Discussions

Is not about the rising cost of cremation but the rise of the instances of cremation chosen over a traditional burial.

Like you mentioned, it is a business. Not many people have the ability to do the work that morticians, funeral directors, cemetery workers, etc do, and I do think that they should be compensated for the very important jobs that they have. Not only the labour (emotional and physical), but also the cost of materials, their skills, and other assets.  
 
That being said, I think that there are a few issues at hand here. The emotional aspect is significant, because at the end of the day you are putting a price on the burial of someone's loved one. Of course nothing is free, however asking for families to pay for basic burial seems unfair. The unfortunate reality is that everyone dies one day, and I don't agree that we should expect someone or their loved ones to put money aside specifically for their death unless they want something particularly special.  
 
If you ask me, I don't think it's unreasonable for the government to cover basic burial costs, whether someone wants to be buried or cremated, and a basic headstone or plaque.

Everything the government does we pay for. Nothing is free. In the big picture it’s cheaper for individuals not the bureaucracy to pay for. My grandpa had everything totally pre-paid. That’s the way everyone should go.  
 
Cemeteries are a waste of land. Currently Canada has 36 million people. Where do you put 36 million graves? Over hundreds and eventually thousands of years?  
 
Check out the Paris catacombs wiki.

From the article linked above: "Research from Tom Niebuhr's InMemory database suggests that on average, a burial costs between $5,000 and $10,000 in Canada. A cremation, his team found, costs considerably less — from $2,000 to $5,000."  
 
The 'death benefit' from the Government of Canada is up to $2500. Of course the deceased must have paid into CPP for the estate to be elligible. If a person has no work history and there is not enough money to pay for a basic funeral, EIA will also help with funds.

Are pretty lucky in this country. But you can’t expect government and ultimately the tax payer to do everything for you. That bankrupts a country pretty quickly and is unsustainable in the long term.

http://legacycremationservices.ca/cremation-services/manitoba/minnedosa  
 
there are lots of things one can do to plan for a funeral besides just the funeral home or crematorium. do you have a will, a poa, a health care directive. Who takes care of the kids? how does the money flow, is a trust being used? so much more than just a funeral...…. or celebration of life...….. do we take advantage of various products to reduce probate? do we seek that information? just not do anything and let the survivor figure it out.

If such a policy were to increase the cost of traditional burials and cremations then what is the point? Far better to let market forces, supply/demand dictate cost .

wow, you jump to conclusions! I have no connection to the industry. Most are not aware you can go directly for this service. We have made these arrangements for very senior parents and will do the same for ourselves. feel free to go to either funeral home in town, brockie or memories.... no solicitation there either.

Death is something that everyone knows is coming. Planning for same should not be that big of a deal. The amount of planning needed corresponds with the financial situation of self and/or affected. I have no sympathy for those that cannot grasp this.  
 
As for people in need, the government will pay the bare minimum for services if the person has required assistance for living (EIA).  
 
Not rocket science people.

I cremated my father and it cost $1200. less then the CPP benifit  
 
My son was free (to us, thanks Memories chapel) but we did buy an urn for $100.  
 
Dying can be affordable and with everything in life you have to make choices. Altho technically not everyone gets Cpp, the rest likley get similar from EIA so Imo the government is already handling what they feel is sufficient fund for dying. Cpp covers $2500 so if you want more then that is up to you, or your loved ones, seems reasonable to me

Just curious how much is cremation in Manitoba?

was 4 years ago and in a larger center, Dada didnt want a lot of money spent on him so it was bare bones. No box, straight into the pit. we did have a viewing so they did embalm him, limited to 1/2 hour at the same location as the cremation, industrial area setting. They picked him up from the morgue. I wouldn't say it was lovely but it was what he wanted, cheap  
 
Cremation can be done cheaply but it is bare bones and you need competition

I still don't understand how this excuses people from planning ahead. Thses are all cop out excuses. How hard is it for people to plan ahead? Even if they can't have the required money in savings, have a small life insurance policy with the express intention of having that pay for your expenses..  
 
Edited by JustASoul, 2020-02-17 17:34:03

cremation is expensive. Plus to be buried here at our cemetery it is quite costly and it seems the city raises burial prices every single budget they put forth.  
For a grave for a body it may well be over 2 grand now. Plus probably close to another grand for the actual service of burying. Got to check again. You even get charged for pallbearers if you have none.  
 
Edited by Johnbisonbear, 2020-02-17 17:44:55

You don’t send out cards to thirty different places and keep your urn choice reasonable the cost is not that bad at all! The death benefit covers a huge portion if you choose wisely, but the burn at tax time can be more painful then the price of the cremation was for receiving that cheque. Choose the funeral home wisely as well!! Like anything else shop around

I am considered low income yet I am prepared and fully expect to cover funeral costs for my parents, my wife, my daughter, oh and myself. Yes there should be a basic safety net for those unable to cover their own costs ( stuff happens ) but beyond that it should be up to the individual to provide for ones self.

One thing to keep in mind is that it will always been more expensive you you buy funeral services at the time of need - that's life. If things are pre-paid, it's often significantly cheaper.  
 
I know that seems like it's taking advantage of a family during a time of crisis, but it's also the reality. When my grandfather died with no preplanning, it was about 30% more than the preplaned stuff we did for another family member a few months later.  
 
Also, for a young person it's worth considering getting a small life insurance policy to cover your final expenses. If you buy when young, they are very, very cheap. Some whole life policies are 20-pay-life, meaning you pay for 20 years but get coverage for life. We have for our children more for when they're adults, and it's literally a few bucks a month.

I know quite a few people that have a small policy for exactly this reason. Many estate planners even recommend this. The reason is that even when there is a sufficient estate to cover any funeral costs, that takes time to work through the system. A small life insurance policy payable upon production of a certificate of death frees up money immediately to deal with expenses relating to not only, the funeral, but also financial aspects of settling the estate such as the accountant, lawyer etc. Financial planning involves more than just an RRSP.  
 
Edited by JustASoul, 2020-02-17 19:14:18

We have had life insurance on ourselves since our early 20’s and have a policy for each of our children. We got it as soon as they were each born. It’s not expensive and is peace of mind should anything ever happen to any one of us, heaven forbid. My thoughts have always been to err on the side of caution. No different then having house insurance, car insurance, etc. In the event of something horrible happening, house fire, death, accident, etc, the last thing you need to worry about are the financial implications. It’s part of being an adult, and these type of costs come before the “extras” in life.

the cost of the most basic services of a funeral home for cremation is between $4000 and $4300 which i:ncludes $1995 for funeral home services including transport from hospital to funeral home. Btwn $650 and $1000 for a casket/container/box for loved one and $1000 for the actual cremation plus taxes on all. Plus a % surcharge to use a credit card. Six years prior it was about $1600 all in. The increase is only because of the fact that they can charge what they want. I don't think they could justify these rates if there was some form of regulatory control.

as everything depends on the place you go and what you have done

But you think you have enough cash to pay for all those funerals? I wish you luck.  
Just curious do your parents not have the cash to pay for their own final expenses?  
Most people do get buried and to do so it gets pricey.  
Like I said for a plot in Brandon the cost is almost 2 grand. For cremains it is about 1 grand less.  
Cost for the service, opening and closing the grave/columbarium is expensive too.  
I feel bad for people who suffer a loss and then the 'sticker shock' when they get the bill in the mail

on your loss. To get the final bill can be quite the shocker too

So for those who find dying to be expensive and price gouging, how much do you think it should cost?  
 
Funeral homes keep beautiful service rooms, caskets and other stuff on hand, are available at a moments notice, and can have the flowers ect that you need asap, plus they embalm and look after thing most people dont want to have to even think about let alone handle so yes overhead expense adds to the costs so what do you think is fair?  
 
Basic service $4000-4500, don't need to have it, have a memorial at your home or church or hall, way cheaper if not free, pot luck or BYOB restaurant lunch after  
 
Do you need a casket if you're going to be cremated?  
 
Cremation $1000 (Maybe box or get a Costco one $500 or build it yourself) PS dont use your credit card, it cost the business so adds to your costs  
 
Not sure about transportation, Ive always had it i:ncluded in cremation but say it is $2000  
 
$1000 +$2000 +$500=: $3500 -$2500 Cpp benefit at quoted prices costs you $1000 doesn't seem that bad imo and you can possibly eliminate some of the expense further if you are willing to  
 
You could buy an Urn but it doesnt have to be a fancy feneral home one, Gramps build a fancy box for himself  
 
Dying doesnt have to be fancy, to be blunt your dead! a fancy funeral isnt going to change that or the emotions around it. Ive witnessed both and when its my time im fully supporting my family in choosing the cheapest option  
 
Edited by traveller, 2020-02-17 21:59:16

I am sorry to hear of your past experiences so almost hate to post the truth as it will undoubtedly be of little comfort. The Manitoba government does not mandate any type of casket for cremation. It does say that a combustible cremation container must be used. Many crematoria offer the option of a cardboard container. Any requirement of a wooden container would be the requirement of the given crematorium and such discretion is permitted by the regulations.  
 
https://www.gov.mb.ca/funeraldirectorsboard/pdf/guide_to_roles_and_responsibilities.pdf  
 
As to the cost of cremation, the proper zoning and permitting for such a structure is cumbersome and the ovens themselves are very expensive. Think $100 000.00 to $250 000.00 USD.  
 
Again, sorry for your loss

Just because I have a low income does not mean that I am unable to put money aside and save , it’s all about adjusting your expectations , learning to live differently and not wasting anything. As far as my parents final expenses, we are full family business partners which automatically makes the business (ie me) responsible. And just because we are low income we do not expect nor want anyone else to pick up the tab for us, we are quite capable of looking after our own needs. People need to try to plan ahead, something painfully lacking nowadays.

so that's nice for you, I assume you make a profit off your business and have no problem dishing out what could be at the cheapest 5 grand for cremation and cheapest for a body over 8 grand. And that is without burial btw.

people don't have a clue what death costs until you suffer a loss.  
Traveller, basic cremation is 4 grand here in brandon, no getting away with it. Even not having a 'funeral'. Graveside service does not save you anything. So you are lucky that your dad's death didn't set you back and lucky that Memories didn't charge you for your child, condolences to you btw.

people should be paying for their funeral costs. what bugs me is someone dies and there it is, another GoFundMe page. we had to pay for ours!

I can understand how it might seem like that to someone who is very low income and can't afford the literal few dollars a month it costs for insurance. But if someone goes out for coffee even a few times a months, they can afford a small life insurance policy to relieve the burden of burial costs on their loved ones.  
 
Like any other type of insurance, it's an investment in security and should be treated as such. Lots of people forego tenant insurance as well for financial reasons, only to have to start a Go Fund Me page when something disasterous happens.  
 
Insurance is like a budget. On one hand, it's limiting because you can't spend your money willy-nilly on whatever you'd like. On the other, it's freeing because you know there's money there for the things are are important to you. It becomes a matter of attitude and perspective.