Woman 'brings her broom' to Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery amid unkempt conditions
Montreal families are continuing to complain about conditions at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery, saying the conditions there make visiting loved ones a challenge.
Kevin Mann said the site of his family's grave is in bad shape.
"I feel terrible. I feel like they're buried in an unmarked grave," he told CTV News.
Paying a visit is difficult because the grass is so high, he said.
"My parents are here, my grandparents are here. I have a brother buried here, resting here. And I'm a little bit annoyed at the upkeep of the grounds," he said.
Mann said his calls to the cemetery management go unanswered.
He and other visitors complain of overgrown grass and weeds, overflowing garbage, broken tombstones and holes dug up by groundhogs.
Mary Iacampo has resorted to cleaning a mausoleum herself.
"The floors are dirty -- so much dirt it's granulated under [your] feet -- spiderwebs, water on the floor, garbage that isn't picked up for three to four weeks or until I complain..." she listed.
"I cry, every week. So I do what I can. I brought my broom, I brought my rake, and I'm going to clean some more for me," she said. "For my parents."
Grounds workers at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, which is Canada's largest cemetery, have been without a contract for three and a half years.
The vice president of their union says there are extreme staffing shortages as well.
"We had 20 to 25 people doing that grass that would just maintain it, but now we're down to five to six people on grass, and there's only one person on the weed wacker," said Eric Dumoulin. "It's not normal."
He said staff are burning out and leaving -- and he has the same questions the visitors do:
"Why can't they hire more people?"
The Fabrique, the non-profit organization that oversees the cemetery, didn't respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
In a press release from 2021, it said the cemetery had a $100 million deficit.
"Several difficult decisions will need to be made to put an end to the cemetery's annual operating deficits, and we hope to negotiate and conclude new agreements with the unions representing our operations and office employees in the coming months," the release states.
But 13 months later, visitors are still left wondering how much longer this will take.
"How can they think it's right to let a place like this get to this condition?" questioned Iacampo.
The union and the employer are expected to be back at the negotiating table in September.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canada's GDP rises amid expert fears of rate-hike recession
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product rose 0.2 per cent in February. The growth followed a 0.5 per cent gain in January.
'Fatalities' reported following wrong-way collision on Highway 401, SIU called in: police
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has been called in following a deadly wrong-way collision on Highway 401 in Whitby on Monday night, say police.
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch's own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.