A bureaucratic decision caused a grieving family more stress when a funeral home barred them from seeing their loved-one until permission arrived from the province - nearly two weeks later.
The remains of Darlene Anne (Brown) Allard, 58, were placed in stasis at a Quesnel funeral home on July 28 after she died from a prolonged illness. And since she was living on a social services income at the time and her family members had little financial means, Allard was taken to Clayton's Funeral Home under the Ministry of Social Development's funeral program.
Clayton's Funeral Home then blocked family members from seeing her until the ministry released the body, said Allard's sister Vivian Gowrie of Prince George.
The situation caused Allard's daughter the most distress since she was in another town at the time of death, and only missed saying goodbye in person by a couple of hours, but was prevented from viewing the body after that point.
"It took the ministry 10 days to give the funeral home the approval for burial. The body was at Clayton's Funeral Home that whole time," Gowie said.
Allard was scheduled to be buried in Quesnel on Wednesday.
"That is too long, the ministry should have acted quicker, and her poor daughter still hadn't seen her," said Gowrie. "She will never get to see her. They are putting her in the ground [Wednesday] and she won't get to see her once. They refuse to open the casket because the body had not been released. That is just barbaric. What harm is there to let someone's daughter have some closure?"
Clayton's Funeral Home was contacted by The Citizen but representatives there refused comment.
Ministry spokeswoman Kirsten Lauvaas said the agency could not comment on a specific case. However, said Lauvaas, "the ministry has no policy that would affect whether a funeral director would allow the deceased person's remains to be viewed."
On the question of the time delay, Lauvaas said before ministry staff signs off on the body's release, they determine if the person's estate is in order, ensuring any existing will is properly brought forward, and afterlife processes are properly accounted for.
But Gowrie still wonders why it took so long.
"The welfare office froze her bank account within a day and took the money she had left. If they can move that fast for money, why can't they move that fast to provide human dignity to her and her family?" Gowrie said.
Lauvaas said when the government pays for afterlife care due to financial constraints of the deceased's estate or immediate next of kin, it is considered a debt to government.
Necessary funeral costs include transporting and preparing the remains, a casket and associated paperwork, Lauvaas said.
The ministry pays a basic service fee of $1,285 and will also pay an additional service fee up to $815 for a memorial service. Specific expenditures like cremation fees and a burial plot are also covered.
