Waterloo Ends Crematorium Operations, Leases Parkview Facility to Private Operator
On Jan. 1, 2026, the City of Waterloo will exit the crematorium business at Parkview Cemetery and lease the facility to Southwest Crematoriums, citing declining usage, increased competition from private funeral homes, and ongoing financial losses. Residents will continue to access cremation services at the same location under the new operator.
Waterloo finalized this decision after years of struggling to remain competitive in the crematorium business despite upgrades.
“Cremations at Parkview have decreased as private industry has entered the market,” said Derek Brick, the Manager of Forestry, Horticulture, & Cemetery Services at the City of Waterloo. “In 2012, the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) rules changed, which allowed private funeral homes to operate crematoriums.”
Brick explained that since the rule changes, the city has seen local funeral homes looking to enter the market, and getting a crematorium online takes many years, and as more come online, the cremation volumes fall, as the private industry that the city relies on, bringing bodies, has held the bodies within their own business for processing.
According to Brett Denning, senior director of finance and business development for Southwest Crematoriums, this reflects broader changes in the cremation industry across Ontario.
“The cremation market has changed very drastically over the last few years, even more so over the last decade,” Denning said. “As cremation rates have climbed in Ontario and across Canada, funeral homes no longer view cremation as something a third party does — it’s increasingly been brought in-house.”
Denning said declining cremation volumes made it difficult for municipalities to operate crematoriums sustainably.
“The viability of the financial aspect of Parkview is simply not there anymore,” he said. “The number of cremations being done there had reduced by troubling percentages.”
Southwest Crematoriums is a cooperative business owned by 40 funeral homes in Southwestern Ontario. Locally, they provide cremation services for Erb & Good Funeral Home in Waterloo, Corbett Funeral Home, and Lousbery Funeral Home in Cambridge.
“We’re owned as a cooperative by funeral homes and cremation providers,” Denning said. “A majority of local funeral homes are shareholders.”
Leasing the crematorium allows the city to avoid ongoing operational losses while receiving predictable revenue through the lease agreement.
“What the lease does is bring that investment from potentially a loss every year back to a steady, predictable source of revenue,” he said, noting that he was not speaking on behalf of the City of Waterloo.
He added that the partnership helps keep cremation services local.
“This helps keep cremation services in Waterloo and helps families know their loved ones are being taken care of locally,” Denning said, adding that without the agreement, many cremations were increasingly being conducted outside the city.
The city of Waterloo plans to focus on the operation of Parkview Cemetery and provide final resting place options, including traditional burial lots, scattering gardens, and niches. The partnership with Southwest will allow families the ability to have their loved ones cremated in Waterloo prior to their final resting place, potentially at Parkview Cemetery.
Contributed Photo/Sangjun Han/News Director
