Colin Jackson has held two Death Cafes since moving to La Ronge last year. (Image Credit: Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Death Cafe

Death with a side of cake: Discussion group aims to open conversation about dying

Apr 2, 2026 | 4:39 PM

The topic of death is an uneasy one for many people, but one La Ronge resident is hoping to make it less taboo and more accepted.

Death Cafes are group-led discussions on death and dying over a cup of coffee and dessert. They’re mostly held in major cities, but when Colin Jackson moved back to northern Saskatchewan from Ontario in October of 2025, he knew it was something he wanted to bring with him.

“It is morbid, and I think that is kind of the point of it,” Jackson explained.  

“The way that we see death, and the way we talk or don’t talk about death, creates a lot of fear and anxiety. It’s something we just bypass over in this Western-dominated culture. That’s the whole purpose of the Death Cafe: to talk about death to open that dialogue, open that conversation, and just kind of minimize the fear around it.” 

Jackson first began attending Death Cafes a couple months after the death of his brother. Attending the gatherings quickly became a regular occurrence.  

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“I really loved it. I loved participating in dialogue, I loved how I could show up with my grief and talk about the loss, and nobody was trying to manage my feelings,” he explained.

“No one was trying to minimize my feelings either. It’s like I could go there and emote, cry, and talk about how death has impacted me and just be held. Not physically, but that space was there.” 

While some people attend Death Cafes because they are grieving, Jackson noted that other participants may be terminally ill or older and coming to terms with their own mortality. Others are simply curious about the topic.

Their popularity is evident; a quick search online or through social media shows event listings around the world, including some in Saskatchewan.

“What is this thing that is going to happen to all of us at one point in our lives? It’s not necessarily centred around grief, but I don’t think we can talk about death without acknowledging the grief that comes with it. It’s part of it, but it’s not the point of it,” he said. 

Jackson said the Death Cafe isn’t a substitute for therapy, but there are therapeutic attributes in it. It’s also not a healing circle in the traditional sense, but more so an opportunity to have an open discussion about death without any political and religious overtones. 

Another perk about attending a Death Cafe is, of course, the cake.

“The cake is a big part of it. In so many cultures, food is such a central part of getting people together,” Jackson said.  

Jackson hosts a Death Cafe on the last Tuesday of every month between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at La Ronge’s United Church. Anyone can attend.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com