Discussions

everyone should buy a small life insurance contract so that their final costs are taken care of. most companies pay out the death claim within 2 weeks. Lack of ones planning does not mean it should be taken care of by someone else or government. WE all know there will be those who could do something but chose not to while their alive and some family will have to pick up the pieces or not and if not then government will have to make those arrangements. The survivors have to decide if they want to pick up those costs and deal with it or not. That too is a choice. You may not like the choice to do nothing but that is a choice. I have friends who are clergy with ashes in their office never claimed or picked up.  
 
the bottom line with a topic like this is just take care of your own final expenses with an insurance contract or a savings account dedicated to this. I do not accept a statement like I cannot afford the insurance contract... no one likes a new expense... I do get that too, but it is the responsible grown up thing to do. There are lower cost cremation options as posted earlier.

....is the cost of death is directly related to god worship. The god of capitalism. Unless and until we as a species can learn to deal with death in a different fashion the cost will always go up.  
 
People are simply not in a position to make decisions in their best financial interest while they are in a state of emotional upheaval and the funeral industry knows and takes advantage of this.  
 
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/funeral-home-camera-1.4003921

My father was a funeral director for many years and there were many times that he didn’t make any money doing his job because the family couldn’t afford anything - literally nothing. And he was happy to give them a service so they could honour their loved one without it. And when children and babies died he didn’t take any money from those families either. So before you go shooting off your mouth about things you obviously know NOTHING about - ask the people that do these jobs. You don’t know anything about the people in this business. Yes it’s a business just like anything else. But there are some really incredible people behind those doors. One day those people will look after the likes of you too and will treat you with respect and dignity. More than you give them or you deserve.

....I actually do have a direct connection to the industry of death, you are correct and I apologize. I do try not to generalize but sometimes it gets away from me.  
 
I should have said ">:>:>:>:" many" in the funeral industry know and take advantage of it" not ...."those"  
 
 
 
Oh, and also, I have explicit instructions for and have prepared for my death and in so far as what is permissible by law, I am avoiding the industry as best I can.  
 
Edited by Spaghetti Monster, 2020-02-19 10:36:04

So in your experience the cheapest you found was 4k, after death benefit makes it $1500. still not horrible imo but since there isnt much competition (also less customers) in brandon I can see it being higher  
 
IDK if you can get away with less here or not, honestly 2k to transport seems crazy since its almost double what we paid to have a basic cremation,  
 
Dad did have money but being frugal was why he did and didnt leave us to pay for the cremation or feel guilty about doing it very cheaply and basic  
 
BTW thanks for the condolences, it was a long time ago now but Memories were so kind and made the process easier

Need to shop around as the smaller communities do not charge anywhere near these prices people have posted for Brandon!! Good crap they’re definitely higher than where we went and will go again ... hopefully not for decades

With our loved one we had a body burial, that's what he wanted. So we bought a casket, not the cheapest and not the most expensive either. Graveside service only couldn't go thru another big funeral. Cost was over 9 grand and that was not including cost of a plot at the cemetery. As the plot was bought in 1980 that didn't raise the cost but we still had to pay (I'd have to look at the numbers again) but sure it was 8 to 9 hundred dollars for the opening and closing. A plot now at our cemetery is 25 dollars short of 2000 dollars.  
 
I'm not sure when things changed at the funeral homes in regards to pricing but I think they changed the way the charge because more people were opting out of having a formal funeral so therefore less profit.

I am sure that costs vary widely depending on location. My ex husband passed away in Ontario. We were still legally married, and still friends. I was the administrator of his estate, so know exactly how much all this cost. He was embalmed and transported to Saskatchewan. Open casket viewing and services at a church, then cremated and buried in the plot with his mom and dad. The total cost for everything was between 14 and 15 thousand dollars. I actually didn't think that was a lot, considering the involvement of two funeral homes, embalming, casket, cremation, etc.  
 
In case anyone would like to plan ahead and be very thrifty, consider the U of M's body donation program.  
https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/units/anatomy/humananatomysadfaqs.html

think about the ones left behind - a funeral is for the living not the deceased. A dead person does not need all the hoop la of a formal funeral. Even in death we can help the living through organ donation and leaving ones body to science to assist the future doctors. There is no cost to this and the family can have a simple celebration of the deceased life via way of a family bar-b-q at a later date. Its better to say good bye to a person while their still alive - then to a dead body after they have died.

I think body donation is a wonderful option for those that are open to that idea. Here are some FAQ's regarding it as a little more info never hurt anyone.  
 
https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/units/anatomy/humananatomysadfaqs.html

I wish we only had to pay 1500! That was extended family member not us. And I don't think they would have got the whole 2500 death benefit, didn't work enough years.  
We got the 2500 but still a big bill to pay at the end of it all. We were grateful that the plot was already paid for or that would have added then about 1800.  
Dying and dealing with everything gets costly and I do feel bad for people who think spending money on a big funeral somehow makes them feel better about suffering a death

Plan ahead and start paying now. The cost and planning will be there causing stress and inconvenience for your family. Take care of it while you are here. Joy Bowman is awesome and really knows her business. She can cover all the bases and simplify things for you. Give her a call, you will be glad you did!  
 
https://www.facebook.com/Joy-Bowman-Funeral-Pre-Planning-Specialist-100976258110275/

Someone posted that bare bones cost of dying was 4k here, (my experience was cheaper but it wasnt brandon) thats where i get the $1500 ($4000.-$2500) if you got Cpp benefit which is now a flat rate so if you qualify you get $2500 , years passed IDK  
 
Unfortunately some of the costs are mandatory but some of them are optional. I realize in times of grief it can be a hard decisions to make but its still decisions, Nothing wrong with full big funerals if that is what you want but our decisions do affect the cost and if you cant afford it you cant , somethings got to go and IMO burial plots fancy caskets ect are onthe cut list

Last night I went to a grief seminar at Brockie Donovan. It was my 4th and every single time I have gone it has given me comfort and has really helped me. When I came home I read this thread and it kind of struck a nerve. I usually only read eBrandon but I felt I needed to speak up, so this is my first post. I have to say, you really have no idea what these folks do until you need them. They have extremely difficult jobs and in my experience they consoled me in our time of crisis and guided us through the entire process … right up until today … months later. They went well beyond what I expected. They personally went across the border to get my mother who died very unexpectedly, and we couldn’t have gotten through that horrible time without their help. We all know death is a business - but never did we feel we were being manipulated, or pressured. It was the opposite - they were so helpful, kind, patient and reasonable and some of the charges I have read here are not what we experienced. Bottom line - my mom’s funeral was beautiful and it really helped us feel some peace at the hardest time in our lives.

condolences to you on the loss of your Mom.  
Yes, of course it is part of Brockie's job to pick up and transport the deceased wherever they may have to travel to, any other funeral business has to do the same. I'm sure there are rules as to who can transport a body.  
 
But I think most people posting here are saying that whatever a person decides to do, whether a full funeral, graveside service or simply nothing it is okay.  
Spending a lot of money doesn't make the loss any easier to take nor does it mean you loved the one gone any more.

A pittance. $2,500 doesn't cover anything. AND the important item which I didn't find out till after my parents died is that you have to pay the funeral bill and send it in BEFORE you get the money.  
 
Then the money comes to the estate and Revenue Canada takes on average $500 of that in tax. so really you only got $2,000 to help with funeral.  
 
Just one hand of government giving it to another.  
 
Why not just give $2,000 tax free and leave it at that? And even better have the ability for it to go straight to the funeral home so you don't have to prepay that.  
 
Veterans get no money for funeral if they own a house even if there is no other funds. So the poor spouse doesn't get anything as they can't sell the house as they won't have anywhere to live.  
 
MISCONCEPTION - there is no typical funeral and no need to spend so much on funerals. The person is dead that is not going to change.  
 
You don't need anything done to the body at all. there is no requirement for that. You can have a quiet graveside service with only close friends/family and that's that.  
 
You don't need a fancy stone either. just a plain flat one which most cemeteries want now as it makes it easier to mow. Tough to think of but that is the way it is.  
 
I hate the waste and my parents were against it too of having these big gigantic funerals and then the grieving family was suppose to pay for a big lunch afterwards. And you know what the people there don't talk about the person that died. It is just a time to gossip and catch up on other news.  
 
My hubby's family is like that on his side. I have told him that's not happening with him. If he goes before me, a quiet funeral and that's that. People can buy their own lunch.  
 
The lunch only came out of the tradition that it use to be potluck in the olden times. Now cost a fortune per person and you don't know how many people to make it for. You usually over mark or under mark causing various problems with that. One funeral the family paid for 150 people and less than 100 stayed for the lunch. Many have to get back to work nowadays.  
 
My advice talk over with your family about your funeral. Prepay if you can. (keep in consideration that if you prepay that the funeral home may not be there when you need it and that money is gone - not like an insurance policy)  
 
my parents wisely had an insurance policy for each of them just enough to pay the funeral cost. With it going to an individual that is responsible and will use it for the funeral. If it goes to estate, it is taxable. again government robbing the dead.