Bronze Plaques Ontario

Ontario is the one province where the law itself touches your bronze marker. The Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 and O. Reg. 30/11 fix a Care and Maintenance contribution on every marker, require each cemetery to publish a price list showing what it charges to set one, and make a cemetery’s by-laws effective only once the Registrar at the Bereavement Authority of Ontario has approved them. Within that frame each cemetery still writes its own rules on size, base and season, and this page sets out what Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Mississauga, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Windsor have in common and where they differ. We cast the bronze plaque and ship it anywhere in Ontario with shipping included and the price shown in Canadian dollars; the granite or concrete base and the setting are arranged with the cemetery office or a local monument dealer.

The Act, the regulation and the $100 contribution

The Act defines a marker to include any “plaque” affixed to a burial lot, crypt or niche, and section 53(9) requires the person on whose behalf a marker is installed to pay a prescribed amount to the operator for the care and maintenance fund. O. Reg. 30/11 section 166(1) sets it: $0 for a flat marker measuring less than 1,116.13 square centimetres (173 square inches), $100 for a flat marker of at least 173 square inches, $200 for an upright marker 1.22 metres (four feet) or less in height and length including the base, and $400 for a larger upright. The BAO confirms these amounts apply to sales after January 1, 2022. A 22 by 12 inch bronze (288 square inches) pays the $100 while a 16 by 10 (160 square inches) does not, and where the cemetery measures the granite base, as the Toronto Catholic price list does, a 16 by 10 bronze on a 20 by 14 base crosses the line. Older documents still show $50; the regulation governs.

Buying from any supplier: what the regulation and the BAO say

Nothing in Ontario law requires a marker to be bought from the cemetery. O. Reg. 30/11 section 65 requires every price list to show prices for setting a flat marker, constructing a foundation and inspecting an installation, and section 71 caps those charges at the operator’s direct cost wherever the purchaser must buy the service from the cemetery. The BAO’s sample by-laws (revised October 24, 2024) say by-laws must “not give the cemetery operator or supplier an unreasonable or unfair advantage over another supplier” and offer a model minimum flat marker thickness of “4 inches or 10 cm”. The BAO Consumer Information Guide (July 2025) says you may buy “monuments, markers … from any supplier”. So the family may buy anywhere provided the cemetery approves the design, the rights holder signs the form, the fees are paid, and the cemetery installs or inspects the marker. The phrase “cemetery-approved supplier” appears only on the Windsor Memorial price list.

The Ontario base and lug specification

The by-laws converge on one product. The bronze is cast with four integral bosses on the underside, tapped for brass or bronze anchor lugs not less than 3/8 inch in diameter: 4 inches long at the Toronto Catholic cemeteries, 4 to 6 inches at the Diocese of Hamilton and Beechwood, and no more than 3 inches at Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries. The Toronto Catholic by-law wants “a concrete base having a thickness of 4 inches, and have the same dimensions as the marker or set on a granite base with a projection of 2 inches on all sides of the bronze marker and 4 inches in thickness”; Mount Pleasant Group allows concrete 4 to 6 inches or granite 3 to 6 inches thick; Beechwood wants granite fixed to the bronze before delivery; Hamilton wants the bronze “bolted through granite” 18 by 24 inches and 4 inches thick. Adult sizes cluster at 24 by 14 inches (Catholic cemeteries) and 24 by 18 inches (Mount Pleasant Group, Beechwood, Hamilton and Mississauga). We supply the bronze with the lugs the by-law calls for; the base and the attachment are arranged through the cemetery office or a local monument dealer.

Setting fees across Ontario

No Ontario cemetery found charges a permit fee as such. The cost of installing an outside bronze marker is the setting fee, HST on it, and the $100 contribution at 173 square inches and above.

Cemetery	Setting fee for a family supplied flat marker	Schedule
Mount Pleasant Group, Toronto	Bronze on concrete $415.00 to $830.00; on granite $490.00 to $670.00	July 1, 2026
Catholic Cemeteries, Toronto	Bronze on concrete $330.00 to $1,140.00; on granite $265.00 to $1,190.00	January 13, 2025
Beechwood, Ottawa	$210.00 at 173 sq in or less; $310.00 above	July 31, 2026
Hope Cemetery, Ottawa	$350 (16 by 10 granite); $400 other sizes	January 1, 2026
Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries	$200.00 (12 by 10) to $305.00 (up to 24 by 18)	January 1, 2026
Gate of Heaven, Burlington	Bronze on granite $140.00 to $270.00; on concrete $140.00 to $290.00	January 1, 2026
Mississauga	$0.69 per square inch plus HST	January 1, 2026
Brampton	$106.51 to $312.88; bronze in concrete $50.59 extra	January 1, 2026
Kitchener Cemeteries	$171 under 173 sq in; $243 to 288 sq in; $286 above	January 1, 2026
Woodland, London	From $350.00 under 200 sq in; granite markers only	July 1, 2026
Windsor Memorial Gardens	$0.55 per square inch if the cemetery sets it	June 1, 2026

Ontario cities

Toronto: Mount Pleasant Group and the Catholic cemeteries both set outside bronze on a base, and the Catholic by-law requires in person delivery. Ottawa: Beechwood requires the bronze fixed to a 4 to 6 inch granite base before delivery. Hamilton: the City sells no markers and wants bronze bolted through an 18 by 24 by 4 inch granite slab. Mississauga: a per square inch setting fee and a 24 by 18 inch cap.

London. Woodland Cemetery’s by-laws, approved by the Registrar on October 2, 2024, define a marker as “A memorial constructed granite, set flush and level with the ground” and a plaque as “An ornamental tablet, typically of bronze, or porcelain, that is fixed to a wall or other surface”. A flush bronze grave marker is therefore not the Woodland product; its bronze lines are a scattering garden plaque with installation at $950.00 and a tree rock plaque at $2,100.00 to $2,400.00 (July 1, 2026).

Kitchener-Waterloo. Kitchener Cemeteries’ 2026 list sets flush marker setting at $171, $243 or $286 by area and plaque installation at $171. Search snippets of Municipal Code Chapter 210 say flush markers are “constructed wholly of granite with the exception of memorial plaques and temporary bronze plaques”, but the page could not be opened, so confirm with the office whether bronze on granite is accepted. Waterloo’s By-law 2017-059 prescribes the alloy (“86% to 89% copper, 2% to 4% tin, 1% to 2% lead, 4% to 7% zinc”) and pairs bronze sizes with granite bases, for example 19 by 11 inches on 20 by 12 for a single adult; check those 2017 figures still stand.

Windsor. Windsor Memorial Gardens and Windsor Grove publish a price list effective June 1, 2026 that permits flat, bevel (pillow) and upright markers, tells the rights holder to give a Memorial Marker Authorization Form “to your chosen, cemetery-approved supplier”, and charges $0.55 per square inch where the cemetery sets a flat marker. Size limits are in by-laws that are not posted, so ask the office.

Niche plaques, wall plaques and other bronze in Ontario

Columbarium niche fronts are the hardest Ontario product for an outside supplier: Mount Pleasant Group “reserves the right to inscribe all niche fronts or where permitted install all bronze lettering, bronze plaques, bronze vases, bronze adornments, bronze emblems”, and Brampton sells niche inscriptions “through Cemetery ONLY”. Wall, bench and scattering garden plaques are more open, because several cemeteries publish a fee to install a supplied plaque: Hamilton $200.00 (2026), Kitchener $171 (2026) and the Toronto Catholic cemeteries $170.00 or $210.00 (January 13, 2025). A 20 by 10 inch plaque is $1,759.60 in the designer and a 22 by 12 inch marker is $2,118.74, shipping included; the same tool makes smaller plaques for a garden or a dedication.

Our bronze plaque prices for Ontario, delivery included

Here is what the plaque costs from us. These are the design tool’s own prices on 14 October 2026 for a plain rectangle with the default border and background, in Canadian dollars, and delivery anywhere in Ontario is already included in each one.

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

The cemetery fees described above are paid to the cemetery office and are not part of these prices, so the full cost of a finished marker is our plaque price plus the cemetery’s setting, permit or foundation charges. Enter your cemetery’s size in the design tool and it shows the price for that exact size straight away.

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

What is the Care and Maintenance fee on a marker in Ontario?

O. Reg. 30/11 sets $0 for a flat marker under 173 square inches (1,116.13 square centimetres), $100 at 173 square inches or more, and $200 or $400 for uprights, for sales since January 1, 2022.

Do I have to buy the marker from the cemetery in Ontario?

No. Nothing in the Act or regulation requires it, and the BAO consumer guide says you may buy markers from any supplier. The cemetery must approve the design and usually installs the marker itself.

What size bronze marker is allowed in Ontario?

Adult maximums are 24 by 14 inches at the Catholic cemeteries and 24 by 18 inches at Mount Pleasant Group, Beechwood, Hamilton and Mississauga; child and cremation graves are usually 22 by 10 or 16 by 10.

Who attaches the bronze to the base?

The base and the attachment are arranged locally. Mount Pleasant Group charges a combined fee for bronze on a concrete base, the Catholic cemeteries reserve the right to attach the base, and Beechwood requires the bronze fixed to granite before delivery.

Can I put a bronze plaque on a columbarium niche in Ontario?

Usually only through the cemetery: Mount Pleasant Group, the Toronto Catholic cemeteries and Brampton reserve niche front work to themselves. Wall, bench and scattering garden plaques are more open.

How long does a bronze plaque take in Ontario?

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.