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Tideline
Living Reef - bringing new life to ocean floor
BY MARINA SACHT
It’s a sunny day as Kevin Owens, owner of Evergreen Cremation, invites me into his office. Out of this small office in Ladysmith, big things are happening. This is also the home of Living Reef Memorial Canada (LRMC).
LRMC has found an innovative way to seed life, creating vital habitat for hundreds of species of sea life. Cremated remains are incorporated into an artificial reef. The structure has holes that run through the entire reef so that the targeted marine species has a place to call home.
Not long after the reef is placed into the sea, life begins to move in and thrive, increasing biodiversity.
The reef moulds are made from natural, recycled and reusable materials, and the reef itself is made from environmentally friendly materials. Once ready, it is taken to its designated area, where it is lowered into its permanent resting place. Locally, some of the designated areas are Coffin Point and the coast of Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.
LRMC has been cleared through Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Transport Canada and is an approved choice through provincial funeral funding programs as well as the Canadian Last Post Fund.
If you are left with the remains of loved ones and not certain what to do, there are options of individual, couple or community reef, encompassing multiple sets of remains, received from various communities, into a larger reef.
Kevin Owens, director of LRMC, says, “Not only does Living Reefs Memorial bring a beneficial impact to the environment but [the reefs] are also a tribute to anyone who appreciates the ocean, the environment and all the wonders it brings.”
Owens started Evergreen Cremation in 2015 and, through LRMC, deployed the first living reef in local waters in 2017. He has opened Living Reef Memorial to all other funeral homes so they, too, can offer this to their families.
The reef is 22 inches tall and about 26 inches at its widest at the base. “[The reef] is environmentally friendly because it’s a permanent place for cremated remains. It’s a place that you can go back to. It’s helping the environment,” says Owens, who has also had the occasional request to include a pet with their companion.
As the reef is being deployed, the family can gather ashore or follow by boat. In one instance, a family all rented kayaks. “I probably had 20 kayaks around my boat,” Owens says as he recalls the moving ceremony.
“We say the word forever because we’re guessing the lifespan [of the reef] is about 500 years,” says Owens. And 500 years is close enough to forever bringing new life to the seafloor.
