The subject of Quebec cemeteries and the "lease" aspect of plots is an interesting subject and has been discussed occasionally on the various Quebec genealogy sites. From time to time the media picks up on a specific incident and it makes FRONT PAGE. The recent one quoted by the CBC was written as a front page article, with photos, by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper this past week on the 18th. Having gone through this this past fall with a local genealogist, and my research with the Mount Royal Protestant Cemetery after an article in the Montreal Gazette, which resulted in a retraction, my advice is that if you have family or ancestors interred in Quebec, check the individual cemetery to see what the policy is. I am copying below some of my correspondence to the Ottawa Citizen Newspaper and the local genealogist CG. The full article from the Gazette can be found in their archives on line. It would be interesting though if someone on this site, familiar with Quebec Civil Law, could explain how a document that states "Grave Ownership Certificate" and "This is to certify that Grave Section (X) No. (xxxx) in the Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal, was Purchased this day in the name of ..... etc. etc., or any other cemetery that reads this way, could be considered a LEASE. Keith. My e-mail to the Ottawa Citizen- jkc. "Your front page article in this mornings paper regarding cemetery plot perpetuity is a very perplexing situation for all of us who have, or intend to have family interred in the Province of Quebec. Recently a Genealogist who writes for a local paper in Smiths falls ON wrote regarding an article in the Montreal Gazette pertaining to this very subject. This alarmed me inasmuch as my parents as well as a sister are interred in the Mount Royal Protestant Cemetery in Montreal and inasmuch as the receipts from the cemetery from the time my father had negotiated the plots, certainly said PURCHASE. In his article in the Smiths Falls paper, the genealogist quoted an incident in Roman catholic Church yard cemetery which parallelled this morning story in the Citizen. I researched the the gazette article and then contacted the Mount Royal Protestant Cemetery in Montreal, and was assured that unlike the Roman Catholic Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery, next door, which does utilize the "lease" clause, Mount Royal does not. I am attaching below the whole e-mail which I sent to the genealogist in response to his article. I think the a suitably researched article in the Ottawa Citizen would prove to be very interesting. Thanks for bringing the Quebec "situation" to the Front Page, it is a scary thought. Keith in Jasper ON but formerly of Quebec. The following is a copy and paste of my e-mail to the local genealogist- jkc. Hi Pat, well as usual discussions relative to genealogy can be quite controversial and your article in the December 8^th issue of "Smiths Falls This Week" regarding cemetery perpetuity in Quebec created almost as much excitement here as it did in Montreal. I immediately emailed two friends who are genealogists and researchers, as well as writers and publishers on cemeteries in the Eastern Townships, and they were as startled as I. Next to good old Google and a search for the Gazette article. My concern is that my father had PURCHASED two double plots in the Mount Royal Protestant Cemetery in 1954 when my sister died and I had both my father and mother interred there in 1974. My intent now being that when the time comes both my wife and I will be there also, so, if your article were correct, I had better do something about it. First, the Gazette published a retraction to their story of the 14^th on the 18^th of November stating that the Mount Royal Cemetery does exist in perpetuity. I have just finished a phone call to the Mount Royal Cemetery personnel and they have confirmed that, unlike the Roman Catholic Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery next door, which does utilize the Quebec Civil Law lease provisions, they do guarantee perpetuity. So my reserved space in Mount Royal is there and waiting. (not too soon I hope). The individual I spoke to at the Mount Royal Cemetery indicated that they had been inundated since the erroneous story concerning their cemetery had been published. Certainly the cemeteries that I have been photographing in over the last few years as well as the books published by my friends have certainly not given any indication as to any such occurrence there. Mind you these have been all Protestant and my oldest ancestor's marker is 1805. I'm sure what you wrote is correct as it pertains to Quebec Civil Law _permitting_ lease periods, however one has to be cautious in painting them all with the same brush. All the best, Keith. PS: I note that the incident of which you quoted occurred in a "Parish" cemetery. Perhaps there is something in that as well" No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.17.0/639 - Release Date: 18/01/2007 6:47 PM