Duffin Meadows Cemetery – Pickering
Welcome to Duffin Meadows
Safety reminder at our cemeteries: Our cemeteries collectively offer valued green spaces and a vast tree canopy, serving as an important ‘carbon sink’ in urban environments. They also include one of the largest arboretums in Canada. We are so fortunate to have all this beauty in our midst, but that kind of beauty takes expert care to maintain. Our dedicated arborist team has noticed an increase in people approaching them while they’re actively working with chainsaws and wood-chippers. Approaching workers during active tree work can be startling and potentially dangerous. While we understand tree work can be fascinating to watch, please respect all safety barriers and signage while visiting our cemeteries. These setups are in place to protect both the public and our staff. If you have questions or concerns, please direct them to the cemetery office.
Contact:
Cemetery Gate Hours:
April 1 - October 31 – 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
November 1 to March 31 – 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
Cemetery Office Hours:
8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday to Saturday. We are closed on Sunday and on public holidays.
Duffin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering is a peaceful, historic resting place that offers a range of burial, cremation and natural interment options. Established in 1993 on a former 19th-century farm, this peaceful landscape features rolling meadows, mature trees and a beautifully restored farmhouse office.
We are committed to inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, proudly serving families of all backgrounds, faiths and traditions. In 2002, we introduced a dedicated section to meet the specific needs of the growing Chinese community, ensuring respectful and culturally appropriate burial options.
Best I have seen and made everything much more pleasant to deal with.
We understand that losing someone you love can feel overwhelming
That’s why we’re here to make the process as simple and stress-free as possible. You can trust our team to guide you with compassion, openness and transparency every step of the way.
Our Services Offerings at Duffin Meadows
Cemetery
Established in 1993, Duffin Meadows Cemetery is rooted in local heritage dating back to the late 1800s. Once a working farm, the cemetery spans a naturally beautiful landscape of valleys, ponds, rolling meadows and mature trees. The original farmhouse has been thoughtfully restored and now serves as the cemetery office. Future development plans are focused on preserving the site's rural charm and historic character, ensuring a peaceful and respectful environment for generations to come.
We offer a range of dignified and flexible burial options to suit your family’s needs and traditions. Whether you’re planning ahead or making arrangements for a loved one, our burial choices provide meaningful ways to honour and remember.
Ground Burial
Duffin Meadows Cemetery offers a range of dignified ground burial options to suit your family’s needs and traditions. Choices include:
- Single graves with flat markers, allowing for up to two caskets and four cremated remains (subject to interment rights documentation).
- Single graves with upright monuments, also accommodating up to two caskets and four cremated remains.
- Larger family lots with two or more graves, designed for upright monuments and extended family interments.
- Cremation burial plots, providing a peaceful resting place for cremated remains within the cemetery’s serene landscape.
Cremation Interment
Duffin Meadows Cemetery offers a variety of cremation interment options, from the traditional burial of cremated remains to unique memorial features, all set in a peaceful, natural landscape.
- Granite-fronted urn niches in an outdoor columbarium
- Cremation burial plots in beautifully landscaped feature areas
- Natural boulder memorial urn spaces
- Granite curb plots
- Burial of cremated remains in a traditional grave or family lot
- Cremorial granite benches that combine seating with memorialization
- Custom niche inscriptions tailored to your wishes
- The Garden of Remembrance – a tranquil pond-side area offering multiple cremation interment options
Natural Burial
Duffin Meadows Cemetery offers a dedicated Natural Burial section for families seeking an eco-friendly and meaningful return to the earth. This area supports sustainable practices while preserving the land’s natural beauty.
- Each grave accommodates one biodegradable casket and one cremated remains, or two cremated remains
- Embalming is only allowed with biodegradable solutions
- Surface scattering is not permitted
- Burial vaults or outer containers are not permitted
- Only biodegradable caskets, shrouds or urns may be used (no lacquered or varnished finishes)
- No individual markers or monuments; memorialization is limited to inscriptions on central monolithic rocks
- Tokens of remembrance, artificial flowers and/or live plant materials may not be placed on these graves
- Grass in this section is left unmowed to maintain a natural landscape
Veterans' Section
Duffin Meadows Cemetery honours the service of Canadian and Allied veterans with a dedicated veterans’ section. This peaceful area offers reduced interment rights costs for veterans and their spouses, providing a dignified and lasting tribute to those who served their country.
Pre-Planning Advisors
John So
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