A final resting place is a very personal decision, but some say scattering a loved one's ashes anywhere is not the best option and shouldn't be allowed.
“In French, cemetery is the last place to rest. That’s the translation of cimetiere and it's important for the person,” said Yoland Tremblay, general manager of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery.
Quebec's proposed Bill 66 would ban the dispersal of a person's ashes in certain places. Cemeteries and columbariums would become some of just a few legal places for a person's ashes. So while you could still keep an urn at home, you couldn't spread the ashes in your garden, for example. And if you want your ashes scattered in a park or in the St. Lawrence River, that would also be a no go.
Funeral directors say the current law is outdated and does not properly deal with the disposal of human ashes.
Denis Desrochers, who represents funeral home directors in Quebec, says having a designated place for ashes will help the grieving process because families will know what to do with them
“After a while there is a heavy burden of having to deal with the remains of your loved one,” he said.
The bill will be studied at hearings starting Tuesday morning before any decisions are taken.
