When a death occurs, all you need to do is make one telephone call and the team at the Coopérative funéraire de l’Outaouais (CFO) will take charge and guide you through the steps necessary to organize the funeral service and to make the main decisions.
- Transport of the body to the Cooperative
- Funeral arrangements
- Legal and administrative formalities
- Choosing a casket or funerary urn
- The clothing of the deceased
- The place and time of visitations, the religious or secular service, and burial;
- Announcement of the death in the media
- The choice of funeral rites
- Reception in the funeral home, photos or souvenir montages, flowers
- Vehicles, funeral directors, pallbearers
- Cemetery plot, columbarium, funeral monument;
- Renting the reception hall, arranging the caterer
- Donations to charitable organizations
- Arrangements when the death occurs abroad
To better understand and prepare yourself for the steps involved in organizing a funeral, we suggest that you see our Support Guide, which you can download here.
The attestation and declaration of death
At the time of death, the attending physician or the hospital has to complete an attestation of death (Form SP-3). If the death occurs outside the hospital, contact the attending physician so that he or she can attest to the death. If the attending physician is not available, contact the ambulance attendants or peace officers for transportation to the hospital. A funeral company cannot legally transport human remains without having this form in its possession.
When the funeral arrangements are made, a close relative must sign a declaration of death (Form DEC-100), prepared by the CFO staff, in the presence of a witness. It is the CFO’s responsibility to forward form DEC-100 to the Directeur de l’état civil.
Verify the wishes of the deceased
Before going to the funeral home to make the funeral arrangements, it is a good idea to assemble documentation and any verbal indications regarding the funeral wishes of the deceased. Often the deceased person will have left indications, documents or the names of trusted persons to whom certain tasks have assigned. Check whether any cards (organ donation, etc.), documents (notaries, insurers, etc.) or membership forms (funeral cooperative, etc.) exist, to ensure that your actions are dignified and respectful. Once you are properly informed, you will be in a position to make the necessary decisions quickly, which as a result will be less difficult.
Consult the guide called What to do in the event of death
The guide What to do in the event of death is available from the Éditeur officiel du Québec and most funeral homes. It contains a wealth of information about pre-arrangements; steps to be taken immediately; successions (estates); pensions and benefits; and the formalities for changes, transfers or cancellations following a death. To consult the guide What to do in the event of death click here.
Consult a notary
The notary can advise you regarding the succession, and can guide you through settlement of the succession or do the work for you. So you should think about seeing your notary. If you don’t have one, your cooperative can recommend one for you.