We all know that it is better to act today to prepare for tomorrow. Most of us proceed in this manner when dealing with issues such as health, retirement or our finances. However, we often avoid discussing planning our own funeral or the funeral of a loved one. Funeral planning has never been so easy. Our funeral directors can help you ensure that your funeral will proceed as you wish. We can spare your relatives the burden of making difficult decisions during these times of mourning.

Funerals are an event that occurs only once in a person’s lifetime. They deserve to be distinguished in an enduring manner.

Meeting with a funeral director to complete funeral prearrangements is simply a matter of knowing the different options and prepaying for services, funeral merchandise and expenses, as applicable. A range of payment methods is proposed, from a single payment of the total to easy monthly payments which you can spread out as you wish.

Funds paid to Lamarre & Son Funeral Home after signing a funeral services prearrangement contract and complete payment will be deposited into a trust account and held until the contract beneficiary dies, as required by the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002. This trust account is overseen by Guaranteed Funeral Deposits of Canada, which is an independent organisation that manages, invests and reports on funds for funeral services prearrangement contracts of Canadian consumers. Interest revenue is accumulated with the capital in trust to cover funeral services expenses at death. This interest should not be declared and is only taxable if the funds held in trust are withdrawn to settle expenses other than funeral expenses.

For people who wish to prepay by payments, an insurance product rather than a fiduciary account will be used. Only the services and the funeral supplies provided by our funeral establishment are included in a funeral services prearrangement contract. All the contracts are guaranteed. So, when the beneficiary dies, the funeral establishment will have to calculate the current cost of the contract form the current price list at that time. If there is a surplus of funds between the value in bank or that of the insurance product with regard to the total cost of the contract at the time of death, this surplus will be put back in the succession or can be used to pay non-prepaid sums. However, if there is an insufficiency of fund between the value in bank or that of the insurance product with regard to the total cost at the time of death, this insufficiency must not be paid. This is what we call a guaranteed contract and only the guaranteed contracts can be signed in Ontario since July 2012. Thus, we cannot include certain expenses in our contracts. Outlays are these expenses which we can pay for a family when somebody dies and for which we charge you the same amounts while we do not control these amounts.

Funds paid for prearranged funeral services are protected by a compensatory fund to which all Ontario funeral homes contribute. This fund is administered by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), an Ontario regulatory body.

Please note that the amount that you have paid for your funeral services prearrangements plus accumulated interest, less administrative fees prescribed by the law, may be reimbursed to you on request.

More and more people make the decision to complete their funeral arrangements ahead of time. Several reasons explain this fact. Here are the results of a recent poll showing the main reasons why people decide to complete these arrangements:

 

• Ensuring that their last wishes with regards to the funeral are known;
• Reducing the level of distress among family members and friends at this difficult time;
• Savings and reducing tax;
• Showing relatives that they care for them;
• Sparing relatives a tax burden at death.

 

When you complete your funeral arrangements in advance, it is advisable to discuss them with your relatives and executor so that everyone knows your wishes. This will minimize any potential for ambiguity or conflict after your death.

To get all the information, options and one or more estimates of funeral service prearrangement costs, please contact a funeral director at our funeral home by telephone or email. If you wish, we can meet you at the funeral home, in the comfort of your own home or elsewhere, with no obligation and no costs.

The brochures below are available at the Lamarre & Son Funeral Home, just ask.

 

• Funerals. A Celebration of Life
• Funeral Etiquette
• What Every Family Should Know
• The Time to Plan A Funeral

 

Also, when you complete your funeral prearrangements, we will give you a booklet titled “To Make it Easier”, which can be your personal information record about your estate. This tool helps to organize information related to your estate.