Burial Services in British Columbia

At KORU, we provide meaningful burial options to honour your traditions and the environment.

Choosing a Burial Type

In-ground whole body burial and above-ground entombment are established and respected practices which many still choose today. If other family members have been buried or entombed in a mausoleum, it can be reassuring for the surviving members and future generations to know that their family tradition continues.

People often choose green or natural options as a way of committing to their life’s values of sustainability at death. These burial practices set out certain criteria that must be adhered to in order to remain true to their sustainable principles.

Explore Burial Options

Have questions about our burial services or want to learn more? We’re here to make it easy for you. We freely share our prices and encourage you to ask questions, ‘shop’ around and pay attention to your sense of ‘fit’.

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Types of Burials

Conventional Burial

In a conventional burial, the deceased is often embalmed, then buried in a wooden or metal casket in a cemetery. A grave liner or vault is placed over the casket before the final burial, and an individual headstone marks the grave.

Green or Natural Burial

Green or natural burial methods return a body to the earth in as natural a state as possible, allowing the earth to decompose the body and contributing to the renewal of the environment.

Mausoleum Entombment

In a mausoleum burial, a casket or cremated remains are interred above-ground in a mausoleum, instead of in the ground.

Ceremony

Koru works in collaboration with experienced Event Planners to create a unique and memorable ceremony experience for your family.

Green Burial

The resurgence of green burial and natural death care options in recent years has encouraged people to continue their sustainable life values at death.

KORU Cremation | Burial | Ceremony is one of a select number of funeral homes that meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council.

There are five essential principles of green burial

No embalming (natural body care only)
Direct earth burial
Ecological restoration & conservation
Communal memorialization
Optimize land use

For a detailed explanation of these principals, visit Green Burial Society of Canada.

Burial Essentials

Here are some quick facts and good-to-knows about burial:

Most cemeteries require 48 hours’ notice prior to the date of burial.
In British Columbia, burial can only take place on property that the provincial government has designated as suitable for burial
Every cemetery has its own unique bylaws, so what is protocol or expected practice at one cemetery is not necessarily the same at another cemetery.
All funeral homes, regardless of who owns them, can organize a burial at any cemetery, regardless of who owns the cemetery. In other words, if your cemetery of choice owns and operates a funeral home, you are not obligated to use their funeral home.
Cemetery plots used for full-body burial (vs cremated remains burial) often have room to include one or more sets of cremated remains.

METRO VANCOUVER, VANCOUVER ISLAND, AND THE GULF ISLANDS

Cemetary Directory

Green Burial Cemeteries across BC

The following cemeteries listed below have achieved a green burial designation from either the Green Burial Society of Canada or The Green Burial Council International:

Denman Island Natural Burial Cemetery, Denman Island
Heritage Gardens Cemetery, Surrey
Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver (hybrid green burial cemetery)
Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria
Salt Spring Island Natural Cemetery, Salt Spring Island
Yates Memorial Services, Parksville

Municipal Cemeteries in Metro Vancouver

Mt. View Cemetery
5455 Fraser St., Vancouver, (604) 325-2646

Capilano View Cemetery
1290 3rd St., West Vancouver, (604) 925-7007

Boundary Bay Cemetery
856 56th St., Tsawwassen, (604) 943-4445

North Delta Cemetery
at Brooke and Dunlop Streets, North Delta, (604) 946-3293

Fraser Cemetery
100 Richmond St., New Westminster, (604) 522-1323

Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery
621 Robinson St., Coquitlam (604) 927-6020

City of Surrey Cemeteries, (604) 598-5770

Surrey Centre Cemetery: 16671 Old McLellan Rd., Surrey

Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery: 14850 28th Ave., Surrey

Hazelmere Cemetery: 19198 16th Ave., Surrey

Private and Corporate Cemeteries, Metro Vancouver

Heritage Gardens Cemetery
19082 16th Ave., Surrey, (604) 538-0074

Ocean View Burial Park
4000 Imperial St., Burnaby, (604) 435-6688

Forest Lawn Memorial Park
3789 Royal Oak Dr., Burnaby, (604) 299-7711

Boal Chapel Memorial Gardens
1505 Lillooet Rd., North Vancouver, (604) 980-3451

Victory Memorial Park
14831 28th Ave., Surrey, (604) 536-6522

Valley View Cemetery
14644 72nd Ave., Surrey, (604) 596-8866

Pacific Heritage Cemetery
4305 Halifax St., Burnaby, (604) 294-4143 or (877) 290-4144

Faith Cemeteries, Metro Vancouver

Schara Tzedeck Cemetery (Jewish)
2345 Marine Dr., New Westminster, (604) 522-1754

Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery
15800 32nd Ave., Surrey, (604) 531-2141

Quick Facts + Things to Know

Most cemeteries require 48 hours notice prior to the date of burial
Conventional Burial is different from Green Burial, click here to learn why
Burial can only take place on property the provincial government has designated as suitable for burial
Every cemetery has its own unique bylaws, so what is protocol or expected practice at one cemetery is not necessarily the same at another cemetery
All funeral homes, regardless of who owns them, can organize a burial at any cemetery, regardless of who owns the cemetery. In other words, if your cemetery of choice owns and operates a funeral home, you are not obligated to use their funeral home
Cemetery plots used for full-body burial (vs cremated remains burial) often have room to include one or more set of cremated remains

testimonials

What Our Families Say

Rebecca and Ngaio were kind, knowledgeable and professional. They had helpful suggestions and assisted our daughter and myself to smoothly navigate a sad and difficult time in our lives after the loss of my husband and her dad. Many thanks to Rebecca and Ngaio.

Our family will always be grateful for the exceptional care we received from KORU during one of the hardest times in our lives. From our first conversation, Rebecca treated us like family. She listened intently, answered every question with kindness, and guided us through each step with genuine compassion. Her gentle care and extra support have made a world of difference as we have been navigating our loss. We felt cared for in every detail, and that personal touch has helped ease our hearts during this incredibly challenging period. Thank you, Rebecca and the entire KORU team, for being such a rock for us when we needed it most.

Shelly

I am so very grateful to your service for providing us with a seamless, comfortable choice for Jak’s passing. I think fondly about the caring, sensitive service you provided while you spent time with us. I’m still grateful for everything you provided for our comfort and understanding.

Thank you, S.King

Dear Ngaio and Rebecca,

Thank you for holding space with such grace and presence for our dearest father. We now hold a beautiful memory of having him finally come home. I am so grateful our deepest wishes could come true. I know Papa is so grateful too.

Much love,

Samera & Family

On behalf of our family, we would like to extend to you and Rebecca our sincere appreciation for your help, support and compassion during our difficult time. Everything was done professionally from our first meeting through the funeral and afterward. Your kindness and attention to detail really helped us and we are very grateful. Our dad would be pleased with the whole service, as we are too.

Planning with Care

KORU’s Service Bundle Prices