Losing someone can feel overwhelming, and it may be difficult to know what to do first. The steps will depend on where the person passed away and whether their passing was expected.
Our funeral home is available to guide you. When you are unsure about the next step, please call us. We can help you understand who must be contacted and what will happen next.
When Someone Passes Away at Home
There are generally two different processes, depending on whether the passing was expected.
When the Passing Was Expected
A person receiving palliative or end-of-life care at home may have a care plan that includes documents such as a Do Not Resuscitate Confirmation Form and an Expected Death in the Home protocol.
The care team should tell the family who must be contacted when the person passes away. This may be a home-care nursing agency, attending physician, nurse practitioner or another designated healthcare provider.
When an expected-death plan is in place, follow the instructions provided by the care team rather than automatically calling 911.
Once the appropriate healthcare professional has attended and the required steps have been completed, the family or care provider may contact the funeral home.
If you are uncertain whether an expected-death plan is in place, call the nursing agency or healthcare provider involved in the person’s care. You may also call our funeral home for guidance.
When the Passing Was Unexpected
When someone passes away unexpectedly at home and there is no expected-death plan in place, call 911.
Try not to move the person or disturb the surrounding area unless emergency personnel instruct you to do so. Provide the dispatcher with:
- Your location
- What has happened
- The person’s name, if known
- The person’s date of birth, if available
- Any relevant medical or situational information
Emergency services and police may attend. Depending on the circumstances, the Office of the Chief Coroner may also become involved.
The police or coroner may ask which funeral home the family wishes to use. Once the person has been released into funeral-home care, either the authorities or the family may contact us.
Our staff will then speak with the appropriate family representative, gather the initial information and explain the next steps.
When Someone Passes Away at a Hospital or Long-Term Care Home
When a person passes away in a hospital, long-term care home or nursing home, the staff will ask which funeral home the family wishes to use. They may also ask whether pre-arrangements are in place.
Some facilities will contact the funeral home on the family’s behalf. At other facilities, the family may be asked to make the call.
Before bringing the person into our care, we will normally speak with the family or authorized representative to:
- Confirm that our funeral home has been selected
- Obtain permission to proceed with the transfer
- Confirm the person’s identity and location
- Determine who will be making the arrangements
- Answer any immediate questions
You do not need to make all the funeral decisions during this first telephone call.
When Someone Passes Away at Another Location
When someone passes away outdoors, on a roadway, at a workplace or in another public or private location, call 911.
Police, emergency services and the coroner will determine whether an investigation is required. The person may be taken to a hospital, forensic facility or funeral home, depending on the circumstances.
The family may be asked to select a funeral home. Once authorization has been given for the person to be released, we will coordinate the transfer into our care.
When Someone Passes Away Outside Ontario
When someone passes away in another province or territory, the laws and procedures of that jurisdiction must be followed.
That jurisdiction may use a coroner, medical examiner or another death-investigation system. A local funeral home will usually be required to provide initial care and prepare the necessary documentation.
Contact the funeral home you wish to use at home as early as possible. You do not need to make all the arrangements with an unfamiliar funeral home in the community where the passing occurred.
When you contact Timiskaming Funeral Cooperative, we can:
- Communicate with a licensed funeral provider in the other province or territory
- Coordinate the required documentation
- Discuss transportation and preparation requirements
- Arrange for the person to be returned home
- Discuss whether cremation will occur before or after transportation
- Provide information about the anticipated costs
When Someone Passes Away Outside Canada
When someone passes away in another country, contact the local emergency authorities and the person’s travel insurer as soon as possible.
You should also contact the funeral home you wish to use at home. We can work with a funeral provider in the country where the person passed away and help coordinate their return to Canada.
Depending on the country and circumstances, the process may involve:
- Local police or medical authorities
- A hospital or morgue
- A local funeral provider
- Canadian consular officials
- Translation and legalization of documents
- Airline or specialized transportation arrangements
- Travel insurance or repatriation coverage
The person may be returned home before cremation, or cremation may take place in the other country before the cremated remains are returned. The available choices will depend on local laws, documentation, transportation requirements and the family’s wishes.
International arrangements can take time and may involve substantial costs. Travel protection or repatriation insurance may cover some or all of these expenses. Keep copies of all insurance, travel and pre-arrangement documents and contact the insurer before authorizing significant expenses whenever possible.
What Information Will the Funeral Home Need?
We will need information about the person who has passed away so that we can prepare the arrangements, complete the Statement of Death and register the passing with the province.
Not everything is required during the first telephone call. Information can be collected during the arrangement conference, and we will help you when a detail is unknown.
Information About the Person Who Passed Away
We may ask for:
- Full legal name
- Surname at birth or maiden name, if applicable
- Residential address
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Marital status
- Occupation and type of industry
- Parents’ full names, including the mother’s surname at birth
- Parents’ places of birth
- Spouse or partner’s name
- Date and place of marriage, when applicable
- Social Insurance Number, when needed for benefit or government applications
- Health card number, when applicable
- Information about any existing funeral or cemetery pre-arrangements
- Whether there is a valid will
- The name of the estate trustee or other person who may have legal authority
When information is unavailable, please do not delay contacting us. We will explain what is essential and help identify possible alternatives.
Information About the Family Representative
When a valid will appoints an estate trustee, we will normally need to communicate with that person.
When there is no will, no appointed estate trustee or uncertainty about who has authority, we will gather information about the family and circumstances before accepting instructions. More than one person may need to be involved.
For the person providing instructions, we will generally request:
- Full legal name
- Relationship to the person who passed away
- Residential address
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Confirmation of their authority or family relationship
When a will exists, we may ask to review the portions identifying the deceased person, the appointed estate trustee and the signatures or execution of the will. We do not need to review personal gifts, financial information or unrelated provisions unless they are relevant to the arrangements.
When Pre-Arrangements Are in Place
Please tell us if the person made pre-arrangements with our funeral home or another provider.
We will locate and review the arrangements, confirm the recorded information and meet with the estate trustee or other authorized representative.
Pre-arranging often makes the process easier because much of the necessary information and many of the person’s wishes have already been recorded. However, the arrangements and required authorizations must still be reviewed at the time they are needed.
Download a Arrangement Information Sheet
We have prepared a complimentary information sheet that families may download and complete before an arrangement appointment.
The sheet provides space to collect personal information, family details and other items that may be required. It also includes a checklist to help you prepare.
Completing the sheet does not create a funeral contract or pre-arrangement and does not legally authorize any services. It is simply a convenient way to gather information before meeting with a funeral director.
You do not need to complete every section before contacting us. Our team will guide you through any information that is missing.