Cemeteries

Seasonal Maintenance

Cemetery grounds may be  uneven and wet and there may be areas of sinking.  Our staff are also working on restoring graves as weather and ground conditions improve.  

To ensure safety, decorations that are ceramic, glass or breakable are not permitted at any time.  Stone mulch and raised borders around gardens are also not permitted; however, soil, plantings, wood mulch and borders that are flush with the ground surface are permitted.

To preserve the integrity and respect of the columbarium niches, decorations are not permitted to be attached to or wedged in between the niches.  To respect others and for safety, potted plants, plant material and decorations are not permitted at the base of or around columbariums.  

For more information about lot decoration rules and the types of plantings permitted in your gardens, please refer to the Cemetery By-Laws, the Lot Decoration Rules posted on the signs in the cemetery and on this website or contact our office.

Decorations that do not comply with the cemetery by-laws or that are unsafe will be removed by staff.  Please contact the office to arrange to pick up decorations that have been removed.

Thank you for your assistance in helping to protect and preserve the dignity, respect, beauty and safety of Cambridge’s historic cemeteries.

 There are no capacity/gathering/attendance limits in Cambridge Cemeteries at this time.  Visitors are asked to keep safety in mind and consider safe distancing of 2 metres (6 feet) from others.  Masks are no longer required, but recommended when distancing cannot be maintained.    

To limit extended physical contact and gatherings, respect all visitors to the cemeteries and permit staff to safely complete interments, funeral/burial services are limited to a maximum duration of one hour.  Smaller gatherings are suggested. 

The Cemeteries Administration Office continues to be open by appointment only for all services, including burial arrangements, selecting interment rights, and pre-planning for future needs and payment. 

Please consider rescheduling your appointment if you are sick or have travelled recently, or have been in contact with someone that is sick or has travelled recently.

To make an appointment, please contact our office directly at 519-740-4681 Ext. 4299 or cemeteries@cambridge.ca. Our staff are responding to all telephone calls and e-mails daily and will still continue to attempt to assist you and the families we serve without direct physical contact, if possible. 

Please let us know how we can help. 

Thank you for your cooperation and support and please continue to stay safe!

Hours of Operation:

The Cemeteries Administration Office for all City of Cambridge cemeteries is located at the Parklawn Cemetery, 750 Fountain Street North.  There is no mail delivery service at this location.

The City of Cambridge is a licensed municipal cemetery operator (License # 3307633) under the provincial Bereavement Authority of Ontario. 

Visitors are reminded that the speed limit within the cemeteries is 20 km/h and that there may be funeral processions taking place involving significant vehicle or pedestrian traffic.   

Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. - By Appointment only

Contact the Cemetery Administration Office to:

• Make an Appointment
• Arrange a Burial
• Purchase full burial lots, cremation lots, columbarium niches or mausoleum crypts

Burial Permits:

The Vital Statistics Act requires that a funeral director (or person responsible) register deaths through the City of Cambridge Clerk's Division. The Clerk's Division reviews and accepts the appropriate documents and issues a Form 19: Burial Permit and a Form 18: Acknowledgement of Registration of Death. They also forward this information to the Office of the Registrar General or the appropriate Division Registrar, depending on where the death occurred.

Burial Permit Forms Submission and Service Timeframes

Completed Forms 15 and 16 should be scanned and forwarded to clerks@cambridge.ca.  Staff will review the Forms and issue the Burial Permit providing there are no errors on the Forms.  All original Forms must be forwarded to City Hall. 

The fee for in an in town Burial Permit is $42.00 and $50.00 for out of town Burial Permit.

The Timelines for Burial Permit Issuance are as follows:

Non-Urgent Burial Permits

• Same day or next day service will be provided during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.).

Urgent Burial Permits

• Completed Forms 15 and 16 should be forwarded to clerks@cambridge.ca per the normal process.
• Requests for urgent permits After Hours, Weekends and Statutory Holidays are subject to an additional charge of $80.

Online Payment Options Now Available!

Looking for information about how to pay for services provided by Cemeteries at the City of Cambridge? You can now make a Cemeteries Invoice Payment online.

You will need to have your invoice / sales reference number to make a payment online. View our Online Cemeteries Invoice Payments Instructions for more information.

Please note that your credit card may have a per-transaction and/or daily dollar limit. The online payment option allows you to pay a partial amount towards the invoice, in case the invoice total exceeds this limit. Please contact your credit card provider for more information on your limit.

Make an appointment

The Cemeteries Administration Office is open by appointment only at this time.  Please contact the office directly at 519-623-1340 Ext. 4299 or cemeteries@cambridge.ca to make an appointment.

Coming Soon …

In 2023, the City of Cambridge will be establishing a new area within its Parklawn Cemetery that will accommodate 390 new upright monument full burial lots, in addition to a Memorial Garden for scattering, memorial trees and 2-niche personal/family columbariums.   Please contact the Cemeteries Administration Office for more information on these exciting new offerings. 

Pets

Under the city’s Cemetery By-Laws, dogs are not permitted in cemeteries.  Wildlife, such as foxes and coyotes have been found throughout city parks, urban areas, trails and cemeteries and may pose a threat to pets.

Support dogs are permitted, but must be leashed.  Owners are required to clean up after support dogs and ensure they remain leashed and away from burials.  

Wildlife

Coyotes and foxes are found in urban areas throughout North America, including Cambridge.  Coyotes and foxes, and other wildlife have been spotted throughout city parks, urban areas, trails and cemeteries.

For more information on coyotes, please click on the following link. 

Please do not feed wildlife.  Feeding wild animals may do more harm than good. 

Consequences of feeding wildlife include:

Threats to wildlife:

• animals can become dependent on artificial food sources
• animals can lose their natural fear of humans and pets, becoming more prone to conflict
• artificial feed is not healthy for wildlife
• wild animals may gather in large numbers when they are being fed — this concentration of animals in one area can spread parasites and disease and cause destruction of natural habitat
• feeding animals near roads increases their risk of being hit by vehicles

Threats to people:

• feeding wildlife may attract "unwanted" animals to your property
• animals will learn to associate humans with food, and can become a problem to neighbours
• habituated animals can become aggressive
• feeding animals near roads increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents, resulting in property damage, injury or death
• Foxes and other wildlife may carry and transfer rabies 

Resources

Lot Decoration Rules May 1 - October 31.

Lot Decoration Rules November 1 - April 30.

2023 Tariff of Charges for Cambridge Cemeteries.

A Guide to Death Care in Ontario - Bereavement Authority of Ontario 

Cemetery locations

Learn about the municipally-owned cemeteries located in the city of Cambridge: