Montrealers faced their own mortality this weekend at an exposition showcasing the latest products and services available for the newly deceased.
Phoudsady Vanny organized the Salon de la Mort at the Palais des Congres after being dissatisfied with the options for her grandmother’s funeral, which she didn’t think were special enough.
“A lot of people want to stay in control of their life till the end,” Vanny told CTV Montreal.
Rosanne Feretti was there, looking into a service that would allow her ashes to be incorporated into a painting after she goes.
“It’s comforting to know that you can be put in a form like this,” she said.
“My dad passed away in 2012 and he’s in a mausoleum and you know, you go see them but you don’t really see them,” Feretti added.
Also on display were urns molded from masks of deceased people’s heads and coffins that people can write farewell messages on.
Some people tested out the coffins by climbing right in.
Vanny said that although talking about death makes some people uncomfortable, the legalization of medically-assisted dying is causing more people to open up about it.
“How come we’re not so prepared for this?” she said.
“After all, we’re all going to die.”
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Kelly Greig
