FAQ: Cremation Questions

You'll need to provide the documents/information required to complete your loved one's death certificate. Other items may be needed at some point, depending on the arrangements made. Visit our arrangement form for a detailed list of all information we will need to collect.

Unlike burial, cremation is irreversible. The BC Government requires a minimum of 48 hours to pass between the time the death and the cremation. During these 48 hours, the deceased will be held in a secure, temperature controlled environment.

When you enter into a discussion with us about the cost of your loved one's cremation, funeral homes are legally obligated to share our General Price List, or GPL. That list details the actual cost of our cremation services, which is a combination of our basic professional services fee, the fee charged by the crematory for the use of their facilities, and any additional charges related to the transportation and safekeeping of the deceased prior to the cremation. You can also see our pricing here.

When a person passes away at a facility without a morgue(ie. care home, pallitaive ward, hospice or residence), we must have staff and a vehicle available to respond within 2 to 3 hours. This requires a staff member to be on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and  with this comes increased staffing costs.

It's difficult for us to answer this question without knowing the specifics of your proposed cremation arrangements. Yet with that said we can tell you there will most likely be extra charges for anything that involves a second-party purchase (such as the publication of your loved one's obituary in a local newspaper). If you select a decorative cremation urn and would like to personalize it with an engraved nameplate; there could be a small fee.

When you make the necessary cremation service arrangements on behalf of a loved one, we will provide you with a copy of our General Price List; a section of which discloses the exact price (or a good-faith estimate) of the most commonly-requested "cash advance items". A “cash advance item” as "any item of service or merchandise... obtained from a third party and paid for by the funeral provider on the purchaser's behalf. Cash advance items may include, but are not limited to: cemetery or crematory services; obituary notices; gratuities and death certificates."

The answer to this is simple: we have to pay for these second-party services or merchandise at the time we make the purchase on your behalf. This requires us to ask for payment for all cash advance items at the time the cremation service contract is agreed to, and signed by the responsible family member. For more specific information about our payment policies, please contact us.

Absolutely, witnessing a cremation gives families the opportunity to gather at the crematorium in order to be present for the beginning of the cremation process. Speak to our staff about your options.

The short answer is "no", but there are exceptions. Let's say you want to have a viewing or visitation. If that's the case, it may be prudent to embalm your loved one, so they look their best for the event. However, we cannot provide embalming services without your permission, and may not lead you to believe embalming is required by law.

Naturally, this question is best answered when we talk specifics: why type of cremator will be used? How large an individual was your loved one? Usually it takes 2 - 2 1/2 hours for the process. A cool-down period follows, and then the cremated remains are processed for a uniform appearance.

Most cremators use natural or L.P. gas; a fact which troubles some who want to see cremation as an "environmentally-friendly" alternative to burial. If you're concerned about the impact of cremation on the environment, speak with your funeral director. There are alternatives, such as burial in a "green" or environmentally-pristine cemetery.

You'd be surprised how often we hear this question! Some people might choose to be undressed so as to 'go out' the same way they 'came in' to the world; but most of the time, the deceased is dressed in the clothing they've selected prior to their death, or chosen by family members after their passing.

It depends upon what you mean as "special", but we do our best to accommodate the wishes of surviving family members. Most commonly, families will ask to place notes, children's drawings, or other personal messages of love; but we've certainly had some unusual requests (such as the inclusion of a cherished pet's collar or treasured keepsake). We encourage you to speak with your funeral director to learn the regulations of the specific crematory responsible for your loved one's cremation.

Certainly not; cremation merely describes the type of physical end-of-life care you intend to provide your loved one. A memorial service is for the living; the individuals emotionally impacted by the death deserve the same level of compassionate attention. And one of the benefits of cremation comes from the larger "window-of-opportunity" in which to plan a meaningful celebration-of-life it provides the surviving family members.

We would never presume to tell you which service is best for your loved one. But your funeral director will be pleased to guide and advise; explain the differences between service formats (traditional funeral, memorial service and celebration-of-life), and share stories of meaningful services they've been a part of–all with the intention of empowering you to make the decision for yourselves.

The purchase of a cremation urn (or a casket, for that matter) from a second or third party sources is one of the rights it guarantees. Funeral homes cannot prevent you from, nor can they charge you an extra fee for, the purchase of a third-party cremation urn.

Again, as we've said elsewhere, the word "should" need not be part of our conversation. There are many things you can do with their ashes–including simply taking them home with you for safekeeping. There may come a time when you know exactly what you'd like to do with them, but it may not be right now. Be patient; the right way to care for them will surface in time. After all, there are a lot of options: scattering them on land or sea is one of the most common; but you can also use the cremated remains in keepsake jewelry or to create meaningful pieces of art. As we said, there is no have-to-do; there's only a want-to-do (and you are in complete control of it). 

Yes, you can. The burial can be in-ground, or your loved one's cremation urn can be placed in a columbarium niche. Speak with your funeral director to learn more about your specific cremation burial options.