Civil status and problematic situations, who is concerned?

Marcus
Single, without children

Single and childless, Marcus' siblings will be legally responsible for his funeral. In order to lighten them and because they have quite different tastes, by making his prearrangements, Marcus makes sure to choose a ritual in his image: music, flowers, quotation, …

Felix and Lin
Common-law partners, 2 children

Felix and Lin and not married and parents of two minor children. If one of the partners were to die, according to the law, the family of the deceased could take the lead. In order to avoid conflicts at the time of the funeral, they decide to settle their prearrangements during their lifetime.

Carlos and Luc
Common-law partners

Carlos and Luc have decided to live together without getting married or entering into a civil union. They don't have a will. In the event of a death, the heirs are responsible for the funeral of the deceased. Without prearrangement, the partner will not be able to make any decision.

Anne-Marie and Jean-Paul
Couple without children

Anne-Marie and Jean-Paul are 72 and 75 years old and have no children. They will not have a successor to help or take care of their funeral. With a prearrangement, they ensure that everything will be taken care of correctly, according to their wishes and without it being a burden for the bereaved spouse.

Dominique
Divorced, no will

Dominique is divorced and started a new family with Myriam. They have a child together. Without prearrangement, if the child is still under 18 at the time of death, Dominique's family will be legally in charge of his funeral, not Myriam.

    What is a prearrangement?

    The prearranged funeral services and sepulture (interment/inurnment) contract, commonly called a "prearrangement," is a contract entered into with a living person, whereby funeral services are provided to that person upon or in connection with his or her death, in consideration of partial or total payment of these services before the death.

    Only those holding a funeral director permit provided by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux have the right to conclude a prearrangement contract for funeral services and burial.

    Funeral planning involves a number of decisions: a viewing of the body or cremation, choice of a casket or urn, flowers, donations, reception, funeral cortège, celebrant or church service, commemorative bookmarks, newspaper obituary, music, songs, etc. To ensure the peace of mind of the family, all these details can be included in a prearrangement contract. The prearrangement counsellor at the funeral home acts as a guide who can direct the client towards the services and products that fit the type of funeral desired.

    The pre-purchased sepulture contract is a contract for the purchase of a right to use or for the purchase of maintenance services for a sepulture intended for the remains of one or several persons not deceased at the time of the purchase, in consideration of total or partial payment before the death. It could be a niche in a columbarium or funereal recess (or crypt) in a mausoleum.

    At the time the prearrangement contract is signed, the client designates people to be contacted at the time of death. A number of funeral homes also provide contract holders with plasticized cards containing the contract number and the telephone number to call after their death that they can give to their loved ones. If the contract was paid in full at the time of the death, the family has no additional amount to pay for the services included in the prearrangement.

    To begin thinking about these questions, memoria.ca offer you an interactive form to define different choices regarding funeral services.