{February 1, 2005} VICTORIA – The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority is proposing the following fee schedules for funeral services, including funeral providers, embalmers and funeral directors, and for crematoria operators.

The Authority assumed responsibility for the oversight of business practices and consumer protection in British Columbia on July 4, 2004. It is a not-for-profit organization which operates at arm's length from government. The Authority has been delegated the authority to set fees for the industries it regulates, and the fees are set to achieve full cost-recovery by December 2005.

The proposed fee structure includes a formula related to the volume of consumer transactions to be considered in the calculation of the licence application fees, as well as a base amount. This is consistent with the Authority’s mandate to link fees to the cost of providing services.

Options for fee schedules were discussed at the December 8, 2004 and January 19, 2005 meetings of the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Advisory Group. The Group includes key stakeholder representatives from business and consumer groups. Its purpose is to identify consumer and industry related issues and potential solutions for consideration by the Authority and to provide feedback on any matters put forward by the Authority to the group for consideration. For more information, please visit the Advisory Group webpage.

 On July 4, 2004, the new Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act required the conversion of all existing certificates of operation for crematoria into licenses. All new crematoria will also require licensing under the new Act.

The Act also requires that cemetery operators be licensed. A fee schedule outlining licence fees for cemetery operators is presently under review and a proposal will be posted on the Authority’s website in mid-February for comment.

The proposed schedules are being posted to obtain input from all interested parties. Please provide your input to Tom Aquiline, Deputy Director, Industry Relations, BPCPA, by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it prior by Tuesday, February 15, 2005.

For more information about the proposed fee schedules, please visit the BPCPA website to view the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the new fee structure.