The Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery opens Sept. 11, but there's still a lot of cleanup to do, families say

As bereaved families look forward to visiting their loved ones again later this month, there is still a lot of work to do to get appearances back in order at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery. That’s according to family members who have been allowed access to the grounds since burials were resumed.

As bereaved families look forward to visiting their loved ones again later this month, there is still a lot of work to do to get appearances back in order at the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery.

That’s according to family members who have been allowed access to the grounds since burials resumed. On July 17, groundskeepers returned to work after a months-long strike over wages and working conditions.

During the strike, public access was cut because of a pileup of debris left by the ice storm. Management said it was unsafe to enter. Burials were also postponed, leading to a backlog of hundreds of bodies, which were left in storage.

Jimmy Koliakoudakis' mother, Penelope, died in February. He finally got to bury her on Wednesday.

He told CTV he’d like to see burials become an essential service to avoid these types of delays in the future.

While he respects the labour dispute process, he said, “There should never be a situation where family members are put on the side for something that is so important in our society.”

“It should not be the families who suffer ever again,” he added. “There has to be another way.”