Bronze Plaques Canada

Every cemetery in Canada decides for itself whether a cast bronze plaque may be set, how large it may be, what base it must sit on and what it costs to set. There is no national marker standard, so the rules you need are in a municipal by-law, a diocesan regulation or a private cemetery’s rulebook, and this page explains what those documents have in common from Victoria to St. John’s. canadabronzeplaque.ca supplies the bronze: a plaque cast in solid LG2 statuary bronze with raised polished lettering, designed in our free online tool with the price shown in Canadian dollars and shipping across Canada included. The granite or concrete base that most cemeteries require, and the setting itself, are arranged through the cemetery office or a local monument dealer. Below are the shared rules, the veterans’ program, how ordering works, and a link to every province, territory and city page.

The cemetery approves the design before anything is cast

The first rule is the same everywhere. Mount Pleasant Group in Toronto requires “a memorial layout and memorial permission form” before a marker is “inscribed, delivered or installed” (by-laws effective May 1, 2024), Edmonton returns a monument that arrives without written approval, and Mount Royal in Montreal allows nothing on a lot until the design “have been submitted to and approved by Management” (rules of January 2026). The rights holder signs the form, a drawing goes to the office, and only then is the plaque cast. Our free written proof is made for that step.

Bronze on a granite or concrete base, set flush

Bronze is almost never permitted on its own in a Canadian lawn section. The Catholic cemeteries of Toronto and Hamilton, Beechwood in Ottawa and Mount Royal in Montreal all require the bronze cast with four integral bosses on the underside, tapped for brass or bronze anchor lugs not less than 3/8 inch in diameter and 4 to 6 inches long, and bolted to a granite or concrete base. The base is typically 3 to 6 inches thick, granite usually extends 2 inches beyond the bronze on every side, and everything sits flush with the lawn; Hamilton’s By-law 12-151 gives the reason, “a marker shall be flat on top and flush with the ground so that a lawn mower can pass safely over it”. So choose lugs with studs in the designer, and size the bronze so the finished unit stays inside the cemetery’s maximum; a 24 by 18 inch bronze with a 2 inch border becomes 28 by 22 inches.

Seasons and setting fees

Installation is seasonal. Calgary bars marker installation from September 30 to May 1, Mount Pleasant Group refuses deliveries from December 15 through April 1, and Toronto’s Catholic cemeteries accept bronze markers only from April 15 to November 30, so a plaque ordered in late autumn is usually set the following spring. Cemetery staff or an approved dealer set the marker after the form is signed and the fee paid.

Cemetery	Setting fee for an outside flat marker	Schedule
Kitchener Cemeteries, Ontario	$171 under 173 sq in, up to $286 over 288 sq in	January 1, 2026
Beechwood, Ottawa	$210.00 at 173 sq in or less, $310.00 above	July 31, 2026
Mount Pleasant Group, Toronto	Bronze on concrete $415.00 to $830.00	July 1, 2026

Where a cemetery publishes nothing, as most Arbor Memorial and Dignity Memorial parks do not, our pages say so.

Ontario’s care fund contribution and British Columbia’s right to buy anywhere

Only two provinces attach a legal consequence to the marker itself. In Ontario, O. Reg. 30/11 fixes a Care and Maintenance contribution of $0 for a flat marker under 1,116.13 square centimetres (173 square inches) and $100 at 173 square inches or more, for sales since January 1, 2022; a 12 by 8 inch plaque is under the line and a 20 by 10 inch plaque is over it. In British Columbia, section 41 of the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act says “An operator must allow a person to install a memorial bought from someone other than the operator, if the memorial and its installation comply with the bylaws”. Ontario law does not require a marker to be bought from the cemetery either; the Bereavement Authority of Ontario’s Consumer Information Guide (July 2025) says families may buy from any supplier. Everywhere else the cemetery’s by-law decides.

Veterans’ markers

Veterans Affairs Canada’s Funeral and Burial Program is delivered through the Last Post Fund and provides a military style grave marker, upright or flat grey granite, or “in certain cases, flat bronze”. Neither publishes marker dimensions, an upgrade route or any refund for a marker the family buys, so if you want your own cast bronze marker on a Veteran’s grave in a civilian cemetery, ask the cemetery office and the Last Post Fund first. The National Military Cemetery at Beechwood in Ottawa and the National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire use their own markers only.

What we supply and how ordering works in Canadian dollars

We supply the bronze. Every plaque is cast in solid LG2 statuary bronze with raised polished lettering on a textured background, as a rectangle, oval, circle or square, from 2 3/8 inches tall up to 22 1/16 by 15 3/4 inches (560 by 400 mm). The tool shows the price in Canadian dollars as you work: a 12 by 8 inch plaque is $996.08 in the designer and a 16 by 12 inch plaque is $1,580.02, shipping across Canada included. We do not pour or supply the granite or concrete base and we do not install. The base and the setting are arranged through the cemetery office or a local monument dealer, or the cemetery pours the base as part of its setting fee where the by-law says so, as Mount Pleasant Group’s “bronze on concrete base” fee describes. Where the bronze must arrive fixed to granite, as at Beechwood, the dealer who supplies the base fastens the plaque to it. For plaques that need no base see bronze memorial plaques, garden plaques and outdoor pet memorial plaques.

Bronze plaque rules by province, territory and city

• Ontario: the only legislated marker fee in Canada, $100 at 173 square inches or more since January 1, 2022.
• Quebec: the funeral activities law is silent on monuments, so each cemetery’s règlement governs.
• British Columbia: section 41 of the Act guarantees the right to install a compliant memorial bought anywhere.
• Alberta: commercial cemeteries set aside 10 per cent of marker sales for perpetual care.
• Saskatchewan: Saskatoon approves “Only bronze, anchored to a base of granite or concrete, and granite”.
• Manitoba: Winnipeg sets flat markers with City employees only, at $272.00 for 20 by 10 inches (2026).
• Nova Scotia: Halifax By-law C-700 names bronze only for the cremation gardens.
• New Brunswick: Fernhill in Saint John runs a Bronze Urn Garden with “bronze markers only”.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: no cemeteries statute found; the Archdiocese of St. John’s allows one plaque per plot (2024).
• Prince Edward Island: private boards publish no marker rules.
• Northern Canada: Whitehorse places a regular monument on a City base at no charge (2026 sheet).
• Toronto: two operators set outside bronze on a base, from $415.00 (Mount Pleasant Group, July 1, 2026).
• Ottawa: Beechwood wants bronze attached to granite before delivery, set for $210.00 or $310.00 (July 31, 2026).
• Hamilton: bronze “bolted through granite” 18 by 24 by 4 inches, set for $200.00 to $305.00 (2026).
• Mississauga: setting at $0.69 per square inch plus HST (2026).
• Montreal: Mount Royal’s January 2026 rules take bronze on a 4 to 6 inch base; Repos Saint-François permits granite only.
• Quebec City: Compagnie Saint-Charles publishes nothing; Mount Hermon caps a marker at 30 by 24 inches (2024).
• Vancouver: Mountain View lists bronze on a 3 inch base, installed for $467 in 2024.
• Victoria: Royal Oak requires “granite or bronze on a granite base”, $260 to $360 plus $130 (February 2026).
• Calgary: markers at least 4 inches (10 cm) thick, no installation from September 30 to May 1.
• Edmonton: the most detailed bronze specification in the Prairies, with no published fees.
• Winnipeg: the standard flat marker is 20 by 10 by 4 inches (50.80 by 25.40 by 10.16 cm).
• Halifax: bronze in the cremation gardens on a 4 to 6 inch base, $100.00 administration fee (September 2025).

What the plaque itself costs, delivered to Canada

The table below is our price for the cast bronze plaque itself, read from the design tool on this website on 14 October 2026 for a standard rectangle with the default border and background. Every figure is in Canadian dollars and includes delivery to any address in Canada.

Size, inches (mm)	Typical use	Our price, delivery included
6 x 4 in (152 x 102 mm)	Name and dates on a small cremation plot, urn or pet memorial	$478.72
8 x 6 in (203 x 152 mm)	Cremation garden plaque or a short dedication on a bench or wall	$674.98
10 x 8 in (254 x 203 mm)	Cremation lot marker with a line of wording or an emblem	$889.05
12 x 8 in (305 x 203 mm)	Single lawn marker with name, dates and a line of wording	$996.08
16 x 12 in (406 x 305 mm)	Single grave marker with an emblem, or a companion cremation marker	$1,580.02
18 x 12 in (457 x 305 mm)	Larger single marker or a dedication plaque with several lines	$1,759.60
20 x 10 in (508 x 254 mm)	The 20 by 10 inch flat marker size many municipal cemeteries list	$1,759.60
22 x 12 in (559 x 305 mm)	Companion marker or wide single marker inside a 24 inch envelope	$2,118.74
22 1/16 x 15 3/4 in (560 x 400 mm)	The largest size the designer makes, for double markers and dedication tablets	$2,456.76

Any cemetery charge quoted higher on this page, such as a setting fee, a permit, a foundation or a care and maintenance contribution, is paid to the cemetery and is separate from our price. Add the two together for the full installed cost. Open the design tool, type in the size your cemetery allows, and the exact price for that size appears before you order.

How to order

1. Ask the cemetery office for its marker specification: the maximum size, the base it requires and the form it needs signed. Most offices email it the same day.
2. Open the free design tool, pick the shape and set the size in inches or centimetres. The price in Canadian dollars updates as you go.
3. Add the wording, choose a border and background, and add an emblem, motif or photo if you want one. Choose lugs with studs if the plaque will be bolted to a granite or concrete base, or a flat back for adhesive mounting.
4. Save the design and order it from My Account. We send a written proof that you can forward to the cemetery for approval, and nothing is cast until you approve it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a bronze grave marker from any supplier in Canada?

In British Columbia the Act says the operator must allow a memorial bought from someone else if it complies with the bylaws. In Ontario the law does not require you to buy from the cemetery. Elsewhere the by-law decides, and it almost always attaches approval to the design rather than the seller.

Why does the cemetery want a granite or concrete base?

A flush lawn marker has to carry mowers and stay level through frost, so by-laws require the bronze bolted with lugs to a base 3 to 6 inches thick.

How much does it cost to have a bronze marker set?

Published 2026 fees for a family supplied flat marker run from $171 at Kitchener to $830 at Mount Pleasant Group in Toronto, before tax. Ontario adds $100 Care and Maintenance at 173 square inches or more.

Does Veterans Affairs pay for a bronze marker?

Veterans Affairs Canada, through the Last Post Fund, provides a grey granite military style marker and says flat bronze is used in certain cases. No upgrade route or refund is published.

Do you supply the base and install the plaque?

No. We cast and ship the bronze with lugs and studs. The base and the setting are arranged through the cemetery office or a local monument dealer, or the cemetery pours the base as part of its setting fee.

How long does a bronze plaque take in Canada?

Allow about four to six weeks from payment to delivery. Casting and hand finishing take most of that time, and we send a free written proof before anything is cast. If your cemetery only sets markers in the frost free season, order early enough for the spring installation window.