Death Cafe profile for Gina Vliet
Location: Canada
About Gina Vliet:
Gina is a member The Order of the Good Death and an advocate for death positivity.
Her Death Cafe is currently on hiatus (2023) but she will be back! Watch here for updates.
What brings you to Death Cafe?
I want to bring discussions about death and dying back into everyday conversation.
Thoughts for sharing:
I believe getting comfortable with our entire life cycle allows us to address the emotional aspects of death and dying. This frees us to work on the practical parts of the process, and in doing so we can find more joy in living.
Contact Gina Vliet
Gina Vliet's posts on the Death Cafe website
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:14 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 28, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get the Zoom link.
https://www.meetup.com/death-cafe-edmonton/
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:14 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Nov. 30, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get the Zoom link.
https://www.meetup.com/death-cafe-edmonton/
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:13 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Oct. 26, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get the Zoom link.
https://www.meetup.com/death-cafe-edmonton/
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:13 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Sept. 28, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get the Zoom link.
https://www.meetup.com/death-cafe-edmonton/
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:13 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Aug. 31, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get the Zoom link.
https://www.meetup.com/death-cafe-edmonton/
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:12 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
July 27, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call.Please email for the link.
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:12 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
March 30, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call. Please email for the link
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:11 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Feb. 23, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call. Please email for the link.
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:11 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Jan. 26, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call. Please email for th link
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:11 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
June 29, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call. Please email for the link
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:10 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
May 25, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call.please email for the link.
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 22, 2022, 6:09 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
April 27, 2022, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
You must be registered in Meetup to get access to the Zoom call. Please email to get the link.
Practitioners question: Where's the Line?
Posted by Gina Vliet on March 25, 2021, 1:06 p.m. 2 comments
I have been hosting Death Cafe every 2-3 weeks since 2018. I am also a Death Educator in real life. However, I have been very careful never to mention what I do, nor allow industry people to use DC as a marketing or advice-giving platform. I've also attended a ...
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 11:01 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 22, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 11:01 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 1, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
With Gina Vliet
Nov. 10, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
With Gina Vliet
Oct. 20, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:59 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Sept. 29, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:59 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Sept. 8, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:37 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Aug. 18, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:36 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
July 7, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:35 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
July 7, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:35 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
June 16, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:34 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
May 26, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:34 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
May 5, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:34 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
April 14, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:33 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
March 24, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:33 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
March 3, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:32 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Feb. 10, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 23, 2020, 10:31 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Jan. 20, 2021, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe [Mountain Time Zone]
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 1, 2020, 12:18 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 30, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:38 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Aug. 26, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:37 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Aug. 5, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:36 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 9, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:36 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Nov. 18, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:34 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Oct. 28, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:33 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Oct. 7, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on Sept. 11, 2020, 10:30 a.m.
With Gina Vliet
Sept. 16, 2020, 7.15 p.m. - 8.45 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on May 18, 2020, 2:08 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
July 15, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on May 18, 2020, 2:04 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
June 24, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe: Virtual Death Cafe Edmonton Mountain Timezone
Posted by Gina Vliet on May 18, 2020, 2:03 p.m.
With Gina Vliet
June 3, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
With Gina Vliet
May 13, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
April 22, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
April 1, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
March 11, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Feb. 19, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Jan. 29, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Jan. 8, 2020, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
Was asked to speak on the radio recently about Edmonton Alberta's first green burial cemetery. And of course Death Cafe came up!
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active/clip/15731227-burials-going-green
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 11, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Nov. 20, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Oct. 30, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Oct. 9, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Sept. 18, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Aug. 28, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
Aug. 7, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
July 17, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
On April 30, 2019, CBC Radio 1's Adrienne Pan, host of Radio Active, explored the Death Cafe and death positive movement in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
CBC Radio Active : https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active/clip/15694543-discussing-death-at-death-cafe
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on May 17, 2019, 1:38 p.m.
With a new batch of curious Café-ers due to recent newspaper and radio coverage, we kicked off the meeting with a round table of introductions and the question: “What are you here for?” Two prevailing themes emerged: curiosity, and a need to understand how to begin conversations about death.
Dividing the group into two due to size, they began animated discussions about what was on their minds. Death doulas, hospice and palliative care, suicide, and grief were discussed.
Halfway through, so that everyone got a chance to hear different perspectives, I had the groups stretch and shuffle. An understanding that everyone’s coming to the topic of ...
Thank-you to Adrienne Pan, host of Radio Active for engaging in a conversation about Edmonton's new Death Cafe.
"Death Cafe is not a place, it's a global movement."
This segment of the program aired on CBC Radio April 30, 2019 at 3PM MST. It is ~7 minutes long.
CBC Radio Active: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active/clip/15694543-discussing-death-at-death-cafe
Press: Cake, Coffee, and Mortality: Conversations About Death and Dying Come Alive at Edmonton Death Cafe
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 29, 2019, 12:44 p.m.
"A group of Edmontonians meets every month to discuss death positiviyt, preparing fro death, and getting over the taboo of the "D words" - death, dying, deceased. Death Cafes are a growing, global movement, and the Edmonton chapter opened in November 2018."
We did in fact hold our first meeting on ...
The Star Edmonton: https://www.thestar.com/edmonton/2019/04/28/cake-coffee-and-mortality-conversations-about-dying-come-alive-at-edmontons-death-caf.html
With Gina Vliet
June 26, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
June 5, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
May 15, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on April 25, 2019, 2:04 p.m.
At the April 24th Death Café, our topics for discussion leaned to the cerebral side. The group opened the discussion by referencing an April 17, 2019 National Post article on scientists restoring brain activity in recently slaughtered pigs, and how that related to Near Death Experiences (NDE’s) and whether we feel anything after we die. Traumatic death came up, and some attendees were yesterday days old when they figured out that bells in Victorian coffins were where the expression “saved by the bell” came from! Talk then went further down the rabbit hole into acid trips and the first law of Thermodynamics, where energy can neither be ...
With Gina Vliet
May 15, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.30 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
April 24, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
April 3, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
With Gina Vliet
March 13, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
Registration is through Meetup. Look for Death Cafe Edmonton.
My promise to you is that these conversations will be respectful, inclusive, and life-affirming.
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on Feb. 28, 2019, 12:31 p.m. 1 comment
Another bitterly cold evening, but we prevailed! As all drooled over the food and cakes people were noshing, we began with our perceptions on final methods: how people feel about body disposition. We covered composting of remains, green burials, two kinds of cremation, embalming, and other corpse-related perceptions. This led to some laughs about spreading ashes, of course, because what cremation discussion is complete without someone getting grandma’s ashes in their eye/hair/mouth?
We tackled fears around declining health in old age and if we’d want to die before or after our loved ones. Urban isolation, aging in place, and choosing the right assisted living ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on Feb. 28, 2019, 11:58 a.m.
New Year, new venue for us this Winter Wednesday night, January 30, 2019, and a conversation circle made up of local Edmontonians as well as people travelling in from St. Albert, Leduc, and Stony Plain. The meetup’s conversation was lively and at times emotional, as we discussed for starters, did we want to die alone or surrounded by people. We talked about the sacredness of witnessing a loved one’s death, and how some would prefer for themselves that this last rite of passage be by invitation only.
This led to conversation about Near Death Experiences (NDE’s) from both the scientific and personal experience perspectives. Then ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on Feb. 3, 2019, 12:15 a.m.
New Year, new venue for us this Winter Wednesday night, January 30, 2019, and a conversation circle made up of local Edmontonians as well as people travelling in from St. Albert, Leduc, and Stony Plain. The meetup was lively and at times emotional, as we discussed for starters, did we want to die alone or surrounded by people. We talked about the sacredness of witnessing a loved one’s death, and how some would prefer for themselves that this last rite of passage be by invitation only.
This led to conversation about Near Death Experiences (NDE’s) from both the scientific and personal experience perspectives. Then some attendees ...
With Gina Vliet
Feb. 20, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
Gina has a training and facilitation background and runs these meetups in a way that ensures everyone has a chance to contribute, and all participants feel respected and safe.
With Gina Vliet
Jan. 30, 2019, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Accepts donations
Gina has a training and facilitation background and runs these meetups in a way that ensures everyone has a chance to contribute, and all participants feel respected and safe.
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on Dec. 6, 2018, 11:18 p.m.
There was an even half dozen of us for this Tuesday evening gathering, December 4, 2018. All but one were returning attendees, which was nice to see. We were pretty much the only people in the café, as the weather was a bit nasty, but we made up for it in personality!
For this week’s meet, the group wanted to begin by addressing the question I had posted on our MeetUp page, “How has having someone die around a special date/holiday impacted you? Where do mourning/grieving them and celebrating their life intersect?”
We talked about loss and loneliness, especially around the holidays, and how our ...
With Gina Vliet
Dec. 4, 2018, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on Nov. 22, 2018, 2:43 p.m.
We were a small but mighty group for this week's November 19th gathering. But what amazing discussion! Two themes really stuck out for me during the evening. One was how the potential for living on virtually will impact how we define death and dying in the future. With the onset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and our ongoing virtual lives on Facebook, etc., will we ever really die? David Eagleman’s idea of the third death came up. Will we die a third and final time, being forgotten, if we live on in the matrix forever?
We expanded that conversation to the concepts of the soul, karma, and ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Edmonton
Posted by Gina Vliet on Nov. 21, 2018, 6:54 p.m.
We held our first Death Café Edmonton on November 1st, the Day of The Dead. Just because we’re fun that way.
The event seats had sold out quickly, but as with any free event, about half didn’t show up. Not to worry, our empty seats were taken by some wait listers, and a few people who just happened upon the event, which was most excellent. We ended up with two perfectly sized groups of four, which kept the conversation lively and everyone engaged.
I started by thanking the venue, made sure everyone had all the tea and snacks they wanted, then went into the history of ...
With Gina Vliet
Nov. 19, 2018, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Free
With Gina Vliet
Nov. 1, 2018, 7.00 p.m. - 8.15 p.m. (Mountain)
Free