At Home or a Place of Business
If the person was not under hospice care, the police will have to be notified immediately. The police will be dispatched to the home and will place the call to the coroner. Although the coroner must release the body before the funeral home can take your loved one into our care, you can still call the funeral home to begin planning the final arrangements. If the person was under hospice care, contact the hospice representative, and they will notify family members what the proper procedures are to follow.
At a Hospital / Nursing Home / Hospice Facility
The staff of a care facility, such as a hospital or nursing home, will notify you and the necessary authorities immediately after a death has occurred. If a funeral home has been provided to the hospital or nursing home, they will be notified at the time of passing. If you are present at the hospital when the funeral director arrives, they will ask a few questions about the deceased's wishes and set up a time to make arrangements. If you are not present, a funeral director will contact you by telephone to discuss these arrangements.
Informing a Funeral Director
Once everything has been cleared with the proper authorities, the next call you place should be to a licensed funeral director. Funeral directors are here to help you obtain a death certificate, transport the body, and, in the event pre-planning was not done, select a casket or urn and arrange the funeral or memorial service. Funeral directors are there to help you and advise you.
Meeting a Funeral Director
You should meet with a funeral director within 24 hours of a death to begin making final arrangements for your loved one. Deciding on these final arrangements may seem like a very daunting task, especially when you are in a heightened emotional state. Funeral home staff have years of experience, and will strive to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Information Checklist
Here is a list of information the funeral home will ask about your loved one upon meeting to make arrangements. This information is needed to create death certificates and is collected by Statistics Canada:
- Full name and address
- Marital status
- Date and city of birth
- Social Insurance Number
- Health Card Number
- Father's name and mother's name (including maiden name)
- Place of birth of father and mother
- Name of spouse (if married or widowed)
- Occupation and employer
- Information from the informant, such as their full name and address