Arbor Memorial
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Funeral services |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Founder | Daniel Scanlan |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Area served | Canada |
| Services | Funeral homes, cemeteries, cremation services, memorialization |
Arbor Memorial Inc. is a privately held Canadian company that operates funeral homes, cemeteries, crematoria and related memorial services across Canada. The largest provider of funeral and cemetery services in Canada,[1] Arbor was founded in 1947. The company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario.
The company operates a nationwide network of funeral homes, cemeteries and cremation facilities in multiple Canadian provinces.
History
Arbor Memorial was founded in 1947 by Daniel Scanlan with the establishment of Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in London, Ontario.[2][3]
Over several decades the company expanded by developing park cemeteries in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s across Canada before expanding into funeral homes in the 1980s. Before becoming Arbor Memorial, the company was known as Canadian Memorial Services Limited (not to be confused with the currentfuneral home subsidiary of the Mount Pleasant Group).[3]
In September 2012, Arbor Memorial announced an agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by Scanfield Holdings Ltd., Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited and JC Clark Ltd. in a deal valued at approximately $375 million.[4]
Shareholders approved the transaction later that year.[5]
The acquisition was completed in November 2012, after which the company was taken private and its shares were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.[6]
In 2017, an investigative report by CBC Television's Marketplace and the Toronto Star uncovered a pattern of aggressive sales practices, significant price markups and upselling by Arbor sales representatives.[1][7] The investigation resulted in rule changes by Ontario's funeral regulator, which the company was accused of violating in 2018, when they were again accused of misleading sales tactics.[8]
Operations
Arbor Memorial operates funeral homes, cemeteries, crematoria and reception centres across Canada. The company provides burial and cremation services, funeral planning, cemetery interment rights and memorialization products.
Arbor operates roughly 92 funeral homes, 41 cemeteries, and 27 crematoria in more than 140 total locations across eight Canadian provinces.[9]
Properties
The following table lists properties operated by Arbor Memorial across Canada.
| Property | City | Province | Year opened / established | Funeral home | Cemetery | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | ||||||
| Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens | London | Ontario | 1947 | No | Yes | First Arbor cemetery |
| Glendale Funeral Home & Cemetery | Toronto | Ontario | 1952 | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex |
| Highland Memory Gardens | Toronto | Ontario | 1953 | No | Yes | Memorial park cemetery |
| Resthaven Memorial Gardens | Toronto | Ontario | 1925 | No | Yes | Historic cemetery |
| Pine Ridge Memorial Gardens | Ajax | Ontario | No | Yes | Durham Region cemetery | |
| Mount Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery | Whitby | Ontario | Yes | Yes | Durham Region site | |
| Glenview Memorial Gardens | Vaughan | Ontario | No | Yes | Cemetery | |
| Brampton Funeral Home & Cemetery | Brampton | Ontario | 1950s | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex |
| Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery | Oakville | Ontario | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Highland Hills Funeral Home & Cemetery | Markham | Ontario | 1999 | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex |
| Kelly Funeral Home – Somerset Chapel | Ottawa | Ontario | Yes | No | Ottawa funeral home | |
| Kelly Funeral Home – Walkley Chapel | Ottawa | Ontario | Yes | No | Ottawa funeral home | |
| Kelly Funeral Home – Barrhaven Chapel | Ottawa | Ontario | Yes | No | Ottawa funeral home | |
| Capital Funeral Home & Cemetery | Ottawa | Ontario | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| McKenzie & Blundy Funeral Home & Cremation Centre | Sarnia | Ontario | 1885 | Yes | No | Historic funeral home |
| Harbourview Funeral Centre | Thunder Bay | Ontario | Yes | No | Funeral home | |
| Memory Gardens Funeral Home & Cemetery | Breslau | Ontario | Yes | Yes | Kitchener area | |
| Victoria Lawn Cemetery | St. Catharines | Ontario | 1856 | No | Yes | Historic cemetery |
| Manitoba | ||||||
| Chapel Lawn Funeral Home & Cemetery | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Glenlawn Funeral Home & Cemetery | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Glen Eden Funeral Home & Cemetery | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Alberta | ||||||
| Mountain View Funeral Home & Cemetery | Calgary | Alberta | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Eden Brook Funeral Home & Cemetery | Calgary | Alberta | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Evergreen Funeral Home & Cemetery | Edmonton | Alberta | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Westlawn Funeral Home & Cemetery | Edmonton | Alberta | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Glenwood Funeral Home & Cemetery | Sherwood Park | Alberta | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Saskatchewan | ||||||
| Regina Funeral Home & Cemetery | Regina | Saskatchewan | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| British Columbia | ||||||
| Valley View Funeral Home & Cemetery | Surrey | British Columbia | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| First Memorial Funeral Services | Vancouver | British Columbia | Yes | No | Funeral services | |
| First Memorial Funeral Services – Riverview Chapel | Vancouver | British Columbia | Yes | No | Funeral home | |
| First Memorial Funeral Services – Burkeview Chapel | Port Coquitlam | British Columbia | Yes | No | Funeral home | |
| Sands Funeral Chapel | Victoria | British Columbia | Yes | No | Funeral home | |
| Sands Funeral Chapel | Duncan | British Columbia | Yes | No | Funeral home | |
| Sands Funeral Chapel | Nanaimo | British Columbia | Yes | No | Funeral home | |
| Royal Oak Burial Park | Victoria | British Columbia | No | Yes | Cemetery | |
| New Brunswick | ||||||
| Fair Haven Funeral Home & Cemetery | Moncton | New Brunswick | Yes | Yes | Cemetery complex | |
| Fair Haven Memorial Gardens | Moncton | New Brunswick | No | Yes | Cemetery | |
See also
- Mount Pleasant Group, a Toronto-area group of cemeteries and funeral homes
- Park Lawn Corporation, another Canadian death care company
- Fairfax Financial
References
- ^ a b "Undercover investigation finds big markups, confusing charges and pushy tactics at major funeral home chain1". CBC News. March 15, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
- ^ "Letter to Shareholders – Fairfax Financial Annual Report 2012" (PDF). Fairfax Financial.
- ^ a b "Our History". Arbor Memorial. Arbor Memorial Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "Arbor Memorial enters takeover deal valuing company at $375 million". Global News. Canadian Press. 11 September 2012.
- ^ "Arbor Memorial shareholders vote to sell shares to Fairfax group". Global News. Canadian Press. 16 November 2012.
- ^ "Arbor Memorial Services Inc. Announces Closing of Previously Announced Arrangement". PR Newswire. 26 November 2012.
- ^ "Funeral home sales practices place high cost on grieving families". Toronto Star. March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ "'They should know better': Funeral home chain skirting new rule with misleading sales tactics". CBC News. November 23, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ McGee, Andrew. "Who Are Arbor Memorial". Canadian Funerals Online. Retrieved March 16, 2026.