Urgel Bourgie cremation cost vs. Cleo: a side-by-side comparison for Montreal families

If you're reading this, you're probably comparing providers, maybe with a quote in hand, maybe just trying to figure out who's who in Montreal funeral service.

Urgel Bourgie has served Montreal families since 1902. Cleo is a newer direct cremation provider with published pricing. Both are legitimate options. They serve different needs, in different ways, at different price points, and depending on what your family wants, either one could be the right call.

This is a side-by-side look at Urgel Bourgie cremation cost, services, ownership, and reviews, alongside Cleo's. We'll credit each provider's real strengths, point out where information is harder to find, and end with a plain answer to "which one fits which family." No spin.

Who is Urgel Bourgie?

Urgel Bourgie is one of the oldest funeral institutions in Quebec, and one of the largest by network footprint. Knowing how it's structured today helps you understand the quote you'll receive from any of its locations.

A 1902 Montreal heritage business

The company was founded in Montreal in 1902. Over more than a century, it has built six funeral complexes, three funeral homes, and three memorial gardens across Greater Montreal, a deeper local presence than almost any other provider in the city.

For families who value continuity, longstanding community ties, or have used Urgel Bourgie for previous generations, that history matters. It's a legitimate strength worth naming.

The Athos Services Commémoratifs network

In December 2012, Urgel Bourgie was acquired by Athos Services Commémoratifs, a Quebec-based group that consolidates several heritage funeral brands. Athos was founded in 2010 to keep Quebec funeral homes under Quebec ownership during a wave of multinational acquisitions.

Today, Athos is the largest network of funeral homes in the province, 28 funeral complexes and five cemetery gardens, and includes Urgel Bourgie (Montreal, since 1902), Lépine Cloutier (Quebec City, since 1845), and Memoria (acquired separately). When you call Urgel Bourgie, you're calling into the Athos network. That isn't hidden, it's stated on Urgel Bourgie's "About Us" page, but many families don't realize it.

2024 TorQuest Partners acquisition

On October 16, 2024, Athos and its shareholders sold the company to TorQuest Partners, a Canadian private-equity firm based in Toronto. The deal was reported publicly through McCarthy Tétrault's deal page and trade press coverage in Canadian Lawyer.

What did this change for families? In the short term: nothing visible. The brand, locations, staff, and BNQ certification all remained in place. Over time, private-equity ownership often influences pricing strategy and service standardization across a network, but as of 2026, there's no public reporting that points to a specific change at Urgel Bourgie. We're noting the ownership chain because it's a fact you should have, not because it predicts your experience.

BNQ certification and what it means

Urgel Bourgie is certified by the [Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)](https://www.bnq.qc.ca), the provincial standards body. BNQ certification covers facility standards, identification chain-of-custody during cremation, body handling, and consumer-disclosure requirements. It's a meaningful baseline. Any provider you consider in Quebec, Urgel Bourgie, Cleo, or anyone else, should be able to confirm BNQ certification on request.

What Urgel Bourgie offers

Urgel Bourgie's strength is the full spectrum of traditional funeral service, with cremation built in. Most of what they do is not direct cremation.

• Full-service funerals with viewing, ceremony, reception, and cremation or burial
• On-site crematorium at several complexes, body stays within the same facility
• Cemetery and memorial-garden plots managed by the same group, useful for families who want all arrangements under one roof
• Pre-arrangement plans starting at $80 per month, with longer terms available
• French and English service, in person or by phone
• Religious accommodations for several traditions, depending on location

If your family wants a viewing, a reception in a funeral-home chapel, or a cemetery plot connected to the same brand, that vertical integration is real. It's harder to replicate.

Urgel Bourgie cremation cost: what families report

Here's where families often get stuck. Urgel Bourgie does not publish cremation prices on its website. The "Our Packages" page describes options as "transparent and personalized," but to get a number you have to call or book a meeting. That's an industry-wide pattern in Quebec, not unique to Urgel Bourgie, most traditional funeral homes here quote by phone or in person.

What we know from third-party comparison data:

These are reported ranges, not Urgel Bourgie's published rates, they may not match what you're quoted today. To compare Urgel Bourgie's offer to anyone else's, you'll want a written, itemized quote.

You're entitled to one. Under Quebec's Loi sur les arrangements funéraires et de sépulture, every funeral provider must give you a written, itemized price list before you sign. The Office de la protection du consommateur is the regulator, and a useful place to verify a provider's registration if you're unsure. For more on what paperwork you should expect, see our cremation paperwork in Quebec checklist.

Cleo at a glance

Cleo is the other end of the spectrum: one service, one fixed price, published online.

• Direct cremation only, no viewings, no ceremonies, no cemetery plots. If those are what you need, Cleo isn't the right fit.
• All-inclusive published price, transportation, cremation, death certificates, basic urn, and personal hand delivery of the ashes are all part of the listed price. See current pricing.
• 24/7 bilingual phone support in English and French
• Greater Montreal service area: Montreal, Laval, South Shore, West Island, North Shore
• Founders' background: Cleo was started by team members from Paperman & Sons and Rideau Memorial, both century-old Montreal funeral institutions. Cleo as a brand is newer, but the people running it aren't new to Montreal funeral service.

What Cleo intentionally doesn't do: viewings, embalming, on-site receptions, religious services at the funeral home, cemetery sales. If your family wants any of those, you'll need a provider with the facilities to host them, or a separate venue plus Cleo for the cremation itself.

For a deeper look at how a direct cremation works, our guide on what direct cremation actually is walks through the full process.

Side-by-side comparison

This is the table most families want to see. We've kept it factual, neither provider "wins" overall; they're built for different decisions.

A few honest notes on this table:

1. Pricing transparency is a difference, not a judgement. Both quote-based and published-price models are legal and common. The right one depends on whether you want to negotiate scope or compare numbers without a phone call.
2. The direct cremation ranges for Urgel Bourgie come from third-party comparison data (including Cleo's existing Montreal pricing pillar). They're not Urgel Bourgie's official rates, always confirm with a written quote.
3. Cleo's price covers a specific scope. Anything outside it (an urn upgrade, a religious officiant, an obituary placement) you'd arrange yourself or with a separate vendor.

If you want to dig deeper into what cremation actually costs across providers in Montreal, our breakdowns of the true cost of a funeral in Quebec and the true cost of cremation in Quebec lay out every line item.

Reviews: how to read them fairly

Reviews are noisy in this industry. We'll share what's publicly visible, with the caveats that matter.

• Google Maps: Aggregated across Urgel Bourgie's locations, reviews average around the mid-3-star range as of 2026 (verify directly on Google before deciding, review averages shift). Some individual locations score higher, others lower.
• Facebook (Urgel Bourgie / Athos): 54% recommend, based on six reviews, a sample too small to draw conclusions from.
• Chamber of Commerce listing (Lasalle complex): 4.1 stars from 7 reviews, again, a small sample.
• Cleo Google Reviews: Generally high, with a smaller volume than Urgel Bourgie's century of customers.

A few things worth keeping in mind when comparing star ratings:

1. Sample size matters. A 3.6-star average across hundreds of reviews carries more signal than a 5-star average across four reviews, but also catches the inevitable bad weeks any 100-year-old business has lived through.
2. Review platforms have known issues in Quebec funeral and hospitality service. The Montreal publication Tastet has reported on Google review reliability problems in this space. We're not citing that to defend either provider, we're citing it because a pattern across 15 reviews tells you more than a star average.
3. Read the substance, not the score. What complaints repeat? What praise repeats? Recurring themes are more useful than averages.

If you want to do this properly, read the most recent 10–15 reviews for any provider you're considering, both positive and negative, and look for patterns.

Which provider is right for which family?

This is the question that actually matters. Here's an honest answer.

Urgel Bourgie may be the better fit if you want:

• A traditional viewing, ceremony, or reception at a funeral home
• A religious ceremony hosted on-site
• A cemetery plot integrated with the cremation arrangements
• A century-old Montreal institution your family has used before
• A pre-arrangement plan with monthly payments over several years
• An in-person consultation in a physical funeral complex

For families who want the full ceremonial scope, Urgel Bourgie has facilities and capabilities that a direct-cremation provider simply doesn't offer. That's not a backhanded compliment, it's the honest answer.

Cleo may be the better fit if you want:

• Direct cremation, with no funeral-home ceremony
• A published, all-inclusive price you can act on without a phone consultation
• 24/7 bilingual support, useful at 3 a. m. or for out-of-province families
• Personal hand delivery of the ashes to your home
• A simple, fast process when a parent has clearly said "no fuss"

Many families today want cremation without a traditional funeral, then a separate gathering of their own choosing, at home, at a restaurant, in a park. Our guide on planning a non-traditional celebration of life covers how to organize that part yourself. Direct cremation is built for that. We've written more about how this fits modern families in our piece on Cleo vs traditional funeral homes.

How to decide (a short list of questions)

Whichever provider you call, ask the same questions. If you've never done this before, our guide on your first call to a cremation provider walks through what to expect:

1. What is the total all-in price, in writing, with every line item listed?
2. What's included in that price, and what costs extra?
3. Is your facility BNQ-certified? (The answer should be yes, for any Quebec provider.)
4. What happens between pickup and the return of the ashes? How will the chain of custody be tracked?
5. How long until we receive the ashes and the death certificates?
6. If we change our mind about the scope, what can be refunded?

Get the answers in writing. You're entitled to a written, itemized quote, both providers should give you one without hesitation.

How to compare Urgel Bourgie cremation cost (or anyone's) on a like-for-like basis

A short framework if you're comparing two or three Montreal providers:

• Itemize, don't compare totals. A $2,400 quote and a $2,800 quote may include different things. Line them up by category: transportation, cremation, container, certificates, urn, delivery, taxes.
• Watch for "starting at" pricing. When a price is "starting at," ask which add-ons are typical and what they cost. Then add them.
• Confirm the death certificate count. Some providers include three; some include one. Extras typically cost $25–$50 each.
• Confirm what counts as "transportation." Distance, time of day, and weekend pickups are sometimes priced separately. Get this in writing.
• Verify OPC registration. Any legitimate Quebec funeral provider should be registered with the Office de la protection du consommateur.
• Check pre-arrangement terms carefully if you're buying ahead. The prepaid funerals in Canada guide covers what to look for and what to avoid.

The goal isn't to find the cheapest provider. It's to know exactly what you're paying for, and to know nothing on the bill is going to surprise you.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Urgel Bourgie? Urgel Bourgie has been part of Athos Services Commémoratifs since December 2012. In October 2024, Athos and its shareholders sold the company to TorQuest Partners, a Canadian private-equity firm. The brand, locations, and BNQ certification all remained in place after the deal.

How much does Urgel Bourgie charge for cremation? Urgel Bourgie does not publish cremation prices online; you receive a quote by phone or in person. Third-party comparison data places direct cremation at roughly $2,000–$3,000+, and cremation with service at $4,000–$8,000+. Always confirm with a written, itemized quote.

Is Urgel Bourgie BNQ-certified? Yes. Urgel Bourgie is certified by the Bureau de normalisation du Québec, the provincial standards body for funeral services.

What's the difference between direct cremation and traditional cremation? Direct cremation is cremation without a viewing, ceremony, or reception at the funeral home. Traditional cremation includes some or all of those elements. Direct cremation is typically faster, simpler, and less expensive; traditional cremation offers more space for ritual.

Does Urgel Bourgie offer pre-payment plans? Yes, pre-arrangement plans start at around $80 per month, with multi-year terms.

Can I compare quotes from multiple Montreal providers? Yes, and we'd recommend it. Quebec law gives you the right to a written, itemized quote from any funeral provider before you sign. Compare line by line, not by total price.

A note on choosing well

Match the service to what your family actually needs, that's the whole decision.

If your family wants a full ceremony at a heritage Montreal complex, Urgel Bourgie has facilities Cleo simply doesn't have. If your family wants direct cremation at a published price, Cleo is built for exactly that. Both are real, BNQ-certified Quebec providers. Both will treat your loved one with care.

If you'd like to talk through what a direct cremation looks like, or just want a number you can act on without a meeting, Cleo is here 24/7 in English and French. Our cremation services in Montreal page covers the service area and process, and the complete itemized list shows exactly what's in our all-inclusive price.

(438) 817-1770, call any time.

Whichever provider you choose, ask for the written quote, read the reviews carefully, and trust your judgement. There's no wrong way to do this thoughtfully.