Two surveys have been prepared to allow people who have experienced bereavement during the pandemic to contribute to the research, which will be spread over three years.
During the pandemic, more than 13,000 Ontarians died from COVID-19.
The restrictions imposed by the province for several months have forced people and funeral homes to change the way they conduct ceremonies.
Thanks to the study, Donald Perreault, professor of the funeral director program at Collège Boréal, hopes to learn more about the impact of the health crisis and answer a few questions for professionals in the sector.
Through innovation and research, we want to examine the future of funeral service rituals, services and human resources. Basically, people are being asked ”what do you want from us now?”
he declared at the microphone of the Northern morning.
The collection of information will begin over the next few months, with the support of the students of the program.
Mr. Perreault assures that the polls will be presented in a way delicate
to people who have just gone through a bereavement, by reminding the importance of their opinion in these kinds of discussions.
Although a few key issues have already been identified, the researchers expect to find more during the research.
Like Mr. Perreault, other experts in the field, such as the general manager of Maisons Théorêt Bourgeois in Sturgeon Falls and Verner, Colin Bourgeois, note that some adaptation will be necessary.
Funerals are more personal than before
Researchers will try to determine if coffin buying, embalming and cemetery use, among others, will see a decline after the pandemic.
According to Mr. Bourgeois, the funeral estate lived lots of transitions
since the start of the pandemic.
With the closure of churches and public places to do ceremonies or to celebrate life, people have been very restricted
he explains.
In his view, funerals and death have become more personal, private and family
over the past two years.
Mr. Bourgeois believes that the study should demonstrate what has been the most highlight in the last 24-30 months and what to expect at this grand reopening.
One of the trends to study is the increase in the rate of cremation in Ontario. It jumped from around 73% before the pandemic to almost 85% in 2022. This is one of the statistics that Collège Boréal researchers are studying.
Will funeral establishments have to invest in crematoriums in the future?
asks Mr. Perreault.
What is the role of funeral homes?
The more the pandemic progresses, the more the place of a funeral home is called into question. According to Mr. Bourgeois, the ceremonies are more organized by the relatives of the deceased for two years.
People stay within their family and have lost the meaning, desire, or need for ritual and ceremony
he says.
If they ask for a ceremony, it is much more humanistic and much less attached to any religion or spirituality
and they do in their own way without the intervention of a professional
.
Moreover, he believes that training speaker, guide and educator
of a funeral director is less in demand than before.
According to Mr. Perreault, we must also question the need for large salons, while the ceremonies they host are less and less imposing.
Many funeral establishments now equip themselves with video systems for visitation periods or services
he points out.
According to the professor, the incineration rate and the video systems are here to stay. But to prepare for the future, it remains to be seen whether we go back to the traditional funeral or not
.
With information from Frédéric Projean and Christophe Simard
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca