{February 28, 2005} VICTORIA – The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority is proposing the following licence fee schedule for operators of places of interment in BC.

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 new Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act, which came into effect on July 4, 2004, required the conversion into licenses of all existing certificates of operation for places of interment in BC. All new operators of places of interment will also require licensing under the Act.

The Act requires the Authority to issue licences to operators who conduct business on both a commercial and non-commercial basis. Commercial operators will be issued annual licences and will be required to pay the proposed licence application fee for renewals. Non-commercial operators will be issued five year licences. The Authority does not intend to apply licence application fee for renewals to places of interment which operate on a non-commercial basis.

The proposed licence application fee structure includes fees for certificates of public interest, applications for new licences and renewals of licences for commercial operators. The fees are 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, January 19, 2005, February 9, 2005, February 14, 2005 and February 28, 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.

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 Friday, March 18, 2005.

For more information about the proposed fee schedule, please download the Frequently Asked Questions .