ST. JOHN’S, N.L. –
Unclaimed bodies are piling up in Newfoundland, and a funeral director says they likely belong to people whose loved ones couldn’t get enough government help to pay for a funeral.
Emails obtained by the provincial NDP show the number of unclaimed bodies kept in temporary freezer units at the province’s largest hospital more than doubled between November 2021 and January of this year.
John Anderson, director at Caul’s Funeral Home in St. John’s, N.L., blames the province’s funeral assistance program, offered to residents on income support or old age benefits to help cover the cost of cremations or burials. It’s difficult to navigate and inadequate, costing funeral homes money and causing frustration and anguish for people looking to provide a dignified burial for their loved one, he said.
“There’s people that leave and don’t …