Our Health & Safety Standards

Our health and safety principles

Our guiding principles ensure that we are offering the highest standard of health and safety, backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

• Excellence in health & safety. We are actively monitoring and adjusting to the current global pandemic and have implemented rigorous health and safety protocols. We continue to follow public health guidance and adhere to local public health orders by which our funeral homes, crematorium and cemetery providers must operate.
• Responsibility. Each location in the Dignity Memorial network has appointed a Wellness Champion to serve as a steward of our health and safety plans.
• Vigilance. We continue to consult with local, federal and provincial governments on best practices for keeping our associates, families and their guests safe. Our funeral homes, cemeteries and crematoriums will continue to meet the challenges of the pandemic while maintaining and updating safety measures as new situations arise.

Cleanliness and safety with you in mind 

Offering a clean and welcoming space to the families we serve, and their guests, has always been a priority—but never more so than it is right now. We want you to feel comfortable entrusting your loved one to our care and attending funerals and celebrations of life at our locations.

In a survey of customers and guests who visited a Dignity Memorial location conducted in the summer of 2020, 99.7% said that we provided a clean and safe environment. As always, we'll do the utmost to meet your family's needs, whatever they may be.

Our associates have been trained to meet strict health and safety protocols, and each affiliated location has implemented preventive measures, including:

• Associates wearing appropriate cloth masks (families and guests, too, where required by local law).
• Thorough disinfection of our facilities, equipment, vehicles and other high-contact surfaces before and after each meeting and service, including doorknobs and handles, furniture, iPads/tablets, handrails and elevator buttons.
• Posted cleaning schedules that let you know when an area was last sanitized.
• Visible hand sanitizer stations in areas where there is interaction among associates, families and guests.  
• Doors and windows left open to let in fresh air (weather permitting).
• Prepackaged cups, plates and utensils where food and beverage is available.

Distance doesn’t stop us from caring

Celebrating a loved one's life is important. However, gathering in large groups at the funeral home or cemetery may not be possible at this time. Though large gatherings may be prohibited, we are still able to come together safely and say goodbye to loved ones.

Staying at least 2 metres apart is a primary COVID-19 prevention strategy. Our associates are committed to doing their part, and we encourage families and guests to observe this important safety guideline by: 

• Adhering to local public health orders on gathering limits.
• Reminding guests with social distancing signage and/or floor decals throughout the location.
• Limiting guests in each area to ensure social distancing and gathering limits.
• Asking families and their guests to enter and exit the funeral home through different doors, if the building allows it.
• Marking chapel and cemetery seating to ensure that guests maintain a distance of at least 2 metres apart. 
• Requesting that guests maintain social distancing measures for rites or ceremonies, such as queuing up for a viewing of the casket.
• Spacing the backs of chairs at one table and the backs of chairs at another table at least 2 metres apart, unless chairs are separated by a physical barrier.
• Encouraging guests to avoid expressions of sympathy like handshaking, hugging and other direct physical contact.
• Recommending that if a person feels unwell, has travelled from another country or has been in contact with someone who is ill, that he or she attends appointments or services virtually.
• Offering livestreamed services for family and friends who are not comfortable attending in person or when attendance is limited due to gathering restrictions. Learn more about livestreamed funeral etiquette.
• Offering drive-through visitations in areas where gatherings are restricted.

*Please be aware that as the pandemic evolves guidelines are subject to change.

No-contact, remote consultations

We're proud to offer remote planning consultations to our community. Request information online and you’ll be connected with a local funeral planning professional. By phone, text and email, get all your questions answered from the comfort of your own home.