The business of dying

In Montreal, about 15,000 people die every year, compared to about 20,000 births, statistics that give the numerous funeral homes in the territory plenty of business.

Funeral costs, according to the Corporation of Thanatologists of Quebec (CTQ), are between $4,800 and $5,000. These numbers fluctuate from one region to the other, depending on municipal taxes and business competition.

In the city, the market is very competitive. “That’s what differentiates Montreal from the rest of the province. First, in sheer volume, but also in the different religions that need different services,” said Nathalie Samson, the CTQ’s director general.

While some may believe the funeral industry is making a large amount of money because of the aging population, Yvan Rodrigue, president of Urgel Bourgie, raises another point. Strong competition requires much investment in such things as vehicles and buildings.

“We’re not rolling in gold,” he said in an interview. “In the past few years, we’ve closed 28 funeral homes in different neighbourhoods to concentrate on operating 20 buildings on the island of Montreal. You have to understand that people are going to the church less and less. People are using funeral complexes for receptions and a number of other services to pay respect to the deceased, instead of going to the church.”

According to Rodrigue, families that do opt for a church ceremony also use funeral home services. “A funeral cortege goes from the funeral home, to the church, and to the cemetery,” he said.

Claude Poirier, president of Magnus Poirier, is of a similar opinion: the industry merges its activities to maintain profit. Magnus Poirier, which has been in business for 85 years, has reduced its number of funeral homes in Montreal to eight.

“Since family members are often spread out, people usually wait until the weekend for the funeral. Also, our services are constantly changing. Our volume is increasing, but our revenues are diminishing,” Poirier said.

For example, there are short one to two hour ceremonies, and there are also traditional ceremonies that can have three days of viewing, and ceremonies at the church and the cemetery, etc.

“You have to also adapt to the different sectors, because the population is always changing. For example, St. Leonard, which used to be mostly Italian, now has many more cultural communities,” said Poirier.

Nowadays, Rodrigue said, sudden deaths are diminishing “because of advances in science that delays death, which permits the family to prepare. This shortens the amount of time spent on the ceremonies. All that to say, while there are more deaths, because the population growing, competition is fierce and families are investing less in funerals,” Rodrigue said.

(Photo: Courtesy)

(Photo: Éric Carrière)