Today, across Quebec and throughout Canada, we observe the National Day of Mourning — a day dedicated to honoring workers who have lost their lives or suffered from workplace accidents or occupational illnesses.
Behind every number, there is a name, a story, a grieving family, affected colleagues, and a community forever changed.
In 2024, according to the CNESST, 107,124 workplace injuries were reported, including:
➔ 96,721 workplace accidents
➔ 10,403 occupational illnesses
Tragically, 246 deaths were recorded:
➔ 74 resulting from workplace accidents
➔ 172 caused by occupational illnesses
These numbers are far more than mere statistics — they represent human lives lost and remind us of the urgent need to prioritize prevention, health, and safety in every workplace.
Today, we pay tribute to Francis Cournoyer and to all the victims of work-related tragedies. Their memory calls us to action: to create safer and healthier work environments so that every worker can return home safe and sound at the end of the day.
In memory of those who left us too soon, let us reaffirm our commitment to building safer, more compassionate workplaces.
To learn more about prevention initiatives and available resources, visit the CNESST website.
🖤 #DayOfMourning #WeRemember #WorkplaceSafety #HealthAndSafety #Prevention
Funeral rituals hold an important place in Quebec's history and cultural identity. More than just a farewell, these traditions reflect deeply rooted beliefs passed down from generation to generation.
But do you know the meaning behind some of these rites that have shaped how we approach mourning? Here are a few significant examples:
💡 The Funeral Wake: A Final Tribute at Home
Until the mid-20th century, funeral wakes were often held in the family home. The deceased would rest surrounded by candles, symbolizing the light guiding their soul to the afterlife. This time of reflection was also an opportunity for the community to gather and express their support to the grieving family.
💡 The Funeral Meal: A Celebration of Life
In many regions of Quebec, it was customary to organize a meal or buffet after the funeral. This gathering allowed loved ones to share memories of the deceased in a spirit of solidarity. Even today, this type of gathering remains a living tradition in many families.
💡 Church Bells: Announcing Loss to the Community
In the past, the sound of church bells announced a death to the local community. Each series of chimes was a call to prayer and reflection, strengthening the social bond among the residents of a village or neighborhood.
Whether still practiced or adapted over time, these traditions highlight the richness of our cultural heritage and how we navigate through grief.
Do you have anecdotes, memories, or family customs you would like to share?
👉 Share your stories and experiences
on our Facebook page, Répertoire des défunts!
On November 11, we observe Remembrance Day, a time to honor the courageous men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend our freedom and peace.
This date commemorates the armistice of 1918, marking the end of the First World War when the guns fell silent on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
Today, we wear the red poppy as a symbol of our respect and gratitude for those who fought for our future. Their bravery and dedication continue to inspire us.
We invite you to help us remember and pay tribute to your loved ones — whether they were veterans or everyday heroes — whose stories are part of your family's legacy. By sharing their stories, you help keep their memory alive and inspire others to remember their courage.
To share their story, you have a few options:
We are thrilled to announce that ÉLOGE now has its own unique identity! 🤗
Are you a manager of burial sites? ÉLOGE is designed just for you!
You can now explore our products and services more conveniently and intuitively on www.eloge.ca.
We have taken this initiative to better distinguish ÉLOGE from Répertoire des défunts, while ensuring that your experience remains as smooth and enjoyable as ever.
For users of Répertoire des défunts, nothing changes for you.
The Innovations DJD team
We would like to welcome the Saint-Simon Cemetery team located in Saint-Simon, who now use our ÉLOGE and Deceased Directory tools to administer the cemetery and the columbarium.
If you have information and photos of the deceased buried in this cemetery, do not hesitate to communicate this information to the administrators directly from their form.
Link to the file of this new cemetery:
St-Simon Cemetery - Deceased Directory - https://www.repertoiredesdefunts.com/lieu.asp?lieu=103
Thanks to the dedication of Louise Pelletier, the data for Christ Church Anglican Cemetery in Sorel-Tracy is now up to date.
Louise Pelletier, historian and researcher, completed the update of the deceased records for Christ Church Anglican Cemetery.
This update was done voluntarily over three years by Louise.
You can listen to a summary of her research by watching the following video:
YouTube Video: Interview with Louise Pelletier, Historian-Researcher for Répertoire des défunts, October 19, 2022.
Christ Church Anglican Cemetery – Sorel
The entire Répertoire des défunts team thanks you for your commitment and involvement.
Have you watched the report titled Death and Digital Technology on Télé-Québec?
In this report, host Mehdi Bousaidan, Daniel from Répertoire des défunts, Mr. Côté, and Ismaël from the Parish Fabric of Saint-Romuald in Farnham discuss Répertoire des défunts and our management tool ÉLOGE.
Watch the report online by following this link: [Link to the Death and Digital Technology report]
Broadcast: Wednesday, September 28 at 7:30 PM
Rebroadcasts: Wednesday, September 28 at 12:30 PM, Thursday, September 29 at 3:00 PM, Friday, September 30 at 6:30 PM, and Saturday, October 1 at 4:30 PM
Feel free to share widely!
"Cemeteries Going Digital" is the title of an article published in Le Soleil about burial sites using the management tool from Répertoire des défunts.
“People used to spend their entire lives in the same village, but now they are more spread out. With the registry, it will be possible to see a loved one's grave and pay virtual respects if visiting in person is not possible,” — Father Benoit Côté
Link to the article in Le Soleil: "Cemeteries Going Digital"
If a cemetery is not yet part of the directory, don't hesitate to contact your parish councils, church committees, or burial site managers of all faiths to tell them about the Répertoire des défunts project. We travel across Quebec to promote our tool to all burial site managers.
Looking for a deceased family member? Start your search now using the search box at the top of our website! Over 77,000 deceased are already listed on our site, available for free.
Saturday, December 14, 2019 LCN talked about Deceased Directory tool. We had the chance to talk to Mister Richard Olivier about TVA Nouvelles.
Our goal is to centralize the funeral heritage data in a single common research tool.
If a place is still not part of the directory, do not hesitate to communicate with your parishes, managers of burial sites of all types of faiths to tell them about the Deceased Directory project. We travel throughout Quebec to make our tool known to all managers of burial sites.
You are looking for a deceased family member, start a search now directly at the top of the site in our search box! More than 72,000 deceased are already published on our site and available free for your research.
To see the full Interview follow the link: (French Only)
Un logiciel pour retrouver plus facilement un défunt
When you use our application to manage your burial site, do you have to publish your deceased persons on our website ?
Deceased directory answer : NO, you are not obliged to publish your deceased persons on the website when you use our application.
We pay great respect to your convictions and if your assembly or decisions committee doesn't want to publish its deceased persons, our application allows you to prevent publication.
Two security features have been put in place for the publication of the deceased persons :
By default when the publication of a deceased person is activated, the public can consult the following information:
First Name, Last Name, Year of birth, Year of death, Location, At the same location, Geolocation and location photo.
It's possible to publish other information that is totally optional :
Deceased person photo, Birth date, Date of death, Burial date, Biography, Necrology, Father (first name and last name), Mother (first name and last name), Place ans city of birth.
At any time you can activate or deactivate the information published on our public site.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our team !
Deceased Directory is always proud to offer its clients a management tool that meets the highest standards in the field of the funeral industry. To do this, our team is currently developing a new feature that will be ready by January 1, 2019.
In order to meet the Ministry's expectations regarding Bill numº66, a register of funeral activities will be available via our menu. This register provides all the data required by the state and can be presented with a simple click on the screen or printed and given to the inspector during his visit.
Do not hesitate to contact us for more details.
Visit the Government of Quebec's website concerning Bill numº66 using the following link : http://www.assnat.qc.ca/en/travaux-parlementaires/projets-loi/projet-loi-66-41-1.html
or
Visit the Gazette web site at : http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamic-Search/telecharge.php?type=1&file=68562.pdf
or
See PDF publish by l'Association des cimetières chrétiens du Québec: (page 3) http://www.accquebec.com/sites/24294/Bulletin%20Trait%20d'union_web(1).pdf