A CBC news article published last week highlighted a mother’s grief after the death of her daughter because the family could not afford a funeral. Tragically, the body of the deceased daughter was held in a hospital freezer as the morgue was at capacity. While the CBC article mentioned financial assistance available in Newfoundland and Labrador, it is important to know that there is financial assistance for the cost of funerals, burials, and cremations, in most regions, particularly from municipalities.
To start, at the federal level individuals who have contributed to the Canada Pension Plan for a specified minimum period of time will receive the CPP death benefit payment of $2,500. While not a significant amount, the death benefit can be used toward the cost of a funeral, burial, or cremation. Veterans Affairs Canada has a Funeral and Burial Program which is administered through the Last Post Fund. Veterans who meet service-related criteria and financial criteria will be eligible for financial assistance.
In Ontario the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (“WSIB”) provides a few different survivors’ benefits to spouses and dependents of someone who has died due to a work-related injury or illness. Primarily, the WSIB will pay “all expenses reasonably connected to the funeral or burial” and there is no maximum amount. WSIB survivors’ benefits may also include the cost of transporting the body of the deceased home. For recipients of the Ontario Disability and Support Program (“ODSP”), some funeral and burial costs are also be covered through other programs which require that financial assistance was given prior to death.
Deceased residents of the City of Toronto, are provided with additional financial assistance from Employment and Social Services, whether or not the deceased resident was receiving WSIB or ODSP at the time of the death (different applications processes apply). Similar programs exist in other municipalities in Ontario, such as the City of Hamilton, the City of London (through its Discretionary Benefits Program), and City of Ottawa.
Finally, other programs are available depending on the circumstances of the death, for example, if a baby or minor child has died. Hospitals, hospices, and funeral homes can often assist survivors in understanding and navigating the programs available. If you need financial assistance with the cost of a funeral, burial, and/or cremation after the death of a loved one, be sure to check with your local municipality or county which may have a program and/or be able to assist you with others available.
