FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I select and purchase a grave?
Visit the Cemetery Office at 27 Fourth Line East - no appointment necessary, and the Manager and/or Group Leader will assist. When your selection is made and confirmed, you will visit the Vital Statistics Office at the Civic Centre (Clerk's Department, Level 4, 99 Foster Drive), and create a contract for the purchase, and if desired, select the interment/burial option (graveside or non-graveside service) as well. Payment is made to the Vital Statistics Office. Alternatively, if working with a funeral home, the family may direct payment, grave selection, and interment instructions through them to the Vital Statistics Office.
How can I locate an interred (buried) individual at the cemeteries?
Visit or call the Cemetery Office at 27 Fourth Line East, 705-759-5336, and we will assist you. We can also assist if the query comes from outside the city of Sault Ste. Marie, with provision of maps, etc. Email contact is
cemeteries@cityssm.on.ca.
Do burials occur all year?
Yes, burials occur all year long, regardless of the weather.
What is the most popular burial option?
Cremation is the most popular option at present, being selected about 65 to 70 percent of the time.
Am I permitted to bury my loved one(s) at the cemeteries?
All burials are performed by cemetery personnel only. This is prescribed in the Cemeteries Act of Ontario, and municipal
Cemeteries By-law. Burials performed outside of that risk bringing criminal charges (to the person(s) involved), and will fail to be recognized in the permanent records of the Cemetery and the Vital Statistics Office. Moreover, unrecorded burials serve to grieve succeeding generations, in that interested parties (e.g. grandchildren, etc.) will have great difficulty in locating their loved one's grave.
May I bury my pet at the cemeteries?
The City cemeteries only allow burial of human remains. This applies to cremation and full body interment. In addition, the crematorium only cremates human remains.
Is Holy Sepulchre Cemetery a Catholic cemetery?
Holy Sepulchre Cemetery has been inter-denominational, since July, 1971, when the (then) Community Services Board assumed responsibility for the cemetery. This cemetery, along with the others operated by the City of Sault Ste. Marie, does not discriminate, in terms of ethnicity, religious orientation, etc., all are welcome.
May I install my own monument?
Monuments may only be installed by qualified monument dealers, approved by the Cemetery Office and familiar with the City by-laws. This ensures correct, enduring installation, appropriate health and safety practices for the workers and the public, and some provision of warranty in the future (for the owner of the monument). In the case where a wooden cross is desired, the Cemetery Office can provide specifications so the family can build it. When complete, the Cemetery Office will perform the installation (at no charge to the family).