Community Deathcare Expo:
A Victorian Death
Saturday, October 17th, 11am to 2pm
All Saints’ Westboro Anglican Church, 347 Richmond Rd
How can the way we cared for the dead in the past teach us about how we care for one another today?
Community Deathcare Ottawa invites you to a community gathering exploring death, mourning, burial, remembrance, and care through a Victorian-inspired lens.
During the Victorian era, death was woven more visibly into everyday life. Families often played a hands-on role in caring for their dead, mourning rituals were shared within communities, and remembrance took many forms, from memorial jewellery to photographs and flowers.
Some of these practices have disappeared. Others have evolved. And some are surprisingly familiar!
Join us for our 8th Annual Autumn event!
This year’s gathering offers a thoughtful, hands-on, and deeply human exploration of deathcare, then and now. Move through demonstrations, conversations, creative activities, and spaces for quiet reflection as we connect historical practices with contemporary choices around dying, grief, burial, and remembrance.
Here’s some of what you can expect:
Shrouding Demos
Exploring family-led and traditional approaches to caring for the dead.
Grief Phone
A quiet space for private reflection and messages to those who have died.
Coffin Maker
Cabinet maker reflects on a time when local furniture makers often built coffins for their communities.
Death Café
Tea service offering a gentle setting for open conversations about mortality and what matters to us.
Photography
Old-time portrait opportunities inspired by Victorian mourning and memorial photography.
Green Burial
With an expert available to answer questions about more natural approaches to burial and remembrance.
… and more!
Whether you’re curious about history, interested in greener burial options, navigating grief, thinking about planning ahead, or simply looking for a meaningful way to connect with your community, A Victorian Death offers a welcoming space to learn, wonder, create, and talk about something we all have in common.
Death Chat @ St. James Cemetery
Saturday, October 3rd (rain date Oct 4th) from 1pm to 2:30pm
190 Boulevard Alexandre-Taché in Gatineau
Join Emma for an open conversation about death, held right where the dead rest. Gather under the fall sun at one of the National Capital Region’s oldest cemeteries for a heart-and-ear-felt space to talk about the one thing we all have in common: death.
Bring a blanket, a chair, your favourite drink, or whatever helps you feel held, and let’s work together to soften the barrier between life and death.
Email emma_griffin@live.com with questions or to register.
Parking is limited within the cemetery. Please park on nearby side streets, or consider walking, biking, or carpooling if you can.
Cemetery Scavenger Hunt
Sunday, October 25th
2:30pm to 3:30pm
We have entered a team for TalkDeath’s annual Cemetery Scavenger Hunt, and you can take part!
Every year, they encourage people to learn about local cemeteries and their histories. It reminds us that cemeteries can be spaces for the living. We will learn about memorial iconography and history, spend time with friends, and reflect on mortality. And we’re playing to win!
Grief Garden & Tough Conversations
Love, grief, memory, and making with Damselfly Death Doula & Peace of Mind Death Doula
October 18th in the ByWard Market
Details forthcoming
Labyrinth Walk
Sunday, November 15th
3pm to 5pm
Glebe St. James Church, 650 Lyon St. S
Facilitated by Debbie Charbonneau
Pay what you can, suggested $20-$40
Email deathdoula@gmail.com with questions or to register
Death Over Drafts
Sunday, November 22nd
1pm to 3pm
Flora Hall Brewing, 37 Flora Street
Email damselflydeathdoula@gmail.com with questions or RSVP
Stay connected for upcoming CDO events and related offerings
We typically host two major public events each year – one in Spring and one in Autumn. Sprinkled in between are cemetery plant walks, films & discussions, casual death chats, grief gatherings, conversations on conservation burial, and more!
If you’re interested in collaborations, please get in touch
