Montreal cemetery still catching up on burial backlog

A year after a bitter and lengthy labour dispute delayed hundreds of burials at one of Montreal's largest cemeteries, there are still bodies waiting for interment.

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery director Yoland Tremblay said there are still 50 bodies in cold storage, but she said only five date from the labour dispute last year and haven't been buried yet because their next-of-kin haven't picked a date.

On May 16, 2007, more than 130 maintenance employees were locked out by management and then went on strike.

The standoff lasted through the summer, leaving mourning families in limbo as they waited for months to bury their loved ones in the historic graveyard.

At one point, there were as many as 500 bodies in cold storage while the labour dispute simmered.

Burials resumed in early September, and most have received a proper burial, but there are still some waiting for their final resting place.

Nearly one million people are buried in the cemetery, which is nestled on the northwestern side of Mont-Royal.

Hockey legend Maurice Richard, former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa and Calixa Lavalée, the author of  "O, Canada" are all buried at the cemetery.