Complaints Against Funeral Directors

For most of us, we see Funeral Service as a "calling". It is not simply a job or a paycheque, but rather a service to our community. We are here to assist grieving families at a time when they need emotional, spiritual and physical support along with practical guidance and help. While we are proud of our profession's high standards and abilities to regulate itself, we understand that on occasion we are unable to meet the expectations of our client families. Likewise, as with every profession, there are some individuals that do not meet the standards of the profession.

Funeral Service is regulated provincially and each province has it's own legislation. In Ontario we are presently regulated under the Funeral Directors and Establishments Act which was enacted in 1990. Under that legislation the Board of Funeral Services of Ontario regulates all funeral homes and funeral directors, transfer services and transfer service operators, and removal services which provide trade support to funeral homes. They: oversee the licensing examinations for new licensees and establishments; handle the annual licensing for all licensees and establishments; conduct regular inspections of establishments and their records; investigate and mediate all disputes between consumers and licensees; and discipline licensees when necessary.

In the event that you have an issue with a Funeral Director, we sincerely encourage you to resolve the matter with the following steps:
1. Speak to the Funeral Director and attempt to resolve your concerns. Most issues are as the result of a communication gap, and generally funeral service personnel will do whatever they can to address your concerns.
2. Speak to the funeral home owner or manager. As with any business, when you cannot resolve an issue with staff, make the owner or manager aware of your problems. As a manager I can tell you that you will be doing them a favour. How can we resolve a problem when we may not know that it even exists?
3. Take your concerns to the Board of Funeral Services. Ultimately if steps1 and 2 do not resolve your concerns, I encourage you tobring the issues to the Board of Funeral Services. Ultimately their role is to look out for the consumer.You will be required to file a complaint in writing, but they will then investigate and try to mediate the issue. In extreme cases, if the Funeral Director has done something wrong, they have the power to discipline the licensee and even suspend their license. However, in most cases, asan outside third party they are able to find middle ground and mediate the dispute.

We are confident that you will never need to contact the Board, but when necessary we would much prefer that you did contact them and have your concerns addressed, rather than forever feel that you were improperly dealt with by our profession. The Ontario Board is located in downtown Toronto and can be reached via the following:

Phone: 1-800-387-4458

Fax:1-416-979-0384

email: info@funeralboard.com

website: www.funeralboard.com