Below is a list of questions and responses that we commonly receive at the funeral home. We will continue to include any new questions in this section that we feel would be helpful to others.
If you have a question that has not been covered in this site we would like to hear from you. You may use the "Ask the Director" section of our site to forward your question or comments to us.
If you would prefer to call us on the telephone, our staff would be pleased to provide an answer to any funeral related matter you may have. If we do not have the answer immediately, we will find it for you and contact you the minute the information is in our hands.
A prearranged service is a service arrangement made prior to a death. The service could include a full formal funeral service, remembrance service or immediate disposition. It is a practical way of determining your wishes for your own service or for the service of a person for whom you are responsible. These arrangements can be made with the funeral director either in the funeral home or at your own residence.
The prearranged service is part of sensible estate planning. When you discuss a prearranged service with a funeral director, it gives you an opportunity to ask questions. It is a time for you to be sure you fully understand what services are performed and costs involved. You can make unhurried decisions regarding the professional services which will be required, the type of casket you wish to have, suggestions for the service itself and indicate your preferences for burial, entombment or cremation. With this information in hand, you can make thoughtful, informed decisions, which will serve as a guide for family and friends. Prearranging is a practical idea that makes sense.
Everyone should consider a prearranged service, regardless of age or background. The type of people who prearrange will vary, from the retired couple to the young married couple, to the single person with no family connections, to someone responsible for the care of another. All realize that the time to plan a service is now.
Some people believe that planning for a service now will save others that responsibility later. They are providing guidelines for their survivors or, alternatively, making arrangements for someone in their care. A number of nursing homes now require that service arrangements be in place prior to a resident entering the home. Also, health care professionals may recommend that familles caring for a terminally ill individual make service arrangements.
Contact a funeral director and make an appointment. The discussion of your wishes with the funeral director should be an open and frank conversation in a relaxed environment. Included in this discussion will be the services and merchandise desired, the costs involved, and the provision of statistical information to the funeral director. Details discussed can range from who should be informed of the service and the type of music played at the service, to special instructions for the disposition of the remains. The plans for the service should leave room for the wishes of close family members. The major reason for the service rite is to allow the survivors the opportunity to satisfy their own emotional and psychological needs. Therefore, while the service is of the person who has died, it is also for the survivors. You should discuss the type of arrangements you want with your estate trustee (executor), family, friends and the clergy.
Yes. Although there are no requirements to prepay when you prearrange a service, you may wish to consider doing so. The act that governs funeral directors requires the funeral director to deposit the prepaid funds in a trust account with a bank, trust company, credit union or the Guaranteed Funeral Deposits of Canada (Fraternal) until the services are required. At your request the prepaid service funds can be withdrawn and returned to you, together with all accrued interest, subject to payment of an administration fee prescribed by law.
Prepaid funds are protected by a Compensation Fund funded by all funeral homes and administered by the Board of Funeral Services, the regulator body in the Province of Ontario.
Sometimes individuals fund the cost of service expenses with life insurance policies. While such policies may be arranged independently of the funeral home with your usual insurer, many funeral homes have information about insurance policies which have been specifically designed by insurance companies for use in funding the cost of services. You may wish to check with your local funeral home as to what types of policies my be available. Like any other insurance policy, you should ensure that you understand the fine print; what costs of covered, what your cost is, what your cancellation rights are, whether there is inflation protection built into the policy, and any other factors which are pertinent to your particular situation. Usually the Compensation Fund administered by the Board of Funeral Services will not cover prearrangements funded by insurance, unless funds for premiums or other payments are actually paid to the funeral home.
What statistical information will be required from the funeral director?
Answer:
The following statistical information about the person whose service is being arranged will be requested by your funeral director:
1. Name, address, birth date and birth place
2. Social Insurance number.
3. The full name of the husband or maiden name of the wife, even if widowed or divorced.
4. Most recent occupation.
5. Father's name and birth place, mother's maiden name and her birth place.
6. Name and address of estate trustee (executor), legal representative and next-of-kin.
The funeral director in your community is a skilled professional dedicated to providing careful, responsible and efficient services.
