Newfoundland and Labrador doubles funeral benefits after unclaimed bodies pile up

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The Newfoundland and Labrador government has more than doubled the financial assistance it offers low-income residents who need to pay for a burial or a cremation, as health officials scramble to deal with unclaimed bodies at the province’s largest hospital.

Paul Pike, the Liberal minister of children, seniors and social development, announced the change Thursday during a news conference in St. John’s, N.L. The move comes after intense scrutiny of the program, after the unclaimed bodies in freezers at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s more than doubled between November 2021 and January of this year.

“Government covers the cost of a basic funeral, and this will not change,” Pike told reporters. “But as costs increase, we must support funeral home operators to ensure they are able to continue to provide those essential services.”

Health officials in the province have been struggling with a growing number of unclaimed bodies at the Health Sciences Centre for several years, and as of Monday there were 30 unclaimed bodies at the hospital, the health department said.

Emails and notes obtained by the provincial NDP show officials discussed the issue as far back as November 2021, saying the problem had been increasing over the past three years. At the time, there were 12 bodies being held in freezers at the hospital, the emails said. By Jan. 9, that figure had grown to 27, according to notes from a meeting of health authority executives.

The note said officials were looking for refrigeration units with “stacking ability” to store the bodies.

John Anderson, director at Caul’s Funeral Home in St. John’s, said last week that he believed the bodies likely belong to people whose low-income loved ones couldn’t get enough government help to pay for a funeral.

Before Monday’s announcement, the province offered people on income support a funeral assistance benefit of up to about $2,300. Seniors on old-age security benefits often qualified for even less, Anderson said. The maximum base rate was roughly half the cost of a basic cremation at Caul’s with no viewing or funeral service.

Pike has previously defended the amount, saying the province works with funeral homes to be sure low-income families can lay their loved ones to rest without having to pay anything. But he said Monday that the increased rates came after his department identified “a clear need” for more assistance after consulting with funeral operators.

Anderson also said the benefits program was unwieldy for families and funeral homes, sometimes requiring homes to send paperwork through the post and wait weeks to find out if a family qualified.

Pike said his department is still looking at how it might make the application process easier.

“Our goal is to ensure both the funeral home and the individual seeking assistance are fully benefiting from this program,” the minister said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2024.

Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press