British Columbia offers financial assistance to families who cannot afford the funeral costs of their loved one. However, the funeral salons believe that this aid is insufficient.
According to the province’s funeral association association, the financing of this program has not increased for almost 20 years. A situation which she considers worrying for the survival of several salons in rural areas.
She claims that industry massively subsidize the program
since the funeral salons absorb the costs which exceed the amount of financial aid.
The Director General of the Association Brad Tuck Stresses that funeral salons in the regions close their doors, because the number of succession requiring management is too large.
The province offers financial assistance of $ 2100 for the funeral service, to which are added the costs of cremation or burial, he says, adding that the average cost of funeral is between $ 7,000 and $ 10,000.
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Confirm that, during a meeting with the Association, the Minister Sheila Malcolmson has undertaken to cover the necessary costs when a succession does not have the means to do so.
Brad Tuck said the association has submitted financial recommendations during the last two budgetary cycles of the province, but that no increase followed.
We had a discussion with the ministry, but the response we obtained was summed up with ” We understand that the increase is necessary, but given the current economic situation, we do not see how to achieve it.
The association believes that the increased appeal for financial aid for funeral is both due to the increase in the number of people in economic difficulty and as growing between the cost of services and the amount of this financial aid.
