Answers, support and local contacts

Resources

Whether you are facing a loss today or planning ahead, these answers and contacts may help. If you can't find what you need, call us at 1-800-238-3462, any time of the day, any day of the week.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the questions families ask us most often.

Why have a funeral?

Funerals fill an important role for those mourning the loss of a loved one. By providing surviving family and friends with an atmosphere of care and support in which to share thoughts and feelings about death, funerals are the first step in the healing process. It is the traditional way to recognize the finality of death. Funerals are recognized rituals for the living to show their respect for the dead and to help survivors begin the grieving process. You can have a full funeral service even for those choosing cremation.

What do I do when a death occurs?

When I call, will someone come right away?

What does a funeral director do?

Helping others cope with the emotional upheaval of a major loss is a funeral director’s most important job, but they also take care of all the logistics of the funeral service, 24 hours a day. That begins with arranging the transfer of your loved one into our care and completing the documentation. At the arrangement meeting we guide you through how you would like to honour your loved one, then contact the church, clergy, musicians, hall, caterer and cemetery on your behalf. We prepare the casket or urn, personalization, stationery, guest book and monuments, place the obituary on our website (with family approval) and in newspapers of your choosing, and complete the paperwork: registering the death with Vital Statistics, Funeral Director’s Statements of Death, burial permits, and Canada Pension Plan notification and benefit applications.

Should I choose burial or cremation?

Burial in a casket is the most common choice in Canada. Cremation is often selected because it allows the memorial service to be held at a more convenient time, when relatives and friends can come together. A funeral service followed by cremation need not be any different from one followed by burial. Usually, cremated remains are placed in an urn before being committed to a final resting place: buried in a cemetery plot, placed in a columbarium, or scattered according to provincial law.

Why have a viewing?

Viewing can be an asset in the grieving process, as it provides a sense of reality that the death has happened. When the deceased suffered through an illness or physical changes, we try to restore a healthier, more peaceful appearance. When the passing is unexpected, a viewing is an opportunity for family and friends to say goodbye and express their emotions in their loved one’s presence. In both cases it provides comfort for many. Viewing is also encouraged for children, if the process is explained and voluntary.

What is the purpose of embalming?

Does a loved one have to be embalmed, according to law?

Why are funerals so expensive?

Compared with other major life events like births and weddings, funerals are not expensive. A funeral home is a 24-hour, labour-intensive business with extensive facilities (viewing rooms, chapel, hearses), and those costs are part of a funeral. The cost also includes the funeral director’s services: making arrangements, filing forms, working with doctors, ministers, florists, newspapers and others, and seeing to every necessary detail.

Do I have to make different arrangements if I choose cremation?

What can be done with the cremated remains?

The cremated remains can be interred in a cemetery plot, kept by a family member in an urn, or scattered on private property or at a place that was significant to the deceased. Check local regulations before scattering in a public place; your funeral director can help. Under Alberta Funeral Service Regulatory Board regulation 36.3(1), cremated remains not claimed within 5 years of the cremation must be disposed of by the funeral services business, as specified in the funeral services contract. For more on the regulations, visit afsrb.ca.

What is memorialization for a cremation?

Can we scatter the cremated remains?

If I am cremated, can I be buried with my spouse who was buried in a casket?

What do I need to know about income tax when I lose a spouse?

Is there financial help if I need it?

If a loved one dies out of province, can you still help?

Grief support

Support after a loss

Organizations that offer support groups, articles and guidance for those who are grieving.

GriefShare (opens in a new tab)

A seminar and support group for those who have lost someone close to them. Participants watch and discuss a series of videos that help navigate the grief process.

The Compassionate Friends of Canada (opens in a new tab)

An organization for families who have suffered the death of a child from any cause. Provides contacts to local chapters, articles and information about grieving.

Rainbows (opens in a new tab)

An international not-for-profit organization that fosters emotional healing among children grieving a loss from a life-altering crisis.

Center for Loss and Life Transition (opens in a new tab)

Founded by Dr. Alan Wolfelt to support mourners and those who care for them, as an educational resource for both.

A year of daily grief support

Our support in your time of need does not end after the funeral services. We offer a grief support message each day for a year. To receive it, call us at 1-800-238-3462 or get in touch.

You may also find our articles helpful.

Government & other resources

Benefits, estates and regulations

Pension and survivor benefits, tax steps after a death, veterans' programs and the rules that govern funeral services in Alberta. Your funeral director can help you with the applications.