Lawsuits filed against Crapaud funeral home at heart of RCMP investigation

People have begun filing lawsuits in P.E.I.'s small claims court over prepaid funeral arrangements they made with Dawson Funeral Home, which lost its licence to operate last year.

The RCMP confirmed in February that they were investigating the Crapaud business over alleged financial irregularities, saying some payments given to the funeral home had not been placed in trust, as required by the P.E.I. Prearranged Funeral Services Act, and couldn't be accounted for.

The legal actions filed in small claims court are seeking redress from the business, as well as from owner Lowell Oakes, 70, of Crapaud. Three suits have been filed so far, all in the past two weeks, seeking amounts ranging from $8,000 to $20,000.

One alleged victim who had prepaid for a funeral is 94 years old and living at home on a limited income.

"The money used for her funeral arrangements was money her and her husband proudly saved with their hard-earned money," the court document says. "She trusted [Oakes] with her meagre savings."

Another plaintiff said in the legal documents that Oakes came to the family's home after word broke about the alleged irregularities.

"He informed us that the $20,000 ,,, had never been deposited. He indicated it was hard to make ends meet in that business ... but [he] had always been able to cover funerals as they arose," the lawsuit claims.

"He asked us not to share this information with anyone outside our home. He did not want anyone to know."

The third plaintiff claims, among other things, that Dawson Funeral Home was paid more than $3,500 for a headstone but that the supplier never saw the money.

The allegations in the small claims court lawsuits have not been proven in court, and Dawson Funeral Home and Lowell Oakes have not filed responses. No criminal charges have been laid.

Police contacted

The plaintiffs in all three of these claims say they are among the people who have contacted the RCMP with details of their prearranged funeral contracts with Dawson.

A police spokesperson said the payments were made from 1998 to 2021, and could affect "dozens or close to a 100" funerals, with total amounts "in the hundreds of thousands of dollars."

The P.E.I. Funeral Services and Professions Board is assisting the RCMP's Major Crime Unit with its investigation and has suspended Dawson Funeral Home's licence.

On Friday, a representative from the board told CBC News it has nearly completed a separate investigation on the funeral home.