Province Helping Funeral Home Clients

SERVICE N.S./MUNICIPAL RELATIONS--Province Helping Funeral Home Clients

The Nova Scotia government is helping clients of a Sydney Mines funeral home whose trust accounts were allegedly misappropriated.

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister Barry Barnet said officials from his department are working closely with the local funeral industry to minimize the impact to clients of the G. R. Francis and Son Funeral Home. The company was notified on Monday, Feb. 21 that its funeral home licence would be cancelled effective Feb. 28.

Information gathered by Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations and provided to Cape Breton Regional Police indicates that about $200,000, which should have been deposited into 46 trust accounts for pre-arranged funerals, is missing.

Funds deposited into 36 other trust accounts appear to be fully accounted for. The department has written to all 82 trust account owners to explain the action taken and to outline next steps.

"Now that this has been referred to the police, we are doing everything we can to ensure these people receive the service they paid for," Mr. Barnet said.

All funeral homes licensed to sell pre-arranged funeral services are required by the Cemetery and Funeral Services Act to undergo an annual, independent audit to ensure compliance with the act.

The most recent audit of the Francis Funeral Home, completed in late 2003, indicated all was in order. How the company was apparently able to circumvent this security feature will be part of the police investigation.