The following links may prove useful to plan a funeral or liquidate an estate. Funeral planning What to do in the event of Death ? Follow this link to obtain a copy of the What to Do in the Event of Death ? guide published by the Québec government. This guide provides an overview of the steps to be taken following a death. It also gives you access to “My personalized itinerary” for a customized list of steps to take depending on the deceased’s specific situation. List of government agencies and departments to contact Get information on the procedures for cancelling the deceased’s various benefits, including Old Age Security, employment insurance benefits, income tax credits, etc. Directeur de l’État civil du Québec Declaring a death Revenu Québec Service Canada Canada Revenue Agency Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec Death benefits and pensions Retraite Québec/Régie des rentes du Québec (RRQ) Société de l’assurance automobile Québec (SAAQ) Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) Indemnisation des victimes d’actes criminels (IVAC) Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et Solidarité sociale du Québec (MESS) Services Québec (Special Benefit for Funeral Expenses) Veterans Affairs Canada (Last Post Fund) Prearrangements (Prearranged Funeral Services Contracts) Rules governing Prearranged Funeral Services Contracts and Sepulture Contracts Other useful links Directeur de l’État civil du Québe c (To order certificates and copies of acts) Chambre des notaires du Québec (To seach a will and a mandate in case of incapacity) Barreau du Québec (To search a will and a mandate in case of incapacity) Registre des droits personnels et réels mobiliers (RDPRM) Office de la protection du consommateur du Québec Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Inc. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (What to do with inherated firearms) Ordre des évaluateurs agréés du Québec Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Vocabulary in the Funeral Industry A little vocabulary... Aquamation : Process consisting of dissolving body tissue in water as opposed to cremation. The solid remains are then reduced to ashes or placed in an urn that may be buried in a cemetery or kept in a columbarium. Cemetery: A place of burial for human remains. Cinerary urn vault: A vault for one or several cinerary urns installed in the ground. Columbarium: An indoor or outdoor vault lined with niches for one or several cinerary urns. Concession: The right to be interred in a cemetery’s burial site, a mausoleum or a columbarium (plot, niche, cinerary urn vault or crypt). Concessionaire: An individual who holds the rights conferred by a concession. Cremation: Act of reducing human remains to ashes by burning them. The ashes are then kept in an urn that can be buried in a cemetery, placed in a columbarium or retained by relatives. Crematorium: A place where cremations are performed. Crypt: A recess in a wall designed for one casket containing the remains of a deceased person. Embalmment (Thanatopraxy): Art and science of preserving human remains by treating them to forestall decomposition, in order to keep them suitable for public display at a funeral. Grave: An excavation for burial of a body or ashes located in a cemetery. Mausoleum: A funerary building containing crypts and a columbarium containing niches and, if applicable, cinerary urn vaults. Niche: A space in a columbarium designed for one or several cinerary urns. Plot: Site devoted to the burial of bodies or ashes in a cemetery. Reliquary: Receptacle designed to contain part of the ashes of a deceased. Sepulture: A place where human remains are placed (plot, niche, cinerary urn vault or crypt). A bit of vocabulary: Proofs of death Attestation of cremation: The attestation of cremation confirms that the crematorium has cremated the remains of the deceased. This document may be required before proceeding with a burial or for repatriation. Attestation of death: Document issued by a funeral home confirming the death of a person. The attestation issued by a funeral home has no legal value, but can however be accepted by third parties in the settlement of the estate. Not to be confused with the attestation delivered by the Directeur de l’état civil du Québec which confirms the presence or absence in the Québec register of civil status of an act of death or a notation made in such act. Copy of an act of death/Death certificate: Documents issued by the Directeur de l'état civil du Québec serving as a proof of death. They are the only two documents that can serve has a legal proof of death in Québec. Declaration of death (DEC-100): The declaration of death is a form that is completed by a close relative of the deceased and the funeral director. It provides information about the deceased, the spouse of the deceased and the disposal of the body. The Declaration of death and the Attestation of death (DEC-101), are used to declare the death of a person to the Directeur de l’état civil du Québec in order for him to issue proofs of death (Copy of an act of death and Death certificate). FORM SP-3: Return of death (SP-3) and Attestation of death (DEC-101): The Return of death (SP-3) and the Attestation of death (DEC-101) are the two documents included in the Form SP-3. This form is completed by the physician who attests the death in order to establish the identity of the deceased as well as the causes and circumstances of his death. Because of their confidential nature, causes and circumstances of death can only be disclosed to specific actors (medical file, funeral director and Institut de la statistique du Québec) and will only appear on the Return of death form (SP-3). As to the Attestation of death (DEC-101), a copy will be given to the declarant of the death with the Declaration of death (DEC-100) and the other will be used by the Directeur de l’état civil to enter the death in the Québec register of civil status.

There are multiple steps involved in settling an Estate. The importance of consulting a professional Each Estate has its own particularities. It is therefore recommended to consult a notary of your choice or a lawyer who is qualified in the matters of Estate settlement. This professional will be able to guide you through the process and draft the various legal documents required. Will searches To find out if the deceased left a will, start by searching through his or her personal papers. Also, verify if the deceased had a safety deposit box in a financial institution where he or she may have kept his or her will. Applications for will search certificates Regardless of whether you are convinced that the deceased did not make a will or are certain that you are in possession of the deceased’s most recent will, you will still need to have a will search conducted at the Chambre des notaires du Québec and the Barreau du Québec in order to obtain the required search certificates. These two certificates will confirm the existence of a last will made before a notary or drafted by a lawyer. You can undertake these searches yourself. However, if you wish to receive the results more quickly, the notary or lawyer of your choice may carry out the searches for you. For more information on this, click on the following links: Chambre des notaires du Québec Barreau du Québec The role of the liquidator The liquidator is the person whose mandate is to liquidate the Estate. If the deceased had made a will before a notary, a liquidator is usually appointed in the will. If no liquidator has been appointed in a will, the heirs will need to appoint one or liquidate the Estate together. Steps involved in the liquidation of a succession Each Estate is unique and will be liquidated differently, according to the deceased’s patrimony and family relationships. The following steps are usually involved in the liquidation of a succession Estate: Obtain the will search certificates and a copy of the deceased’s last will, if applicable; Issue the various notices of death (to government authorities, service providers, etc.); Draft an Estate inventory; Retrieve the deceased’s assets; Pay off the deceased’s liabilities as well as those born from their Estate; Close the deceased’s utility accounts and terminate his memberships (telephone, electricity, etc.); Prepare the income tax returns and obtain the clearance certificates from tax authorities; Distribute the net assets of the succession; Present a final rendering of account and have it approved by the heirs.

How to obtain a death certificate or a copy of the act of death?

After a loved one has deceased, it is required to order a certificate or a copy of the act of death from the Quebec’s Register of Civil Status (Directeur de l’état civil). These are the only […]

What to do in the event of death?

No matter if a loved one’s passing has been expected for some time or happens out of the blue, death always sparks […]

Useful Links

The following links may prove useful to plan a funeral or liquidate an estate.

Funeral planning

What to do in the event of Death?

Follow this link to obtain a […]

Glossary

Vocabulary in the Funeral Industry

A little vocabulary…

Aquamation: Process consisting of dissolving body tissue in water as opposed to cremation. The solid remains are then reduced to ashes or placed in an urn […]