HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
A Chronology of Association Efforts to Improve Funeral Service Regulations:
1960’s and 70’s
Funeral consolidation began to take shape as several aggressive consolidators begana buying spree of family owned funeral homes in the US and abroad, capturing 20% of the North American market by the late 1990’s.
1970’s
The national funeral chains began to focus on marketing pre-arranged funerals. This practice became much easier where the chains could gain access to local cemetery records to get the names and addresses of plot owners. Claiming to update plot records access could easily be gained to plot owner’s households where then commissioned sales people could …
1990’s
The groups began working with a broader cross section of consumer groups, healthcare professionals, and clergy offering in-service seminars and resources both to help improve care for the bereaved and to educate the public and regulators on the need to improve regulations. While hiring “find-for-a-fee” commissioned sales people allowed the national funeral chains to greatly …
1991
B.C. finally passed a law banning direct (telephone or door-to-door) solicitation of the public by funeral and/or cemetery companies.
1994
The FFA discovered that the largest funeral consolidator Service Corporation International (SCI) of Houston Texas, was trying to trademark a name that had the clear potential to deceive the public. The name ‘Family Funeral Care’, used in conjunction with the name of the previous owner (ie: JONES FAMILY Funeral Care), could easily be used to …
1995
The city of Vancouver received a proposal to privatize the management of the City’s only non-profit cemetery. Loewen Group, the second largest consolidator, had offered to take over the management. The groups sent letters out to 500 organizations and individuals decrying this proposal. Newspapers and TV began doing stories and 75 organizations came forward in …
1996
On May 16, the City of Vancouver declined the Loewen Group proposal and accepted their proposal. In September licensing of personnel and facilities was finally brought into law, but the national funeral chains by then had already acquired over 75% of the B.C. funeral service providers. The FFA also filed three trademark oppositions against misdescriptive …
1997
The FFA was asked formally to submit a request for regulatory reform to the Province of British Columbia. Chief among the FFA and the caregiver group’s requests were: 1) Mandatory disclosure of national funeral chain ownership of local funeral homes – now law 2) Mandatory disclosure or real address where funeral service providers operate from …
1998
As part of FFA’s trademark opposition against SCI, 15,000 requests for evidence were mailed to family owned funeral homes asking for evidence and examples of where the national funeral consolidators were using confusing marketing information to appear like locally owned family businesses. The evidence received filled five affidavits, which laying down stood seven inches thick.
1999
The Partners In Care Alliance was formed, consisting of roughly 300 members. Although the FFA was the legal agent of record in these oppositions, PICA’s support of the FFA truly allowed changes to be achieved in the following regulatory districts: The FFA was asked by the Consumer Affairs Commission of the City of New York …
2000
In September the FFA was invited to participate in the Public Policy Forum review of the Canadian Competition Act. Nine recommendations were made under the aims of Bill C-402 sponsored by MP Dan McTeague, dealing with the “abuse of dominance” in the retail sector. The Bill was in response to consumer concerns about markets dominated …
2001
March 6, the province of B.C. adopted the three primary recommendations of the FFA from 1997 making them law. In May 2001 Consumer Reports Magazine reported that Family-owned local Independent funeral homes… “on average offered funerals for $2,000 less than the big national chains.” In the Vancouver market where the average service is roughly $2,000, …
2002
The FFA gained the support of about 3,500 family owned funeral homes at their Canadian Trademark Commission Hearing on whether SCI should be awarded the trademark “Family Funeral Care”. On April 23, the Canadian Trademark Office found in favor of the FFA opposition, and denied SCI their trademark registration. In May the FFA is approached …
2003
In June the Order of the Golden Rule Association, and the Independent Funeral Directors Associations of Florida, Indiana, Georgia, Michigan, Maryland, Maine, New York, and Virginia all announced their joining the FFA’s US Trademark Opposition against SCI’s attempt to register “Family Funeral Care” in the United States, establishing the ‘Prevent SCI’s Trademark Fund’ or ‘PST …
2004
In April the Florida Courts dropped the criminal charges against SCI because a criminal conviction might result in the insurance company not paying the victims of their malpractice. A new consumer regulatory organization, the Business Practice and Consumer Protection Authority (BPCPA) was introduced.
2005
Funding for the new BC regulatory authority was introduced late in the year. Great News! Financial Post reports that SCI has Buried Hard Sell Approach. Mr. Crean responds to the editor.
2006
The FFA has expressed their deep frustration with the fact that as yet neither the law requiring funeral home ownership or the law requiring disclosure of location are being enforced. BC Business covered the Independent FFA Campaign Frank Stewart was invited to be keynote speaker at the Catholic Cemetery Association Convention held in Vancouver B.C., …
2007
Presentations and tours to healthcare workers, colleges and faith communities continue in effort to raise awareness over vital reforms required to ensure a healthy regulatory environment.
2008
Globe & Mail Report on Small Business covers the FFA Campaign, and the Kearney Family Business The FFA and the Professionals in Care Alliance arranged their first faith luncheon to begin to build a faith based taskforce to finally complete the reforms required to create a healthy funeral service regulatory environment. October will see saw …
2009
The Vancouver Sun on March 17th writes a two page article on the Kearney Family Business going into extensive detail over the work they have done to support improving the quality of end-of-life-care in B.C. The FFA and the Professionals in Care Alliance continue to arrange meetings and seminars with community and church groups working …
2010
The Professionals in Care Alliance continue to arrange meetings and seminars with community and church groups working to build awareness around the need for improving both the options available and the regulations governing end-of-life care. On BC Bereavement Day this year PICA arranged it’s third annual Missing Women’s Memorial at Mountain View Cemetery in conjunction …
2011
The Professionals in Care Alliance has begun to research other possibilities for cemeteries in the lower mainland as well as continuing to arrange meetings and seminars with community and church groups working to build awareness around the need for improving both the options available and the regulations governing end-of-life care. BC Bereavement Day this year …
2012
Sixty Minutes broadcast a scathing report on cemetery and funeral home abuse due to inadequate regulation and enforcement in America, siting that SCI currently charged $23,000 for their plots in a Jewish Cemetery in Los Angeles. A truly shocking revelation about this observation is that plots in SCI’s Burnaby Cemetery, Ocean View, are selling for …
2013
PICA continued to host seminars and joined with several partners/members to share its first booth at a convention: the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association Convention in Ottawa.
2014
PICA hosted its first two booths in BC, the first being Zoomer at the BC Trade and Convention Centre and the second being the Advocis Financial Planners Convention at the Vancouver Italian Cultural Centre. Non-profit partners cosponsoring included the B.C. Bereavement Helpline, Lower Mainland Grief Recovery, B.C. Victims of Homicide, and the Gardens of Gethsemani. …
2015
In response to the new directives established by the Board for the upcoming year, in the first week of January PICA will be publishing its three strategic objectives for 2015 here on its website.