Headstones in Durham Region: Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa & Clarington

Durham Region — Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington and the townships to the north — is home to Marwaa Memorials' Canadian warehouse at 600 Granite Court, Unit 909, Pickering. For local families, that changes the experience of buying a headstone: you can see and touch finished monuments before you decide.

Visiting the warehouse

Photos only go so far. In person you can compare:

• Granite colours — black, grey, red and more — under natural light.
• Finishes — full polish, honed and rock-pitched edges.
• Lettering and etching — how sandblasted text and laser-etched portraits actually look.
• Sizes — how a 24-inch flat marker compares with a 36-inch companion upright.

Visits are by appointment; call our Canada team first via the contact page.

How Ontario regulates cemeteries

In Ontario, cemeteries operate under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002, administered by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO). A few practical consequences for families:

• Every cemetery has by-laws. They cover memorial sizes, materials, foundations and installation, and the cemetery must make them available to you. Ask for them before you choose a design.
• You can buy from an independent supplier. Families may buy a monument from the cemetery or from an independent retailer or manufacturer; either way, it has to meet the cemetery's by-laws.
• Care and maintenance contributions. Ontario cemeteries collect a regulated contribution to their care and maintenance fund when larger markers and monuments are installed. Ask for the amount in writing alongside foundation and installation fees.

Our cemetery headstone rules guide has a checklist of questions to bring.

Durham cemeteries

Durham has municipal, church, Catholic and private cemeteries, from historic rural burial grounds in Uxbridge and Scugog to busy suburban cemeteries in Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa. Each sets its own by-laws for sizes, materials, foundations and installation — get them in writing before finalising your design.

Weather by the lake

Durham's lakeshore communities see Lake Ontario wind and winter freeze-thaw; the northern townships get colder winters and more snow. Choose dense, fully polished granite with deep lettering, and make sure the foundation follows the cemetery's specification.

Ordering and installation

1. Get the cemetery's by-laws and fee schedule.
2. Choose a design — in person at the warehouse or in our Design Studio.
3. Submit for cemetery approval.
4. Approve the proof; we produce and deliver.
5. The cemetery installs on its schedule, typically outside the deep-freeze months.

Factory-direct, delivered

We deliver door-to-door across Durham Region under DAP terms, with freight, customs and duties included. Request a quote. More: our Toronto guide and all Ontario service areas.