Iqaluit Cemetery
Iqaluit Cemetery Project wins ASLA Award

The power of the place is extraordinary, and the decision to keep it simple and subdued is brilliant. The place honors the community’s ancestors. There are certain times when you’re working with a landscape that’s so beautiful, the best thing to do is as little as possible — 2018 Awards Jury

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently announced winners for its 2018 Professional Awards and our Iqaluit Cemetery project won an Honor Award in the General Design category.

Pioneer Cemetery, Whitehorse
Pioneer Cemetery Grand Re-Opening

We were thrilled to attend the Pioneer Cemetery grand re-opening ceremony this week hosted by the City of Whitehorse.

The cemetery has been revitalized with the re-leveling and cleaning of more than 200 headstones, recognition of unmarked graves, a new perimeter loop path, and a new main entrance plaza including interpretive panels,

Salt Spring Lions Commemorative Bike Park
Salt Spring Lions Commemorative Bike Park

The Salt Spring Lions Commemorative Bike Park was opened to the public on August 6th with a ribbon cutting and community celebrations that included a prize draw for new bikes, professional bike trials demonstration and food served by the Salt Spring Lions Club.
The bike park is designed to facilitate skills development and cycling opportunities for new and young cyclists.

Sparwood Cemetery Master Plan
New Projects: Sparwood Cemetery Master Plan

LEES+Associates is pleased to be working with the District of Sparwood on a cemetery master plan for two cemeteries in the district. When completed, the master plan will provide recommendations for best practices and strategy for future development utilizing current and emerging burial practices.

Ivy Smith and Richard Cook from the team took time in between site visits and meetings during their recent trip to Sparwood to check out the colossal Sparwood Titan Truck,

Town of Okotoks Cremation Garden Design

In 2016, the LEES + Associates design team worked with the Town of Okotoks, Alberta to plan and design a new cremation garden at the Okotoks Cemetery. The cremation garden was tendered in 2017 and opened in June 2018. Here are a few photos from the opening.

We are pleased to see the site looking so good!

Bedrock Granite Stone
A Visit to Bedrock Granite

In the last few years, LEES + Associates has been working on the planning and design of a new cemetery in western Canada. The cemetery is expected to open in 2019 with the landscape contract slated to go to tender this fall.

The LEES + Associates design team hopes to incorporate basalt pillars and Alberta Sandstone into feature areas of the new cemetery;

a walk to remember
A Walk to Remember

We just wanted to share a recent photo of this unique memorial created to honour Canadian soldiers.

Spearheaded by two Langley, BC youth, Michael and Elizabeth Pratt and their organization Langley Youth for the Fallen, A Walk to Remember at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum commemorates Canadian Forces personnel who lost their lives while serving in the Canadian mission in Afghanistan,

Records Retention in Landscape Architecture

Where did all this paper come from? How can I find anything around here? Every professional struggles to not be buried under the volume of drafts, contracts, as builts and other records.

We put together a presentation for a session at the BCSLA’s annual conference to share the methodologies,

Woodlands Green Burial
Green Burial in Canada [Video]

In the short piece below, the CBC’s On the Money program explores the rise in eco-friendly burials in Canada and how green burial could be part of the solution to the need for burial space across the country.

Erik and Reinaldo from the LEES+Associates team were at the annual meeting of the Green Burial Society of Canada,

Palermo Sign
Cemetery Space Shortage

In Palermo it is forbidden to die because there are no more places in the cemeteries.

Our associate Eileen Finn took a photo of this sign on a recent trip to the Sicilian capital of Palermo, it’s a witty yet stark reminder that cemeteries running out space is a worldwide dilemma.