The City of Sault Ste. Marie operates four cemeteries, along with the only crematorium situated in Sault Ste. Marie (for human remains).
The Cemetery Office is located at 27 Fourth Line East, and through that location, performs all City interments and cremations. In addition, families may receive information regarding grave location and available options.
Email: cemeteries@cityssm.on.ca
Phone: 705-759-5336
Cemetery Fees
The Vital Statistics Office, located in the Clerk’s Department (Civic Centre – 99 Foster Drive), is where fees are paid for all cemetery graves and services.
The Vital Statistics Office provides the cemetery office with direction, in terms of burial timing and details. The cemetery assists with grave selection and provision of information.
Cemetery Regulations
The municipal Cemeteries By-law details cemetery rules for the grounds, graves, and activities. The goal is to preserve the dignity of the cemetery and maintain a high standard for the public.
FAQ
Visit the Cemetery Office at 27 Fourth Line East during regular business hours (no appointment necessary). When your selection is made and confirmed, please make an appointment with the City Clerk’s Office (99 Foster Drive) by calling 705-759-5388. Staff will create a contract for the purchase and, if desired, select any additional interment/burial/cremation services. Payment is made to the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie. Payment options include cash, cheque, debit or e-transfer. Credit cards are not accepted at this time. Alternatively, if working with a funeral home, the family may direct payment, grave selection, and interment instructions through them to the City Clerk’s Office.
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.
Yes, burials occur all year long, regardless of the weather.
Cremation is the most popular option at present, being selected about 65 to 70 percent of the time.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Burials take place year-round. The backhoe and other necessary heavy equipment leave marks on the grounds. Repairs in these areas occur throughout spring and summer, when favourable weather conditions permit.
Yes, there is a fee for each activity. With tree removals, the root system is removed, followed by filling, levelling with soil, and grass seed. Trees situated on graves are planted and owned by the interment rights holder, not the cemetery.
Contact the cemetery office to level, plumb, and stabilize it. Flat markers can be reset to be level with the ground and the edges around them. Sunken corner markers can be located and repositioned to be level with the ground. If the monument base (for an upright monument) requires extensive repairs or replacement, the cemetery will direct the interment rights holder to an approved monument dealer.
Following an interment, the ground on top of the grave will compact and shrink through time. The cemetery tamps each grave and adds topsoil to level it. However, the ground will always sink with weather patterns. This results in having to do the levelling work several times, in most cases. Please contact the cemetery office for assistance.