Funeral association president says more support needed to help families struggling to bury loved ones

Funeral Service Association of Canada president Jeffrey Weafer says people like Janice Strickland — who had struggled to afford a funeral for her daughter — are becoming more common.

His organization advocates for support from both provincial and federal governments for those in the funeral industry and he applauded Newfoundland and Labrador's recent announcement that income support death benefits would be boosted to a maximum of $5,000. 

The CBC's Elizabeth Whitten spoke with Weafer about the financial pressure funeral home operators and families are facing.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: When I hear stories like the Stricklands, who struggled to afford a funeral for their daughter, they're heartbreaking. It sounds like it's becoming a problem everywhere. Is that what you're hearing?

A: It's a common story and members of the Funeral Service Association of Canada sit with families every day who have stories just like that. Death has come to their family unexpectedly or it has been anticipated but the affordability crisis is really wreaking havoc on their world. So whether you're on the far west coast or the far east coast, affordability for end of life choices, it comes home to roost.

There are provincial programs in every province but there is no national standard for that.

I applaud the Newfoundland government for taking steps toward helping folks who are having a difficult time affording end of life arrangements.

There's a wide range of support among the provinces, from the west coast where in B.C the rates for social assistance begin at $1,285 and Alberta provides $6,000. The province that I'm in, Saskatchewan, has a $4,500 grant. Families have to work within that and that causes problems.

Your association has asked the federal government to increase the Canada Pension Plan death benefit, can you explain what you're asking for?

The Canada Pension Plan death benefit has been frozen in time for 27 years. In 1997 it was $3,580 and it was an indexed amount. And in the spirit of sustaining the program overall, the government of the day reduced it to $2,500. And not everyone automatically receives that $2,500. For example, the Strickland family didn't qualify.

If the death benefit had stayed in place at the 1997 level and been indexed for inflation, it would be in the neighborhood of over $6,000. That would essentially cover what the average Canadian spends for end of life arrangements.

Earlier this year, the federal government announced that they were topping it up to $5,000. But we've found that to qualify for that you have to have never received a Canada Pension payment and have no survivors. So no beneficiaries, no survivors. If you look at how many Canadians would actually qualify for that, it's an incredibly small number.

Did you have conversations with funeral home operators in N.L. about the need to increase government funding?

We've had conversations with Funeral Service Association of Canada members in Newfoundland and the changes that were announced. They're quite happy to see it — not happy for themselves — but really for the families who've experienced the loss because it is heartbreaking to see stories that have surfaced nationally about families in Newfoundland who just don't have the means.

There's been a storage issue that there's deceased individuals being stored at health-care facilities because the families can't afford to make final arrangements.

But wouldn't it be an amazing day if there was a national standard that those who are without means in our country could count on? And we're a far cry from that. But it's certainly something to work in partnership with provincial associations and as a national reaching association to lobby our government to listen to Canadians who are struggling financially.

Children, Seniors and Social Development Minister Pike recently told CBC News that the previous financial assistance amount of $2,300 was enough for funeral home operators to get people buried. Were funeral home operators losing money before?

It's the government asking private industry to subsidize.

In a previous Saskatchewan government I sat across from a deputy minister on behalf of the funeral service industry and they said, "Well, we'll just put out a request for proposal and let the lowest bidder get the work." Why would you do that? We want to provide dignified service and support for those less fortunate in our community. So why would you want to ask us as a private industry to either operate at or below what it actually costs? 

Our staff costs have increased just like every other business.

When the government says $2,300 should be enough, think of what you can purchase for $2,300 these days. It takes about 40 person hours from start to finish to serve the average family. Being on call when that death occurs, 24 hours. Bringing that individual in your care, having trained professional staff, all the equipment that's required. Providing care and handling of the deceased so the families can respectfully say goodbye.

Clearly that individual hasn't hasn't really had a real perspective of the cost of doing business.

Death-care professionals are truly the last, unrecognized, link on the health-care chain. No one wants to think about death. We're in a death denial culture. People don't want to think about that but when a death occurs, they certainly need a death-care professional.

In N.L a cremation can cost more than $4,000 but in N.S. I've seen it offered at $1,300 — why is there a discrepancy in costs for the same service?

It's important to compare apples to apples because families call funeral homes all the time and ask, "How much is cremation?" That's like saying how much is a car or how much is a house? There's a wide range of assistance. There can be additional costs like if there needs to be a death certificate or if the funeral home is called at 3 a.m. to collect a body. There can also be a rush cremation fee.

When someone says, "Oh, we just want a simple graveside service" — well, what does that look like to you? Are there folks who are challenged in terms of mobility who will be attending? Maybe you need some chairs set out. How large of a group are you anticipating? Do you have anyone speaking, then perhaps you would like a sound system.

There's questions that a consumer should ask.

So sit down and have a conversation with a trusted funeral professional and ask them what exactly is involved in that cost, and the best time to have that conversation is in advance.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.