Treat funeral homes like other businesses: MFSA

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This article was published 10/03/2021 (1654 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Funeral Service Association (MFSA) wants to engage with Manitoba Public Health to come up with reasonable accommodations for grieving families.

Kevin Sweryd, president of the association, said he wants funeral homes to be considered like any other business and be held to a level of accountability like all other businesses, including following all indoor protocols or “fundamentals.”

“I’m saying people should come to funerals and be prepared not to hug, not to shake hands, not to do some of the things that we normally do at funerals, but to be able to gather to a level where it’s safe, whether indoors or outdoors.”

Currently, up to 10 persons, other than the officiant and a photographer or videographer, can be present at a funeral. Sweryd firmly believes that cap can be expanded to accommodate a larger group of mourners. He wants the government to sit down at the table, virtually, with the association, and together create a list of protocols that funeral directors can abide by.

“Don’t just arbitrarily say it can’t be done, because I believe it can,” he said.

Restaurants, for example, are currently operating at 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity of the premises. Occupied tables, alternating with unoccupied tables, are relegated to households only. Once at the table, patrons remove their masks for the entirety of the meal.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, said Monday the fundamentals are difficult to maintain for grieving families. Dr. Jazz Atwal, Roussin’s deputy, said similar on Friday, citing funeral services are emotional events.

Roussin then went on to note an exposure March 4 at St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Winnipeg, where someone who tested positive had roughly 40 contacts. Those at high risk have been contacted, though that number wasn’t shared.

The exposure occurred during a two-hour funeral visitation for Rev. Emil Kardasinec, a longtime parishioner of the church, before he served as a priest in parishes in and around The Pas and Neepawa, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.

Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak said people came through briefly to pay their respects, then left the building before the private 1 p.m. funeral.

He told the Free Press all safety protocols were followed, with a volunteer asking health questions and taking names before allowing people to enter. Less than 10 people were allowed inside at one time, and everyone was required to wear a mask and maintain two-metre social distancing.

Huculak questioned Monday why this possible exposure was publicized by provincial health authorities, and so does Sweryd.

“I find it very miraculous that story appeared after you turned up the heat on them (with a story in Friday’s Brandon Sun). I think I’m going to do a little research on my own today and try and figure out if that was an MFSA member and protocols were broken, or how this alleged exposure took place,” said Sweryd.

“I’m sorry, based on what I’ve seen from the government this year, I simply can’t take Public Health at their word.”

Later, Sweryd told the Sun the funeral home involved at the St. Andrews service where the exposure took place is not a member of the MFSA. He said he would appreciate more information about the nature of the exposure and what protocols were in place within the church.

While Sweryd figures maybe 50 per cent of Manitobans are fine with the funeral restrictions, he asked, for those that aren’t, “is it really our place to say, ‘You can’t grieve. You can’t practice your faith.’”

“I respect some of the northern chiefs because there’s been larger funerals up there. They’ve said, look, we’ve got our protocols in place. This is our land. We’re going to conduct our services the way we see fit. Good for them, as long as you’re keeping people safe,” he said.

Further, Sweryd said he has been asked by many reporters to set them up with grieving families, but families don’t want to talk to the press about funeral restrictions.

“The (social) media shame … And, frankly, our own premier’s behaviour — he’s terrified people to speak out against this. ‘If you don’t believe in COVID, you’re an idiot.’ He’s treated us like children. How would a family ever go on record with a reporter and say, ‘This is how we feel,’” asked Sweryd, who added he is a conservative.

“Even us, at the beginning, we were afraid to say anything because we didn’t want social media to vilify us and take us out of context and say things we’re not saying — hammer us on social media. People vilify you and shout you down in this culture because you’re asking questions.”

The question Sweryd is asking is, why are funerals more dangerous? And, why can’t funeral directors, who are members of the association, not be given a chance to run services with proper protocols?

“You can have a government (enforcement) official watching us. I’ll be a test case, if you want,” he said.

Sweryd also wants to see the data on which Public Health bases its decisions regarding funeral services – especially to share with grieving families because they are enduring the worst of the restrictions.

“It’s not that we’re trying to rake in more cash or have more services. This is the hardest it’s ever been to run a funeral home because there’s not statistically more deaths in Manitoba than the previous six years. We’re doing the same number of services — or calls, if you will — but we’re not able to do them as services. We’re only able to do very, very limited services at all, when we can do that,” he said.

“It’s a brutal time.”

Sweryd reported families are begging to let the whole family be at the funeral. There are agreements with churches, including a church that can seat 2,000 people that said its space could be used for funerals and people could be kept 20 feet apart, if necessary.

“But that’s not even on the table. It’s not even open for negotiation and hasn’t been for a year,” he said.

Atwal said Friday Public Health will work with sectors, that it has no problem working with sectors, and that work is ongoing. Sweryd has said Public Health hasn’t replied to the association’s offers to meet.

The Sun sent a request for clarification about consultation related to funeral services to the province, along with five other questions related to the position Public Health has taken with regard to funeral services — none of which were answered.

“Information on public health orders related to funerals has been routinely brought forward to operators via the Manitoba Funeral Board each time the orders change. If operators have questions regarding the public health orders, they are welcome to contact the Manitoba Funeral Board,” the spokesperson stated by email.

However, Sweryd said the board acting as liaison does not constitute consultation, not to mention that when a question is sent through the board it generally takes three weeks for a reply. The information received is often contradictory and changeable from one request for information to the next, and often simply consists of a condescending letter referring them back to public health orders.

The board’s actual job, according to its website, is to enhance funeral and cemetery services within a fair, ethical and transparent marketplace — it is intended for the consumer.

“The board was established as a not-for-profit regulatory organization to strengthen consumer protection in Manitoba. The board administers The Funeral Directors and Embalmers Act, The Cemeteries Act and The Prearranged Funeral Services Act,” the website states.

“Through its website and inquiry line, it provides consumers with information regarding their legal rights, including which products and services are required by law and which are optional.”

Members of the board are appointed by Manitoba Justice.

The Sun requested an interview with chairperson Alena Lukes via the email provided by the above-mentioned provincial spokesperson, but did not receive a reply.

Meanwhile, the Manitoba Funeral Service Association is a non-profit association that serves funeral directors and funeral homes across Manitoba.

The association is dedicated to the advancement of funeral service through support to the public and individual members, according to its website. A brochure from the association explains what a funeral director does for a grieving family.

“Funeral directors are caregivers and administrators who make arrangements for transportation of the deceased, complete the necessary paperwork and implement the choices made by the family for final disposition of the body,” according to the brochure.

“They are listeners, advisers and supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is having difficulty coping and recommend sources of professional help. Funeral directors also link survivors with support groups at the funeral home or in the community.”

» mletourneau@brandonsun.com

» Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.