Death is a destination we are all headed towards but what happens after you die is limited in Canada, depending on where you live.rate in Canada has risen by roughly 25 percent over the past 20 years to reach approximately 75 per cent in 2021., 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 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.”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.“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.”