Cremation FAQs

A direct cremation refers to a cremation service without visitation or funeral. In the instance of a direct cremation, the deceased is transferred from the place of death in a cremation casket and transported to the crematorium. Prior to this taking place, an arrangement form must be completed in order to fulfill requirements from the government and coroner. A funeral director will ensure that all of these forms are filled out correctly.

Because direct cremation does not include any additional services, it is the most economical option.

This is one of our most frequently asked questions. Because a direct cremation does not include a visitation or traditional funeral service, it follows that people wonder how we ensure that a funeral home has taken the right person into their care.

The identification process begins at the place of death. Depending on the location, doctors, nurses, porters, bed control, admitting, and health records teams all work together to complete required documents and forms. The deceased cannot be released until all paperwork has been processed.

In a hospital, each team member uses a patient’s health card information to create a tag to be used following a death. These tags are placed with the deceased and must match the hospital wristband information.

When our staff arrives at the hospital to transfer the deceased into our care, we carefully check all the forms of identification on the deceased to make sure they correspond to the names provided to us by the family. This is done in the presence of a security guard or porter to make sure we are transferring the correct person. In addition to the security measures put into place at the hospital or long term care facility, funeral homes and crematoriums follow strict protocol. Should you require additional reassurance, you can choose to identify the deceased prior to the cremation or to witness the process.

For many, it’s important to see the deceased one last time and say their final goodbyes. We always honour a family’s wishes and offer the option for an identification at the time of cremation.

Should you feel uncomfortable viewing the deceased but would still like the reassurance that comes with identification, you can provide the funeral director with a photograph so that they can make the identification for you. If you are uncomfortable viewing the deceased, but would still like to identify him or her, a photo can be provided to the funeral director who then can make the identification for you. You can also provide the funeral director with information about specific identifying features (birthmarks, scars, tattoos, etc). It’s important to us that you feel confident throughout the entire cremation process.

Witnessing the start of the cremation is something that we are able to accommodate, provided that we are given sufficient notice. Please note that in some instances, a crematorium will require an additional fee for a witnessing service.