Tradition meets innovation - JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES: Celebrating the memory of loved ones in a spirit of sustainable development

LAVAL, QC, June 20, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA is once again setting itself apart through its ability to innovate. The Quebec funeral firm is pleased to unveil its new JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES. This unique and welcoming space allows for funeral services that pay tribute to the memory of loved ones while celebrating the four elements of nature within a spirit of sustainable development. In attendance at today's inauguration of the JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES were elected officials, members of the business community, and partners of Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA, with artist and business woman Mitsou Gélinas hosting the event.

Adjacent to Bois Papineau in Laval, the JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES is a new space conceived to honour the departed. It has been meticulously designed to bring together family and friends, around a bonfire, for example, to reminisce and remember their loved one. Services can also reflect the elements by incorporating the site's fountain and mist effect. Artists Jacques Bilodeau and André Fournelle, architect Melinda Hart, and graphic designer Léa Berger have all contributed to the creation of the symbolic features of the JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES.

"The JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES makes it possible to hold a personalized memorial service adapted to the season and time of day, with full regard for customs and traditions as well as the surrounding natural beauty," explains Julia Duchastel, Vice-President, Operations and Development, and the driving force behind this innovative concept.

The scattering of ashes is another sustainable practice gaining ground. "The scattering of ashes is an ecological funeral rite that has become common practice in Quebec. The JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES enables scattering ceremonies to be held that are in harmony with nature, and indeed each season offers its own unique backdrop to this tender gesture made in memory of our loved ones," says Jocelyne Dallaire Légaré, President of Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA.

"At Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA, we constantly review funeral rites and ceremonies to stay current and in step with our clients' wishes," concludes Ms. Duchastel. For example, the firm is a pioneer in botanical urns and holds a patent for a solid ice urn created by Diane Bisson, which won a sustainable design award in Milan this past spring. The trend towards sustainable funerals is growing, and the MEMORIA line of products and services is leading the way.

An open house will be held at the JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES at the end of the summer. The trees in the JARDIN DES MÉMOIRES, planted in 2016 and 2017, are listed as part of Greater Montreal's 375,000 Trees initiative, a lasting, eco-friendly commemoration of the city's 375th anniversary.

About Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA
MEMORIA, the legacy of Alfred Dallaire, is a fourth-generation family business, now run by Jocelyne Dallaire Légaré, the granddaughter of the founders, Alfred and Aline Dallaire. Its mission is to honour the memory of the deceased and to support bereaved families by offering the highest quality services at the most accessible prices. Memoria offers families dealing with a death free psychological counselling, art therapy, and estate settlement referral services. Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA is the only funeral firm in the Greater Montreal region to hold the highest certification of the Green Burial Council. It also created the MEMORIA Foundation following the 1989 tragedy at École Polytechnique. The Foundation and family business support numerous causes and are very involved in the community.

SOURCE Alfred Dallaire MEMORIA

Jade Lavallée-Labossière, Senior Consultant, Hill + Knowlton Stratégies, Tel.: [phone], Cell: 514 349-9090, Email: [email protected]