Terms you need to know
Service or Provider refers to an operator of a cemetery, crematorium, funeral home or transfer service. You may obtain a list of licensed cemeteries and crematoriums from the Ministry of Consumer Services at www.ontario.ca and a list of licensed funeral homes, funeral directors and transfer services from the Board Of Funeral Services at www.funeralboard.com. Supplies may include caskets, markers and monuments, vaults, urns and flowers. Services may include a funeral, visitation, opening and closing of a grave and cremation.
Who has the legal authority to decide?
One of the first things to determine after someone dies is who has the authority to decide what will happen to the deceased person’s body. Here is a list, in order, of who may act as legal representative to make decisions:
- – Estate trustee, also called an executor or executrix, who is named in the deceased person’s will (or an administrator appointed by the court)
- – Spouse
- – Adult children
If you are the legal representative, the Provider may ask you to provide photo identification and proof of your authority, such as a will or court order, before making arrangements. To learn more about wills and estates law, please visit www.ontario.ca and follow links to the Ministry of the Attorney General.
When is it necessary to use a Provider?
Depending on the services you choose, the deceased person may be moved to a funeral home, a transfer service, a cemetery or a crematorium. Unless you or your family intend to carry out the services yourselves, only a Provider may offer funeral and transfer services. If you choose burial or cremation, you must involve a cemetery or crematorium. If you are going to move a body out of Ontario, you should speak to a funeral home or transfer service provider.
How can each Provider help?
This chart outlines the types of services usually offered by different Providers:
Funeral service and supplies, such as:
- – Coordinating religious and non-religious funeral and memorial services, receptions and the rental of facilities
- – Removing the body from the place of death
- – Washing, embalming and dressing the body
- – Placing the body in a casket and delivering it to a cemetery or crematorium
- – Registering the death
- – Transporting the body to or from a place of worship
- – Arranging to transport the body of the deceased out of Ontario
- – Caskets, urns, vaults and flowers.
Transfer service and supplies, such as:
- – Removing the body from the place of death
- – Placing the body in a casket and delivering it to a cemetery or crematorium
- – Registering the death
- – Arranging to transport the body of the deceased out of Ontario
- – Caskets, urns and vaults.
Depending on class of licence, they may be permitted to:
- – Wash and dress the body
- – Transport the body to or from a place of worship.
Note: A transfer service cannot arrange or provide funeral services.
Cemetery services and supplies, such as:
- – In-ground graves
- – Crypts in a mausoleum
- – Niches in a columbarium
- – Monuments
- – Places to scatter cremated remains
- – Vaults, urns, flowers and openings and closings of graves, niches or crypts.
Cremation services and supplies, such as:
- – Cremation
- – Viewing of cremation
- – Flowers, monuments and urns.
Note: You may purchase certain supplies, such as caskets, monuments, markers and flowers from persons who are not licensed under the Act. If you do, you should first check with the Provider to make sure these are acceptable.
