remains home for storage or for display. Others may choose to scatter them in a special place, though it is advisable to check local restrictions on scattering remains on public property and obtain permission for private property. Your funeral director can provide you with more information and guidance.

Families are welcome to witness the cremation process if they wish. For those who do not wish to, it’s important to know we have a strict process to identify the deceased from the point they are brought into our care until they are placed in an urn and either buried or released to the family. An important element of our high standard of care is to have a metal disk with a unique ID number that is assigned to your loved one and follows them throughout the entire cremation process. The ID disk never leaves the cremated remains and then stays with the cremated remains when they are placed in the urn.

No, however we do require that the deceased be placed in a rigid, combustible container for placement in the cremation chamber. We offer inexpensive cremation containers at our crematorium for this purpose.