In 2007, the MacIntyre family founded Grand River Cremation Service for those in southern Ontario looking for an alternative to traditional funeral services. Grand River Cremation Service offers a simple solution, taking care of everything before returning the ashes to the family.
In under an hour, someone can pre-plan their cremation online or in-person by appointment. They can secure their cremation plan with only a handful of personal identifiers, like their name, birth date, birthplace, parents' names, and social insurance number.
"It's a funeral home alternative. It takes the guesswork out for the survivors, just knowing that everything's looked after," said co-owner Peter MacIntyre.
Why pre-plan your cremation
There are many benefits to pre-planning with The Grand River Cremation Service Trust Plan, starting with never wondering what your loved one wanted after they passed.
Saves money
Prepayment is not a requirement to pre-plan with Grand River Cremation Service. But, if someone decides to pre-pay, the trust plan locks in the cremation cost, no matter how much time passes before their services are required.
“So if they pre-pay and they pass away in 20, 30, 40 years. There's no further cost to the family or to the estate,” MacIntyre said.
Additionally, the interest earned on funds held in a Grand River Cremation Service Trust Plan is tax-free and complies with all regulations under the Funeral Services Act of Ontario and is fully insured. And all money is held in trust and is fully refundable at any time.
“At the end of the day, if there are excess funds, it's refunded to the estate. Or the family can decide to spend it on other funeral-related products tax-free.”
Supports survivors
The costs for the cremation will be paid out of your income now rather than from the much-needed funds of the estate. Having a cremation paid for by the time it is needed relieves the family of this expense at the time of the funeral, which may also be a time of financial stress.
“That's what we hear often hear afterwards—when somebody has pre-planned versus somebody that didn’t,” he said. “During the arrangements, you can see the family like they're grateful that this was looked after.”
MacIntyre said he’ll often see the surviving wife or husband pre-plan and pre-pay their own cremation after being left with the important decisions after their partner passed away.
“That surviving spouse will come in to pre-plan, and it's through no message of ours. It's strictly through their experience,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is the experience that actually organically motivates the action.”
In his experience, when someone finally decides to pre-plan, he can see them shed the weight of that decision.
He said Grand River Cremation Service is only documenting their wishes, a file in a drawer. But the peace of mind it provides the individual gives them a real sense of relief.
To reach the team at Grand River Cremation Service, visit them online to make an appointment.