Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery to reopen March 31, as negotiations with unions continue
After an extended closure, Montreal's Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery will reopen on March 31.
The cemetery said it wants to reach an agreement with its union workers as soon as possible, so it can resume all services.
"The change in spring weather should accelerate the melting of the snow and allow access to several areas of the cemetery to accommodate family members of the deceased through some open roads, although many other roads will be impassable and some sections will be inaccessible for a few additional days," the Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montreal said in a news release.
A schedule of the cemetery's opening hours will be posted on March 30.
Family members who wish to visit their loved ones' grave sites can enter at the cemetery's main entrance on Cote-des-Neiges Road where staff will give instructions about speed limits, safety rules and areas that remain inaccessible.
The cemetery said mausoleum burials and cremations will remain the top priority, and field burials will only resume once an agreement is reached with the operations union or the union's strike ends.
The cemetery's office workers union (SEECNDDN-CSN) has been on strike since Sept. 20.
In November, more unionized cemetery workers (STTCNDDN–CSN) voted in favour of a general unlimited strike, citing degenerating working conditions.
The 125 members in that union have been without a contract for four years.
Cemetery workers are shown outside Notre-dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Sunday, May 9, 2021, where they are protesting the abolishment of 26 seasonal jobs resulting in poor maintenance and upkeep at the graveyard. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The cemetery said regular operations and maintenance employees were paid more than many of those in the health, education, and public safety sectors (around $70,000 per year or $45 per hour).
"In January 2023, the cemetery tabled an offer to increase wages and overall compensation by more than 15 per cent by January 1, 2026, including a $3,500 signing bonus for regular employees," the cemetery said. "This offer would represent $52 per hour in wages and benefits for regular operations and maintenance employees. The cemetery remains available to continue negotiations with representatives of each union to reach an agreement as soon as possible."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.