What to Do With Ashes in Vancouver & BC
What to Do With Cremated Ashes in Vancouver and British Columbia
There's no timeline for this decision. Many families in Vancouver and across BC sit with ashes at home for months, sometimes years - not from neglect, but because they're waiting for something that finally feels right.
If you're here, you may be in that place. This page covers every option available to families in British Columbia, honestly, without pressure, and without any single right answer.
You're Not Behind. This Is Normal.
BC has one of the highest cremation rates in Canada. That means a significant number of families across Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and communities throughout the province are holding ashes at home right now, quietly uncertain about the next step.
There are no legal requirements in British Columbia that compel you to make a decision within any particular timeframe. You can keep cremated remains at home indefinitely. You are not doing anything wrong by waiting.
When you're ready, here is what's available to you.
The Options Available to BC Families
Keeping Ashes at Home in an Urn
For many families, keeping a loved one's ashes at home is the long-term answer. It's private, it requires no defining ceremony, and it keeps them close in daily life.
Urns are available in an enormous range of materials and forms - wood, ceramic, blown glass, stone. Choosing one that reflects the person it holds can itself be a meaningful act.
In British Columbia, there are no restrictions on keeping cremated remains at home, and no requirement to register or report them.
Scattering in a Meaningful Place
Scattering is one of the most common choices, and for many families, the most resonant. A favourite mountain, a stretch of coastline, a garden that mattered.
In BC, scattering on Crown land and in provincial parks is generally permitted, though some areas require a permit or have designated zones. Scattering at sea is permitted under federal guidelines at an appropriate distance from shore. Scattering on private property requires the landowner's permission. Municipal parks within Vancouver and other cities may have their own rules - it's worth checking before you go.
A practical note: because a Tribute Tree can be grown using only a small portion of ashes, scattering and a living memorial are not mutually exclusive. Many families do both.
Burial of Ashes in a Cemetery
Cremated remains can be buried in a cemetery plot, an ash burial section, or a natural burial ground. Many cemeteries across Metro Vancouver and BC offer dedicated urn plots, which are typically smaller and more affordable than traditional graves, but still provide a marked, permanent place to return to.
For families who need a fixed location - somewhere to bring flowers, to gather, to visit - burial offers that.
Natural burial grounds, where remains are returned to the earth without embalming or vaults, are growing in availability across BC.
Memorial Jewellery and Keepsakes
A small amount of ashes can be incorporated into jewellery - a pendant, a ring, a bracelet - or into objects like sealed glass art or paperweights. These keep a person or pet quietly present in daily life.
Because each piece uses only a small portion, a single set of remains can yield multiple keepsakes - one for each person who loved them - without diminishing the whole.
A Living Memorial Tree
For some families, what feels right isn't a fixed place or a stored object. It's something that continues to grow.
Tribute Trees is a Vancouver-based service that grows memorial trees in soil specially formulated to integrate cremated ashes - for people and for beloved pets. The tree is cultivated here in British Columbia over four to 12 weeks after we receive the ashes, depending on how much you choose to send, then delivered to your door across the province.
You can send all of the ashes, or just a portion. Either way, something of them keeps growing.
A Tribute Tree can be the only memorial you need. Or it can sit alongside an urn, a scattering, a keepsake, or any other choice you've already made. Many families create more than one tree - so each person who loved them has something living of their own.
For families in Metro Vancouver living in apartments or condos, indoor Tribute Trees are available year-round, ready to be potted and cared for at home. Outdoor trees are delivered throughout the year, pausing only in July and August when summer heat and dry soil make it the wrong time for new roots to establish.
Not a place to visit. A presence to live alongside.
Scattering at Sea
BC's coastline holds deep significance for many families - from the Strait of Georgia to the waters around Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii. Scattering at sea is legally permitted under federal guidelines and, for the right family, deeply meaningful.
Chartered memorial boats operate along the BC coast for private and ceremonial scatterings. Some families choose a quiet, private scatter; others gather loved ones for a more deliberate farewell.
What About Pet Ashes?
Everything on this page applies equally to the loss of an animal companion. Pet cremation is common and growing across BC, and the grief that follows is real - even when those around you don't always recognize it as such.
The same options exist: urns, scattering, keepsakes, burial, and living memorial trees. Tribute Trees serves pet families with the same care as human memorial families. The cultivation process is identical, and the result is the same - a living tree, grown in British Columbia, that keeps them present in your daily life.
Learn more about pet memorial trees →
What If Different Family Members Want Different Things?
This is one of the most common points of tension in post-cremation decisions. One person wants to scatter. Another wants to keep. Someone else wants something to hold.
The practical answer is that ashes can be divided. A portion can go into a memorial tree, a portion can be scattered, and the remainder kept in an urn. There is no rule requiring a single, unified approach. Splitting ashes between uses, people and homes is something many families do, and it's entirely practical.
If multiple people need something of their own, multiple trees can be created from the same set of ashes.
Common Questions from BC Families
Can I keep ashes at home indefinitely in British Columbia?
Yes. There are no laws in BC requiring you to scatter, bury, or otherwise place ashes within any timeframe. You may keep them at home as long as you choose.
Can I split ashes between different memorials?
Yes. This is common and practical. Many families divide ashes between a living memorial, a scattering, and an urn - or create multiple trees so each person who loved them has something of their own.
Do I have to send all the ashes to Tribute Trees?
No. You can send a small portion or all of the ashes - whatever feels right. Tribute Trees is designed for both. Some families send everything and let that be the whole memorial. Others send a portion and keep the rest in an urn or scatter it elsewhere.
How long does the Tribute Trees process take?
Cultivation takes between four and 12 weeks once we receive the ashes, depending on the amount sent. We'll confirm your exact timeline when the ashes arrive.
Is Tribute Trees available outside of Vancouver?
Yes. We deliver throughout British Columbia. Flat delivery rates apply within the Lower Mainland; custom delivery quotes are available for communities beyond it.
When You're Ready
There is no right time and no wrong pace. Some families find their answer quickly. Others sit with this question for years and find that the waiting was itself part of the process.
Whatever you choose, the best decision is the one that finally feels true to the person, or pet, you're honouring.
If a living memorial feels like it might be that answer, Tribute Trees is here. No pressure, no timeline, just information and a way forward when you're ready.
Explore memorial trees for people → Explore memorial trees for pets → Choose your tree →