Funeral homes in Waterloo Region will see more public money in exchange for performing funerals for people who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
Councillors approved a five per cent increase to those rates Tuesday, but the new amount – about $3,000 per funeral – is still less than what funeral directors say is necessary to cover their costs.
The funeral directors had wanted funding of closer to $5,000 per funeral.
They argue that there is no set package of services available for a region-funded funeral, putting funeral homes in an awkward position when families request more than a standard service.
“Our goal is always not to put the families in the middle of it all,” Henry Walser of Henry Walser Funeral Home told CTV in January.
Coun. Sean Strickland of Waterloo says the current funding level is reasonable.
“We think it’s a pretty fair number,” he says.
But there is one way for the region to cut that number nearly in half – cremation.
McCann Funeral Group offers cremation packages for $1,600.
Owner Doug McCann estimates about one-fifth of his customers come from the Waterloo Region and Hamilton areas.
“(Cremation) really makes it a lot easier, and then families can go and have a memorial service on their own,’” he says.
Strickland says he doesn’t see mandatory cremation as an acceptable solution, even if it would save money.
“They’re human beings, they’ve had life stories and life journeys,” he says.
“We need to treat their final ceremonies with a certain amount of respect.”
The increase in the budget for low-income funerals still needs final approval from regional council.
