There seems to be some confusion regarding the new Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act…
– When I am helping people pre-arrange their funerals, I can take all of the same information as before with regard to their preferences including burial and cremation preferences.
– If I am helping people with the pre-payment of their funerals, I can only accept the money that is associated with the goods and services that the funeral home is allowed to accept money for. Those goods and services do not include the goods and services that cemeteries or crematoriums supply. So, prior to July 1, 2012 part of the money that you invested with a Funeral Home could have included the cost of cremation or the cost of opening a grave. As of July 1, 2012 it cannot. If cemeteries and crematoriums want to offer a program whereby you can pre-pay for their services then that is up to them.
However…
– If I am arranging a funeral at the time of need, I can accept money for cemeteries and crematoriums as long as I have a signed agreement with them stating that I can accept their money. I can still act on your behalf to order goods and services from cemeteries and crematoriums and order grave openings as long as I have permission to act on your behalf.
– At the Blenheim Community Funeral Home we realize how very stressful it is when someone passes away and we believe that it is our job to make your life easier by taking the burden off you so that you can do what you need to do which is to grieve.
– At the Blenheim Community Funeral Home we have made the commitment to work with cemeteries and crematoriums to obtain the necessary agreements to continue to offer the same level of service to you that you have been accustomed to receiving. As this has been a major change, some cemeteries have yet to complete their agreements so there may be some bumps in the road yet, but it shouldn’t be long before everything is finalized.
