Ottawa has changed almost beyond recognition over the past hundred years — but one local institution has been there through every chapter of the city's growth: Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, the funeral home group that is now marking a full century of service to Ottawa families.
A century of change in the capital
When Hulse, Playfair & McGarry first opened its doors, Ottawa was a smaller, quieter city still finding its identity as the national capital. Streetcars ran downtown, the Byward Market was the heart of daily commerce, and the population was a fraction of what it is today. Over the following hundred years, the company watched the city expand outward through Nepean, Kanata, Orleans, and beyond, absorbing waves of new residents while continuing to serve the families who built Ottawa into what it is now.
Through it all, the business has remained a constant presence for Ottawa residents navigating some of life's hardest moments, adapting its services generation after generation without losing sight of its founding mission.
Adapting without losing sight of the mission
Reaching a 100-year milestone in any industry is rare, but funeral service comes with its own unique demands — deeply personal work that requires trust built over decades, not quarters. Hulse, Playfair & McGarry has had to modernize repeatedly, updating facilities, embracing new technology for arranging and personalizing services, and responding to shifting expectations around how Ottawa families want to honour their loved ones.
That willingness to evolve is part of why the company has outlasted so many other Ottawa businesses from its era. Rather than clinging to a single formula, it has continually reinvested in updated locations and services across the city, ensuring it remains accessible to families in every corner of the region.
Looking to the future
Centennial milestones are as much about looking forward as looking back, and Hulse, Playfair & McGarry is using the occasion to reaffirm its commitment to Ottawa for the next hundred years. That includes continuing to invest locally, train new generations of staff, and refine how it supports grieving families — whether through more personalized ceremonies, expanded digital tools for planning ahead, or simply maintaining the kind of long-term community relationships that don't show up on a balance sheet but matter enormously to the people who rely on them.
For a city that prides itself on institutions with staying power — from its historic markets to its century-old churches and community organizations — Hulse, Playfair & McGarry's milestone fits right into that Ottawa story. It's a reminder that some of the most important businesses in a city aren't the flashiest, but the ones quietly showing up for residents decade after decade.
As Ottawa keeps growing, Hulse, Playfair & McGarry says its focus remains the same as it was a hundred years ago: being there for local families when they need it most.
Source: Ottawa Business Journal
