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."