'A moral issue': Canadian funeral directors warn of unauthorized obituaries | CBC News (2025)

Toronto

Directors are noticing an online trend of websites scraping information from funeral home and newspaper websites and reposting it alongside options to buy products like flowers and digital candles.

More grieving people complain of finding altered death notices on third-party websites, some with errors

'A moral issue': Canadian funeral directors warn of unauthorized obituaries | CBC News (1)

Cassidy McMackon · The Canadian Press

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'A moral issue': Canadian funeral directors warn of unauthorized obituaries | CBC News (2)

Funeral directors across the country are warning grieving families about a trend of third-party websites republishing obituaries for profit.

Jim Bishop, the funeral director for Bishop's Funeral Home in Fredericton, said he's noticed an increase in grieving people who use his services complaining of altered death notices — sometimes with erroneous details — appearing on one such website called Echovita.

Bishop said Echovita's actions are part of a trend of scraping information from funeral home and newspaper websites and reposting it alongside options to buy flowers and digital candles. He said this data-scraping poses "a moral issue" because it is capitalizing on obituaries without the families' knowledge or permission.

"When people click on Google, and they search a person's name they don't always realize they're not dealing with the funeral home's website with that source. They're being sent a link to a third-party outfit they think is us, and it's not."

He said that since mid-July, about a dozen people have advised him their loved one's obituary had been taken.

'A moral issue': Canadian funeral directors warn of unauthorized obituaries | CBC News (3)

Jeff Weafer, president of the Funeral Services Association of Canada, said the practice is particularly problematic because writing an obituary is the last chance a family gets to tell the story of their loved one's life. Having that story taken and used without permission can feel like an invasion of privacy during an especially vulnerable time.

"Part of the expression of grief for families is they want to proudly tell the story of their father, their brother, their mother. It's very therapeutic to tell that story, whether that's done through an obituary or a Facebook note that shares the details of one's life," Weafer said in an interview.

One website has numerous complaints against it

The website of the Better Business Bureau, which has not awarded Echovita accreditation, shows five complaints against the company. One complaint from 2022 called Echovita a "trolling company" for posting an unapproved and altered version of an obituary, causing great distress to the grieving family.

An unnamed Echovita official responded to the complaint that the company had removed the obituary from its site. "I would like to add the information we share was not private as stated, since the original obituary was posted publicly on the internet," the response said. "In further sharing the basic facts, as we do, which is legal, we made a human error and we apologized."

A review of Echovita last month on the Better Business Bureau site also expresses distress over the website's practices.

  • Funeral home issues warning over online obituary 'pirating'

"My grandfather recently passed away, and when I Googled his obituary, the first hit was from some random site I'd never heard of, Echovita. The obituary was not what my family had published," the review reads. The review continues to say that on top of "being terribly written," the republished obituary named living family members mentioned in the original notice as deceased.

"My family was devastated that this fake obit was the first hit people would see when they looked up my grandfather's name. We were so embarrassed that people would think we'd written something of such poor quality to 'honour' our late loved one." In a reply to the review, Echovita apologized "for any errors within the obituary."

Echovita representatives did not agree to an interview with The Canadian Press. In an emailed statement, a public relations agent speaking on behalf of the company said family members who notice errors in obituaries can request a revision directly on the website but provided no details about the company's verification processes.

The Canadian Press also asked how Echovita verifies that flowers purchased on the website — which range in price from $90 to $334 — make their way to grieving families or the funeral homes where services are held. Echovita's spokesperson said that 95 per cent of all flowers that are ordered arrive at their destinations; however, the spokesperson offered no details to back up that claim.

Funeral directors turn to legislators

Weafer said the Funeral Services Association of Canada is lobbying the federal government to strengthen privacy legislation and prevent families from suffering more, but he said the funeral association has yet to see a "significant response" from lawmakers.

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario has also published two separate notices about Echovita's practices, one in February 2021 and another in February of this year. A spokesperson for the authority said 11 people have complained since the beginning of this year about being "deeply upset" about their loved ones' obituaries being used on the website.

Quebec's registry of businesses lists a Quebec City address for Echovita and says Paco Leclerc is the president.

In a 2019 court decision, Leclerc was named as one of the directors for the now-defunct website Afterlife, which was ordered to pay $20 million in damages to grieving families for the unauthorized use of death notices and photos. The ruling found that Afterlife repeatedly violated copyright rules by using data to market flower sales.

At the time, Erin Best, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, expressed hope the decision would act as a "deterrent" against pirating obituaries, and warned that people copying obituaries should expect legal action.

While their push for tougher legislation continues, Bishop andWeafer both encourage grieving families to ask any third party companies posting obituaries to remove unauthorized posts, or to contact government consumer protection where it is available.

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'A moral issue': Canadian funeral directors warn of unauthorized obituaries | CBC News (2025)

FAQs

'A moral issue': Canadian funeral directors warn of unauthorized obituaries | CBC News? ›

Directors are noticing an online trend of websites scraping information from funeral home and newspaper websites and reposting it alongside options to buy products like flowers and digital candles.

How do I find a person's obituary in Canada? ›

Most obituaries appear as a newspaper obituary in a local or national newspaper. However, there are also online obituaries available, such as the MyLife and MyMemorials services at PartingWishes.com.

What is a funeral directors statement of death in Canada? ›

Funeral Director's Statement of Death

The funeral home provides this document as confirmation of the death. In most cases, this document is enough to verify an individual's death to utility/service providers, companies, organizations or institutions with whom the estate may be dealing.

Is an obituary required by law in Canada? ›

Obituaries are not required by law , so the deceased's family might have chosen to forego publishing one. Publishing an obituary can be expensive , and the funds may be unavailable. The deceased has few family members or friends , so there might have, unfortunately, been no need for an obituary.

How do I look up a death certificate in Canada? ›

To obtain a copy of a death certificate, you must contact the Registrar of Vital Statistics and apply by mail, online or in person at their offices. You can obtain the “Request for Certificate” form at the locations listed on the Vital Statistics website.

How much does an obituary cost in Canada? ›

Key Insights. The average cost of a newspaper obituary can range between $100 and $500. The final cost of a newspaper obituary will depend on its length, which newspaper it gets published in, and whether or not it includes a photograph. The cost of an online obituary is usually between $50 and $100.

How much money do funeral directors make in Canada? ›

Find out what the average Funeral Director salary is

The average funeral director salary in Canada is $52,500 per year or $26.92 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $45,503 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $71,706 per year.

How long after death do you see a funeral director? ›

A funeral is typically held around one or two weeks after the death, though it may be longer if the funeral director only has certain days available or if there is an inquest into the death. You may wish for your loved one to be buried as soon as possible, depending on their religious beliefs.

Can a funeral director pronounce death? ›

Otherwise, call a funeral home, or contact the local coroner, medical examiner, or health department directly. You do not have to move the body yourself, and it is OK to wait several hours to call. In general, only doctors or coroners can make a legal pronouncement of death.

Can you be buried without a casket in Canada? ›

Do You Have To Be Buried In A Casket In Canada? No, you do not have to be buried in a casket in Canada. There are several alternatives. Caskets are unique containers used to store the human remains of the deceased.

Is it disrespectful not to have an obituary? ›

Deciding not to publish an obituary is #perfectlynormal in grief. If publishing an obituary in the paper or online feels (or felt) wrong to you - perhaps drawing unwanted attention or sharing on a level beyond what's comfortable - that's OK. There is no one right way to honor someone you love.

Who needs to be notified when someone dies in Canada? ›

First, notify family and friends of the deceased. The executor should be notified immediately, if the deceased made a will. The executor is responsible for the funeral, burial or cremation. The death must be registered with the provincial government.

Why would someone's obituary disappear? ›

What does it mean when you can't find an obituary? Well if you're looking in a newspaper for it & don't see it, that could mean the family didn't pay for it to appear in the paper. It's very expensive to put an obituary in newspapers. It could also mean the family chooses to keep it private.

What does it mean when an obituary says passed away unexpectedly? ›

Sudden, unexpected death is just that: death came without warning. It may happen in a few seconds or minutes, such as in an accident or from a heart attack, or a random, seemingly senseless act of violence. Sudden unexpected deaths also happen when the person is not expected to die in a certain way or place.

Why would someone not do an obituary? ›

The family might not have a service, so they felt no need for an obituary, as obituaries are often used to provide information on the funeral. The family may have disagreements about what to include in the obituary.

How do I find a deceased person in Canada? ›

Online obituaries

You can also narrow down results by specifically searching their name and “obituary”. If this first search fails, you can also try searching local newspaper websites for obituaries or official municipal websites, which may have a database of recent death notices.

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