The Cremation Detail Page
Here we discuss the details. It's not necessary for you to read or deal with any of this. That's why you contract the services of a professional funeral provider whose job it is to take care of these things and assist you during, for what most people is, a difficult transition.
Disposition Of Human Remains
How Crematories Work
Funeral Arrangements Without A Funeral Provider
Authorization By Executor
Discussion Of Price Variations
Contract Laws
The proper disposition of human remains is
legally defined: "A person must not dispose of human remains at any place in British
Columbia other than (a) in a cemetery or mausoleum, (b) by cremation, or (c) as
prescribed."
Human remains transported to a funeral home, a cemetery, mausoleum or crematorium or sheltered while awaiting cremation must be handled in "a respectful manner."
It is illegal to bury or cremate human remains without a permit issued by a district registrar of vital statistics. (This documentation is handled by your funeral provider.) Back
The human remains rest in a sturdy, combustible container. The basic container is usually constructed of heavy cardboard. Should the family prefer, other types and weights of combustible containers are normally made available by your funeral provider. It is possible to provide or construct a casket or coffin yourself; however, if would have to meet various safety and other specifications before your funeral provider could arrange cremation.
If there is to be a viewing or ceremony before
cremation, it is usually possible to rent a casket for viewing. In this
case, only the inner container is cremated along with the human remains.
Prices for rental caskets vary widely.
(Note: Oliveira Funeral Home, (604)
942-7920, in Port Coquitlam provides a casket for viewing before cremation
at no cost.)
At a crematorium, the human remains inside the
container are placed in a cremation chamber. There, through intense heat
and evaporation, the body is reduced to its basic elements. Although the
cremated remains are normally referred to as 'the ashes', they are
actually bone fragments. These fragments are further reduced to the
texture we know as 'the ashes.'
The ashes are collected inside in a cardboard container and are transported to the funeral provider. Some providers include the cost of returning the ashes to the family in their basic service fee; others do not. Ask specifically.
All aspects of the cremation of human remains are conducted in "a respectful manner" as stipulated by provincial law. Back
Funeral Arrangements Without A Funeral Provider
The body of the deceased must be cremated at a licenced crematorium. However, all other arrangements, including the transfer of the body to a crematorium, may be made and services can be held without hiring a funeral provider.
The B.C. Ministry of the Attorney General cautions: "It is not recommended that you make your own arrangements without a funeral provider because complications can arise that are difficult to deal with at a time of emotional stress."
Remember, for a start, it is illegal to bury or cremate human remains without a burial permit issued under the Vital Statistics Act administered by the B.C. Ministry of Health. Back
Who has the legal responsibility to control the disposition of the human remains is clearly defined by law. This is the order of priority:
1. The executor
named in the will of the deceased.
2. The surviving spouse of the deceased. Married or not, a spouse is
legally defined as a person living with the deceased as husband or wife for a
continuous period of time of at least two years.
3. An adult child of the deceased.
4. A parent of the deceased.
5. An adult brother or sister of the deceased.
6. An adult nephew or niece of the deceased.
7. An adult next of kin of the deceased (See sections 89 and 90 of
the Estate Administration Act www.qp.gov.bc.ca/cs.)
8. The minister under the BC Benefits (Income Assistance) Act or the
official administrator under the Estate Administration Act. www.qp.gov.bc.ca/cs
9. An adult person having some relationship with the deceased
not based on blood ties or affinity.
In each case from (3) to (6), the order of priority begins with the eldest and descends in order of age. Should the eldest not be available or be unwilling to give instruction, that right passes to the next oldest in that category.
The funeral provider cannot provide funeral services, inter or cremate human remains without written permission from the person with control (ranked in the above list.) Written permission, in this case, means signing and confirming the appropriate documentation which is supplied by the funeral provider.
Signing this documentation, the person with
control assures the funeral provider that she or he confirms the truth of the
facts and the identity of the human remains. Section 52
of The Cemetery and Funeral Act www.qp.gov.bc.ca/bcstats/96045_01.htm
says that, in the case of cremation, the funeral provider or the operator of the
crematorium legally may require visual authorization by the person with
control, but this is rarely necessary. If you are not able,
remember the Act allows you to send "some other person qualified to
establish the identity of the human remains." Back
Discussion Of Price Variations
Several factors effect the price of cremation:
1.
Transfer of the human remains.
2. The type of combustible container for transporting and
safeguarding the deceased. This is a mandatory requirement; the least
expensive is constructed of sturdy cardboard. The funeral provider
normally will have a selection available, and will provide a brochure or
illustrations, and a price list. A handmade or separately purchased casket
or coffin is legally acceptable but must conform to the requirements of the
crematorium.
3. The various documentation necessary. This includes a permit
issued under the Vital Statistics Act, administered by the Ministry of Health.
4. The crematorium. This includes transport of the human
remains, cremation, and returning the ashes to the funeral
provider in a cardboard container.
5. The urn. This is an optional purchase. The funeral
provider will have a selection available, and will provide a brochure or
illustrations, with a price list. You may prefer to retain the original
container from the crematorium.
6. A permanent site for the ashes. For many people, sealing
the urn in a columbarium (urn wall) brings closure, and provides a memoriam, a
place to visit over the years and reflect. Many cemeteries also provide
scattering gardens, which often include a place for inscriptions. It is
also legal (with the landowner's permission) to scatter the ashes on private
property.
If you choose a funeral ceremony, other factors that contribute to the cost include:
7. The professional services of the funeral provider. Like other professionals such as lawyers and accountants, a funeral provider normally charges on a hourly or per-service basis. You may ask to see a statement of these costs in advance.
8. The chapel rental. You may prefer to hold the ceremony in a
church or other appropriate venue. In any case, the services of an
experienced funeral provider normally are greatly appreciated:
providing guests books, printed programs, speakers, ushers, musicians and
soloists; helping to organize and decorate; arranging for the transport
of the body and casket (if there is to be a viewing); coordinating the
event with local ministers or hall managers; recommending or arranging trusted
caterers; and generally providing advice and a presence that adds dignity and
assurance to the event.
9. If there is a viewing, a casket. Normally, the funeral
provider has caskets available on rental. Expect to pay about half the
normal purchase price. Following the service, the interior portion of the
rental casket is removed and cremated with the human remains.
10. If there is a viewing, embalming. There is no legal
requirement to embalm human remains unless the body is to be shipped and is not
expected to arrive at its destination within 72 hours of death. However,
the Ministry of the Attorney General recommends embalming if viewing is
requested, in which case the funeral services contract will provide a space and
a separate line-item cost for embalming, for your written acknowledgement.
There is often discussion about the high costs and mark-ups on such things as
caskets and chapel rentals. Unquestionably, a funeral service is
expensive, but, as noted elsewhere on this site, a death is -- like a birth and
a
marriage -- a landmark event in the life and history of a
family.
Compared to a wedding, even a large funeral is on average
one-third the expense. Although an occasion for grief and contemplation,
it nevertheless creates an anchor event that bonds family life and, for a
moment, links the various generations of a family in a common and binding
experience.
A funeral is never forgotten. Back
Many people find comfort in securing a permanent place for the ashes, somewhere friends and family can return to visit.
Cemetery Burial Plot. Many cemeteries offer small plots where an urn and the ashes can be buried. A marker can be purchased and inscribed. In many cases, you have the option of burying these remains near other family members buried within the cemetery.
Very much like visiting a traditional gravestone, the buried urn provides a final resting place where you and others can leave flowers and remembrances, and revisit.
Urn Wall. A Columbarium or Urn Wall is an above-ground monument, usually in a cemetery or a mausoleum where an urn and its ashes can be sealed and safe kept in perpetuity.
At the columbarium, a plaque or marker can be created and inscribed to denote the location and serve as a permanent remembrance.
Scattering Garden. Many cemeteries offer Scattering Gardens (often Rose Gardens) where you may, for a fee, scatter ashes. You may also have a plaque or marker inscribed there to serve as a permanent remembrance.
For many people, revisiting the garden with its renewal of life provides a fitting and beautiful memorial.
Private Arrangement. Ashes may legally be personally held or scattered. Ashes may be scattered on land (with permission of the property owner), by sea or by air.
With some planning, a private ceremony with friends and relatives scattering ashes in a significant location can be made a memorable event. Some things to consider:
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Is the location accessible enough for you or someone else to revisit?
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Does it provide any permanence as a memorial for other friends and family members to visit?
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Does it appropriately honour the memory of the departed?
Once the ashes are
scattered, your decision is irrevocable.
Back
A funeral services contract, other than a pre-arranged funeral services plan, must state that if the contract is signed by the purchaser at any place other than the funeral provider's place of business (at the purchaser's home or at a hospital, for example) then the purchaser has 24 hours in which to cancel the contract without penalty, but subject to payment for services provided to the time of cancellation (such charges as the transfer of the body and cost of the transport container, as examples).
Disputes
It is recommended that you first attempt to resolve any problems with the funeral provider or cemetery operator involved, preferably with a friend or relative at your side to help you.
If the problem remains unresolved, explain the situation in writing and send your letter to the Registrar of Cemeteries and Funeral Services who will investigate the complaint for you. All funeral providers and cemetery operators are registered with the Registrar who is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Cemetery and Funeral Services Act.
Registrar
of Cemeteries and Funeral Services
Consumer Services
Ministry of Attorney General
5th Floor, 1019 Wharf Street
Victoria, B.C., V8W 2Y9
Telephone: (250) 387-1271
Facsimile: (250) 953-3533
