Brookside Cemetery has become the first cemetery in Manitoba to offer natural burials, giving Winnipeggers a new environmentally friendly option for final resting places. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYThe half-acre section, certified by the Green Burial Society of Canada, officially opened this year. With no embalming chemicals allowed and caskets made only of biodegradable materials, the burials encourage natural decomposition that enriches the soil. A natural burial lot at Brookside costs $2,420, while the opening and closing of a grave is an additional $1,650. Shenback said the city will consider expanding the Brookside site or introducing natural burials at other cemeteries if community demand grows.