Beechwood Cemetery

What Beechwood Cemetery does

Beechwood Cemetery, legally The Beechwood Cemetery Company, is a private not-for-profit provider of integrated funeral, cemetery, and cremation services located on a 160-acre National Historic Site in Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 1873 and owned since December 2000 by the Beechwood Cemetery Foundation (a registered Canadian charity), the organization operates as the National Cemetery of Canada by virtue of Bill C-17 (2009) and is home to designated memorial cemeteries for the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP, CSIS, and the Ottawa Police Service. Its service offering spans funeral arrangements (visitations, life celebrations, catered receptions) at the 7,000 sq ft Beechwood National Memorial Centre, cemetery interment rights (single graves, family estate lots, columbarium niches, mausoleum crypts, outdoor crypts), on-site cremation with an adjacent newer crematorium built in 2014, and a broad range of memorialization products (monuments, urns, vaults, tree and bench dedications).

The business is built on a portfolio of revenue streams typical of a full-service cemetery operator: one-time interment-rights sales (sold in perpetuity per Ontario law), professional service fees for funerals and cremations, hardware sales of memorialization products, and recurring charitable donations to the Foundation that support maintenance, horticultural programs, and education. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying infrastructure is the physical 160-acre grounds, the crematorium, the mausoleum, and the National Memorial Centre facilities. GTM is sales-led and direct, relying on in-person consultations at the Ottawa site, 24-hour phone assistance, virtual pre-planning sessions, downloadable PDF pricelists, and community engagement through tours, events, educational content, and partnerships with cultural and defence organizations. Customer segments span the general Ottawa-area public as the primary market, with secondary segments in cultural and faith communities (10+ dedicated sections with multilingual staff), military and security services, and member organizations. To date the organization has recorded more than 87,000 burials including nearly 400 notable individuals, and the National Military Cemetery alone provides 12,000 dedicated spaces for Canadian Forces personnel and families.

Name

Beechwood Cemetery

Legal name

The Beechwood Cemetery Company

Website

https://beechwoodottawa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Beechwood Cemetery is a not-for-profit, full-service funeral, cemetery, and cremation provider operating on a 160-acre National Historic Site in Ottawa and designated the National Cemetery of Canada, serving Ottawa-area families, military and security organizations, and multicultural communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Funeral Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Death Care Services (8122)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Funeral services
• Cremation services
• Cemetery interment
• Memorial monuments
• Pre-need planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Cemetery Plot Sales: Sale of interment rights for burial plots, cremation niches, family estate lots, mausoleum crypts, and columbarium spaces. Ontario law requires interment rights sold in perpetuity.
2. Funeral Services: Full-service funeral arrangements including visitations, memorial services, life celebrations, funeral services, and catered receptions.
3. Cremation Services: On-site crematorium services with various commemorative options including urn burial, columbarium niches, and memorial services.
4. Memorialization Products: Sale of monuments, markers, caskets, urns, burial vaults, and other memorialization items. Also includes tree dedications, bench dedications, Book of Remembrance inscriptions, and Tree of Life memorial leaves.
5. Donations: Charitable donations to the Beechwood Cemetery Foundation (registered charity #88811 2018 RR0001) supporting maintenance of National Historic Site, community programs, horticultural preservation, and historical education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Beechwood Cemetery provides full-service funeral, cemetery interment, and cremation services at its 160-acre National Historic Site in Ottawa, including visitations, memorial services, traditional burials, cremation, urn and monument sales, and pre-arrangement planning. It also operates dedicated sections and memorial facilities for defence and security personnel, national memorial events, and a wide range of cultural and faith communities, with supplementary services such as the Beechwood Executor Advisor Program and a free Grief Companion Workbook.

Product overview

Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services operates as a single-location, full-service bereavement provider offering integrated funeral, cemetery, and cremation services at its 160-acre National Historic Site in Ottawa. The core offering combines funeral arrangements (services, visitations, receptions, ceremonies), cemetery interment options (burials, urn placements, columbarium niches, family mausolea), and on-site cremation. The Beechwood National Memorial Centre serves as the primary facility for receptions and ceremonies, featuring the Sacred Space and Hall of Colours. The company also provides prearrangement planning and executor assistance as add-on support services, along with specialized cultural community sections and defence/military memorial services. All services are owned and operated by the not-for-profit Beechwood Cemetery Foundation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Funeral Services
• Cemetery Interment Services
• Cremation Services
• Pre-need Planning
• Monuments, Markers, Urns and Memorialization Products
• Defence and Security Memorial Services
• National Memorial Centre Events and Receptions
• Sacred Space Commemorative Facility
• Cultural and Faith Community Sections
• Beechwood Executor Advisor Program
• Hall of Colours Memorial Facility
• Historical and Educational Cemetery Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000 dedicated spaces for Canadian Forces veterans and families
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Club Richelieu InternationalminorOthersMember organization with dedicated presence at Beechwood Cemetery for commemorative purposes.
• National Association of Federal Retirees (NAFR)minorOthersMember organization with dedicated presence at Beechwood Cemetery.
• Canadian Military Chaplains' AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonor of the 'Hope in a Broken World' memorial stained-glass window in the Hall of Colours, serving the commemorative needs of Canadian Forces members and veterans.
• Canadian Armed ForcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces established through partnership, with 12,000 dedicated spaces for military burials and commemorative services.
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of the RCMP National Memorial Cemetery designated in 2004, recognizing RCMP courage and service.
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of the CSIS National Memorial Cemetery, memorial to those who served in intelligence and security.
• Ottawa Police ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome of the Ottawa Police Service Memorial Cemetery designated in 2011.
• Canadian Ambassadors Alumni AssociationminorOthersForeign service memorial section at Beechwood Cemetery.
• Capital Pop-Up CinemaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint outdoor film screening events held at the cemetery grounds, including Romeo and Juliet screening with Timeless Tales walking tour.
• A Company of Fools Theatre CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTheatre performances held at Beechwood Cemetery Mausoleum Grass, including A Midsummer Night's Dream production.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Park Lawn Corporation: TSX-listed Canadian death-care provider operating cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematoria across multiple provinces. Comparable as a multi-location integrated death-care platform, though for-profit vs. Beechwood's non-profit structure.
• Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries: Iconic large-scale Southern California cemetery and funeral provider known for its park-like setting, comprehensive one-location offering, and cultural/community sections, mirroring Beechwood's positioning.
• StoneMor Partners: U.S.-based owner and operator of cemeteries and funeral homes with comparable integrated service model. Relevant broad incumbent in the North American cemetery category.
• Service Corporation International (SCI): Largest North American funeral, cemetery, and cremation services operator (Dignity Memorial network). Comparable as a broad incumbent offering the same integrated funeral-cemetery-cremation service bundle at scale.
• Arbor Memorial Services: Canada's largest privately held network of cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematoria. Comparable as a multi-location Canadian death-care operator offering integrated funeral-cemetery-cremation services.
• Arlington National Cemetery: U.S. national military cemetery. Comparable to Beechwood as a nationally designated cemetery hosting national-level military and government memorial functions, though U.S. jurisdiction and federally operated.

Direct peers

• Mount Pleasant Cemetery: Toronto-based non-profit cemetery offering burial, cremation, and funeral services with similar multicultural sections and heritage positioning. Comparable as a major Canadian urban cemetery with broad service offering and historical scale.
• Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery: Montreal's largest Catholic cemetery operating as a non-profit with burial, cremation, columbarium, and mausoleum services. Comparable as a historic Canadian non-profit urban cemetery serving a metropolitan multilingual population.

Regional players

• Pinecrest Remembrance Services: Ottawa-area funeral, cemetery, and cremation provider. Comparable as a direct local competitor serving the same Ottawa/National Capital Region market with overlapping services.
• Hulse, Playfair & McGarry Funeral and Cremation Services: Ottawa-based funeral and cremation provider. Comparable as a regional Ottawa competitor in the funeral and cremation segments, though without cemetery operations of comparable scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/beechwoodottawa

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beechwood Cemetery