Death is a destination we are all headed towards but what happens after you die is limited in Canada, depending on where you live.
The cremation rate in Canada has risen by roughly 25 percent over the past 20 years to reach approximately 75 per cent in 2021.
But now, interest is growing in alkaline hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, or “aquamation.”
Instead of fire, the process uses water mixed with an alkali to dissolve the body, using significantly less energy.
“I think it’s a beautiful process. You are wrapped in silk. It’s a gentle flow of water. It’s for me, but it’s not for everyone but people deserve to choose what’s right for them,” said Mallory Greene, CEO of Eirene Cremations.
She recently expanded her company into Alberta, where aquamation is not legal.
“The funeral industry as a whole generally can block a lot of things from bringing more innovation and that’s reflected in our process that took us over a year (to get a licence) because there was a lot of backlash from the industry,” Greene said. “It’s something we’ve experienced as a new up-and-coming business. So there’s a lot of hurdles.”
Greene believes more people would opt for aquamation if they knew about it.
In addition to looking for greener options, people are also seeking cheaper options.
Eirene’s move into Alberta is fully remote: there’s no office; everything’s done online except the actual procedure: the company has partnered with two Alberta crematoriums to do that.
“You can do all these arrangements on your laptop and if you encounter a roadblock, burnout or you need to attend to your family, just close your laptop you can do them later,” said Al Hari, Alberta managing funeral director for Eirene Cremations.
“People are very surprised that this is a service that’s offered and they are relieved.
“It’s a lot of work going into a funeral home. It’s a lot of work grieving publicly in front of people that you don’t know.”
For water cremation to be legal, amendments need to be made to the Cemeteries Act in Alberta. Service Alberta would only say it’s monitoring the approaches being taken in other jurisdictions.
“It took us over a year to get our license because we really had to work with the government to find a happy medium between old legislation and what consumers needs are today,” Greene said.
“Our focus is on choice. It’s up to them to decide whether it’s burial, cremation or aquamation — whatever is more suitable for them,”
A petition has been started in B.C. to legalize water cremation. It’s legal in Newfoundland, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and in 28 American states.
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