Immediate Need


Who To Call First

An unexpected death: call emergency services first, 911.

An expected death: call the doctor who was caring for the deceased person.

Please have your executor/next of kin call 519-434-6504 - 24 hours / 7 days a week and notify us that a death has occurred.

1)   On the phone-we will be asking your executor if we have permission to transfer your loved one into our care. Before the transfer can be completed, the doctor or coroner must sign all appropriate paperwork.

2)   Mount Pleasant Cemetery will transfer your loved one into our care from the place of death.

3)   Your executor/next of kin needs to schedule an appointment with Mount Pleasant Cemetery. He or she needs to finalize your arrangements regardless if you have pre-paid/pre-arranged your services with us.

At the time of need, your executor/next of kin will have to sign the following documents.

1)   Statement of Death

To register a death, Mount Pleasant Cemetery will submit two documents to City Hall.

The first document is a Statement of Death (Form 15): a family member and a funeral director/transfer service manager will complete this form together. It includes personal information about the deceased (e.g., family history, date of birth, place of birth, date of death, occupation, social insurance number, etc.). The second document that is registered at city hall is a Medical Certificate of Death (Form 16) which is provided by the doctor who pronounces the death.  City Hall will provide Mount Pleasant Cemetery with a Burial Permit (Form 19).

A Burial Permit is required before any graveside service/burial/cremation can take place. 

Please complete our Vital Statistics Page  and we will keep the information on file. Providing Mount Pleasant Cemetery with this information ahead of time can make the process easier for your executor/next of kin.

2)   Cremation Application - This only applies if you are being cremated.

If cremation is requested the executor/next of kin will have to sign a cremation application.  This document means your executor/next of kin authorizes the cremation.  Your pre-paid contract means you have pre-paid for the cremation to take place, however it does not authorize the cremation.

3)   Mount Pleasant Cemetery Contract - this document means that your executor gives us the legal right to represent him/her regarding your arrangements.  Even if you have already signed a pre-need contract, at the time of death, the law requires your executor/next of kin to sign an at need contract.

Will

Having a Will is highly recommended especially if you are thinking of Cremation as your disposition.

After someone dies, the power of attorney is no longer in charge. The estate trustee (also called the “executor”), is the person in charge to make funeral arrangements, they are the deceased person’s representative. If you have any questions regarding a will please contact your family lawyer. To make the process easier on your executor/next of kin, Mount Pleasant Cemetery will photocopy the front page of your will and keep it on file with your pre-arrangements.

No Will

 If there is no will, then Mount Pleasant Cemetery must follow the legal order of next of kin. Spouse, then children (age 18), then grandchildren (age 18), parents, brothers & sisters, aunts & uncles, cousins and collateral relatives. This can be a complex process.

After Care Plan

ISP (Income Security Program)

At the time of need Mount Pleasant will assist your representative in notifying Service Canada that a death has occurred and completing a form called ISP (Income Security Program), this document will cancel any CPP and OAS monthly payments.

What is the death benefit?

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) death benefit is a one-time, lump-sum payment to the estate on behalf of a deceased CPP contributor.

If an estate exists, the executor named in the will or the administrator named by the Court to administer the estate applies for the death benefit. The executor should apply for the benefit within 60 days of the date of death.

If no estate exists or if the executor has not applied for the death benefit, payment may be made to other persons who apply for the benefit in the following order of priority:

  • the person or institution that has paid for or that is responsible for paying for the funeral expenses of the deceased;
  • the surviving spouse or common-law partner of the deceased; or
  • the next-of-kin of the deceased.

The amount of the death benefit depends on how much and for how long the deceased contributed to the CPP. In January 2016, the average death benefit paid was $2,296.85 and the maximum was $2,500. Consult the table of current Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payment at the Service Canada’s Website.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery will assist your representative fill out and mail the death benefit. If you are thinking of pre-arranging it’s best to preview this form today and we will document the specific answers to these questions. By having specific questions answered in advance it can make the process easier for your next of kin.

Survivor’s Pension

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) survivor's pension is paid to the person who, at the time of death, is the legal spouse or common-law partner of the deceased contributor.

If you are a separated legal spouse and the deceased had no cohabiting common-law partner, you may qualify for this benefit. The amount you receive as a surviving spouse or common-law partner will depend on:

  • whether you are also receiving a CPP disability benefit or retirement pension (see Combining Canada Pension Plan Pensions)
  • your age
  • how much, and for how long, the deceased contributor has paid into the CPP

Service Canada first calculates the amount that the CPP retirement pension is, or would have been if the deceased had been age 65 at the time of death. Then, a further calculation is done based on the survivor's age at the time of the contributor's death.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery will assist your representative complete and mail in the survivor’s pension form.

If you are thinking about pre-arranging with us please bring in your marriage certificate, we will photocopy it and place it in your file.  This is one of the supporting documents that we need to send into Service Canada at the time of need.

This information can make the process easier for your executor/ next of kin.