Let us help guide you through a sensitive, but rigorous process
Respecting the Dead in Ontario
The Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act (FBCSA) ensures cemeteries are properly identified, managed and protected. The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) and Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) ensure compliance with the FBCSA and offer guidance on how to address accidental discoveries of ancestral remains and manage the precise locating of interments in aging cemeteries where burials may no longer be marked by stones.
Our values are shaped by years of experience
Respectful and Innovative
Timmins Martelle Heritage Consultants Inc. (TMHC) embraces respectful and innovative conservation of Ontario’s cultural heritage. As heritage resources, cemeteries reflect our shared history. As the sacred resting place of loved ones, they deserve our greatest respect.
Our cemetery and burial investigation team work in partnership with municipalities, Indigenous and other Descendant communities, public and private organizations, scholars and the general public to manage a variety of cemetery types, from ancestral graves, small family plots and church yard burial grounds to large municipal cemeteries.
Manage the past with the best of the future
Ground Penetrating Radar
Partnering with Sustainable Archaeology and Western University, TMHC offers state-of-the-art ground penetrating radar (GPR) services. Useful for detecting subsurface ground disturbances, including grave shafts, GPR is a popular, non-intrusive way of beginning most cemetery investigations.
GIS & Mapping
Whether mapping the features within a cemetery or its relationship to the surrounding landscape, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an effective tool to manage spatial information. TMHC offers a wide range of mapping options that can be tailored to suit your needs.
Archaeological Assessments
Cemetery investigations are undertaken by professional, licensed archaeologists. The methods used for locating, defining, and protecting cemeteries and burial sites are government-enforced requirements that involve successive stages of background research, site survey, ground testing and excavation or protection.
Historical Research
Detailed historical research is often a low cost, quick starting point for any cemetery investigation. Historic records can be a valuable source of information about a cemetery providing insights into its original deeded boundaries, the people who have been buried there, period of use and formal closing.
For more information on these services:
Check out our brochure and our Brick Street Cemetery Exhibit
Contact info@tmhc.ca to request a quote