What we appreciate most about Ethical Death Care Cremation & Funeral Planning is that they provide a holistic and hassle-free experience during this tough time. We like that they handle almost every step and requirement needed to take the burden of logistics out of your hands.

From our surveys, many clients also found that being able to submit much of the necessary info online through their website made a stressful situation just a bit easier.

On top of this, we think it’s convenient for Ethical Death to adopt an online shopping format for their services and products; everything is one click away and user-friendly.

In addition, you can browse through various urns with different price points and materials, from traditional to contemporary designs and brass to biodegradable materials. 

But, just a heads up, some of the services you may need surrounding the cremation may be a bit heavy on your pockets. For example, home or hospital death transfers will cost you an additional $295, which is exclusive of their cremation package.

Though, we do appreciate them for completing CPP Death and Survivors benefits applications and notifying Service Canada of the death at no extra charge. The same goes if you need an estate/executor consultation to assist you with estate management. 

That said, we highly recommend Ethical Death for a seamless cremation service handled by a respectful and sincere team.

Alterna Cremation provides funeral services and helps clients with pre-planning final arrangements, grief support, and the cremation services they offer.

We are happy with how holistic their cremation package is. Their direct cremation package includes everything you need; transfer from the place of death to the crematorium and the cremation itself, costing $1,395 + GST.

It’s also nice that they provide a basic cremation container for the dignity of the deceased, death registration and up to six Funeral Director Statements of Death. 

And should you need help putting pen to paper in remembrance of your loved one, they also provide obituary writing assistance as part of the package.

It’s also comforting to see that the team is highly professional and accommodating, especially if you have no clue where to start and how to handle the requirements. 

We also appreciate that they don’t take advantage of a vulnerable moment to gain more profit by upselling or pressuring you with other services and products.

However, we found that they limit the unembalmed private viewing to only two people, so other relatives or friends can also view their loved one during the memorial.

Nonetheless, Alterna Cremation is a solid choice for a budget-friendly cremation service with many inclusions.

Branch & Pyre Cremation Care offers cremation, obituary, tributes, memorials, urns, pre-planning and grief support services. 

One of the highlights of their services is that you can make arrangements online, and it’s available 24/7.

Conveniently, you can make safe and secure arrangements in just minutes from the comfort of your own home by calling their office and filling out a few forms on their website — dodging having to sit through a two-hour appointment to make arrangements.

Although, we noted that many grieving families are often put off by the cost of viewing their loved one before cremation. It usually costs $1,000 since they don’t have their own funeral home or the facilities to house the visits.

On a positive note, we commend their team for respecting and understanding the cultural practices and traditions when planning the service and cremation for each client or family.

And it’s worth mentioning that they’re highly responsive to inquiries, updates, and follow-ups, which can put your mind at ease knowing everything is going well as planned.

We also like that they are accommodating and caring, such as reaching out to families or clients daily to see how they are doing. Little things like this are thoughtful and are very much appreciated.

A stand out of Direct-Care Cremation is that they provide budget-friendly cremation services. For instance, their direct cremation starts at $1,195 compared to the other places that typically start around $1,300.

Notably, we’re pleased to know that this package also offers a basic cardboard cremation container and transport sealed pouch as temporary storage for cremated remains.

Moreover, you can also discuss additional services with the Funeral Director. This may also include five Funeral Director Statement of Deaths, providing C.P.P. Death Benefit Forms and ordering Provincial Death Certificates.

However, we noticed that transfers of the deceased from residences or funeral homes have an additional charge of $150 since it’s not included in the package.

And keep in mind that you can only book them for arrangements during the weekend, which can be inconvenient for some. We suggest you leave them a message via their online form on their website to relay what you may need or want.

We also think it’s great they have finance plans available for those who are qualified, especially for families with limited means and funding — ask your funeral director for more details. 

Lastly, we applaud the team behind Direct-Care Cremation for their excellent customer assistance. You’re guaranteed attentive and sincere care during a tough time.

Since its establishment in 1998, Voyage Funeral Home and Crematorium continue to provide personalized funeral home services to guide you through the most difficult times with care and compassion.

We’re impressed by the scope of their services for both funeral and cremation needs. They handle cremations, memorial services, urns, scattering services and pre-planning.

On top of this, we also like that they have catering services, which means almost every aspect of your funeral and cremation experience is in-house and highly accessible. And after asking around, many clients are satisfied with the variety and taste of the food served.

However, we are a bit iffy about reports regarding their services that seem to be done in a rush, resulting in some dissatisfaction. 

Based on our research, we found that they also need to improve their attention to detail, like getting the crucial dates right for the obituary. Mix-ups with the death and birth dates have a slightly concerning issue.

On the bright side, we think it’s great that they have the facilities and chapel to accommodate memorial services or private viewing for friends and relatives.

At the end of the day, Voyage Funeral Home and Crematorium provide convenience and accessibility, especially when you plan to avail of their cremation with a memorial service.