North Battleford can add one more item to the list of new things in the community: a crematorium.
Licensed funeral director and embalmer Trevor Watts admits a crematorium is not something you see everyday, but in fact this is the first time the Battlefords has had one.
After a few years with another funeral home in the city, Watts recently ventured out on his own in opening Eternal Memories Funeral Service and Crematorium, consisting of him plus eight part-time employees. It's been open since mid-October.
As part of the new funeral home operation, a massive new crematorium has been acquired to help better meet the wishes of those families who opt for cremation instead of traditional burial.
"We're the only funeral provider in the Battlefords that has a crematorium right on site," he said.
Up until now, those who chose to go the cremation route had to go to get that done in Saskatoon. Watts says he hopes providing the service locally be prove convenient for those living in the community, helping make a little less difficult the situation of grieving for a loved one.
Also, he says having a crematorium on site helps him keep his costs a little lower for the services they provide.
Watts notes cremation has become an increasingly common choice. He believes the perception of lower costs for cremation might be one reason for that.
There aren't many communities with crematoriums in Saskatchewan. Watts said there are others in Saskatoon, Martensville, Lloydminster, Meadow Lake and elsewhere.
"They're scattered around the province in different areas, but this is the first time the Battlefords has had one," said Watts.
One likely reason for the scarcity could be the hefty cost of a unit. Watts said the price for the one he has comes to $100,000. That covers $90,000 for the crematorium machine alone and another $10,000 for the processor.
The unit was manufactured by Crematorium Manufacturing and Service Inc. of Tulsa, Okla. and was shipped to the Battlefords from there. The manufacturer set up the machine right on site, Watts said.
Watts described how the crematorium works. A door to the crematorium chamber is opened where the casket can be rolled in, and the cremation process starts. The operator of the machine has to have a crematorium technician license to run it, a license Watts holds.
"We actually have to train on the machine before we get to use it," he said.
The machine itself cremates at a temperature of 1,600 F and takes two to three hours to complete.
The actual cremation itself is done in the primary chamber. A secondary chamber prevents any smoke from going out the stack.
"The machines are designed so they don't emit any smoke or smell," said Watts. He noted a burning fireplace would give off more emissions than a cremation machine. "The machine could be running and you wouldn't even know it."
Following that cremation process, the remains are put into a processor that further processes the final finely-ground ashes that can be placed in an urn.
Several urns are available for purchase at the funeral home at a range of prices from $50 up to $500, with most going in the $200 range. There is also a catalogue they have available for orders.
In addition to cremation, Eternal Memories Funeral Service and Crematorium offers a full range of other services. Traditional burial services are provided and there is an embalming room on site as well. They are also a licensed dealer in bronze and granite memorials and offer Purple Shield funeral insurance policies that cover funeral expenses.
The stated goal of their operation, in their promotional material, is to "provide dignified, respectful and compassionate care to every family we serve."
