‘It shouldn’t have taken this long’: Ontario ditches longstanding and controversial fee for stillbirth registrations

Earlier this month, the Ontario organization which regulates the funeral and burial industry in the province announced a fee to register a stillborn, which has long been criticized by some funeral home directors, will no longer be charged.

“I’m ecstatic but it should not have taken this long,” said Eric Mumford, who’s a funeral home director at Benjamin Park Memorial in Toronto.

Mumford is also a father who has lost two babies to stillbirth.

“It’s devastating,” he said. “Parents have this baby that they’re expecting after 20 weeks, they’re getting their hopes and dreams up and then the world comes crashing down for one reason or another.”

Recognizing the toll it takes on parents, many funeral homes like Benjamin Park Memorial have long waived all associated fees with stillborn burial and ceremonies.

“We waive the casket, waive our personnel fees, our cars and everything else. A couple of the cemeteries we deal with don’t charge for the burial plot and The City of Toronto has waived their fee for a long time as well.”

But up until recently, The Bereavement Authority of Ontario, a government delegated authority which regulates funeral homes and cemeteries still charged the $30 fee to register a stillborn.

“So we would have to tell parents, ‘everything is taken care of but we still have to charge you this one fee.’ ” Mumford said. “It’s long been a thorn in my side that this governing authority did not waive this.”

Mumford says for many years he and others have contacted the BAO, requesting the fee be dropped, which it did. On April 7, the BAO announced that the fee Mumford and others fought so hard to get rid of will no longer be charged.

“In tandem with the provincial government’s announcement in the fall removing the associated cost and simplifying the process of obtaining a certified copy of stillbirth registration, the BAO is eliminating licensing fees associated with death care services for a stillborn child,” a statement read.

“Demonstrating respect for lost future family members in this initiative is an honourable gesture and commemoration that will help families in their grief,” BAO’s CEO Jim Cassimatis said.

Mumford says it’s long overdue.

“I just wish they did it earlier. They should have done it earlier. It was the right thing to do earlier. They shouldn’t have had to have outside pressure to get to this point.”

The BAO did not respond when asked why it took so long to end a fee many municipalities and funeral homes have long waived.

Regardless, Mumford is satisfied, saying it’s one less worry for families going through an unexpected tragedy.

“Nobody plans for that. Nobody wants to even think about that part and it’s very hard for families who experience this. If we can just make it a little bit easier for them, that’s all we want.”

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