‘Green’ funeral centre breaks ground in Pickering

A funeral company celebrated its 200th anniversary Tuesday with a ground-breaking ceremony for a new funeral centre in Pickering, the company’s first with zero natural gas combustion and geothermal technology for heating and cooling.

Mount Pleasant Group looked to the future with plans for a new 21,000-square-foot funeral centre at Duffin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering. The facility, located at the southeast corner of Brock Road and William Jackson Drive, will meet Rick Hansen Foundation Gold Certification and Canadian Green Building Council Zero Carbon Design and Zero Carbon Building Performance certifications

It has already been nominated for a Durham Region Accessibility Award.

“As we celebrate our 200th anniversary, we’re continuing to invest in the facilities and services families need today and in the future,” said Mount Pleasant Group CEO John Monahan. “This new funeral centre has been designed with accessibility, environmental stewardship and family comfort at its core.”

The new Duffin Meadows Funeral Centre is being built to replace the current TSA-Pickering location and is scheduled to open in 2028.

Families will continue to be served at TSA-Pickering until the new facility opens.

Duffin Meadows Cemetery has served the community since 1993 and offers a range of burial, cremation and natural burial options. The addition of a funeral centre will provide families with the convenience of accessing cemetery, funeral and reception services in one location.

The funeral centre will feature two large, flexible gathering spaces designed to accommodate a range of services, visitations and receptions. Both spaces can be divided into smaller rooms as needed, allowing families to create arrangements that reflect their traditions, preferences and group sizes.

Once complete, the facility will join Mount Pleasant’s network of funeral centres across the GTA, offering modern spaces designed to meet the evolving needs of families while setting new standards for accessibility and environmental performance.

Founded in 1826, the not-for-profit organization has evolved alongside the communities it serves, introducing new facilities, technologies and service options while remaining focused on supporting families through loss and remembrance.

“As the needs of families continue to evolve, it’s important that the spaces where we gather evolve as well,” said Angie Aquino, the company’s Funeral Services president. “This new funeral centre will allow us to continue that commitment in a modern, accessible facility designed to meet the needs of today’s families while providing the flexibility to serve future generations.”