Notice to the Profession: Reminder – Time to renew your BAO licence FE-1, FE-2, TSO-1, TSO-2, and TSO-2 (Restricted) operator licensees

The BAO reminds Funeral Establishment and Transfer Service Operators that your Annual Licensure Renewal (ALR) is due by Dec. 31, 2022. 

Managers: Please access the BAO Licensee Portal to download your operator renewal form. Then, by no later than Dec. 31, please submit: 

1. Your completed renewal form,
2. Payment, and
3. The Attestation form for your onsite holding and/or embalming room is found on this webpage under the Application Forms tab. (This replaces the Public Health inspection.)

Submit the above three items using one of the following options, in order of preference: 

• By email to Licensing@thebao.ca 
• By fax to 647-748-2645, or
• By mail or courier to – 
  Bereavement Authority of Ontario
  100 Sheppard Ave East, Suite 505
  Toronto, ON M2N 6N5

If you are receiving this email but are no longer the manager, please contact the Licensing department right away (see contact info below). Not sure who is the manager of record? You can search your business on our public register to see.

Payment:
The operator renewal fee is payable by Visa, Mastercard, cheque or money order. Fees have gone up this year by 13.6%, which represents an inflationary increase, as per a previous BAO notice. 
Paying by cheque? Please include the operator licence number in the memo section. 

Late fee:
Renewals received by email/fax or postmarked after December 31^st will be subject to a late fee of $227.20. 

Attestation form for your onsite holding/embalming room:
The BAO is no longer requiring holding/embalming room inspections by local public health units for licence renewal purposes. Instead, it is up to each site manager to self-report on their onsite holding/embalming room(s) from now on, using the Attestation for Holding/Embalming Rooms form. 

Do you manage more than one location?
If you manage more than one location, you should have received an email from one of our Licensing Officers with your renewal forms attached. If you did not, please contact our Licensing department right away (contact info below). 

Operator wall licences:
Wall licences are no longer being issued, as they are no longer required to be displayed, as per a previous BAO notice. 

Changes to Officers/Directors/Shareholders:
If you are reporting any changes to officers, directors, or shareholders, you will need to provide copies of supporting corporate documentation, as applicable:

• Articles of Incorporation / Amalgamation / Amendment (whichever is most recent)
• Officers and Directors registers, or Ontario Form 1 – Initial Notice / Notice of Change re. Officers and Directors, or in the case of a federal corporation, the equivalent federal documents from Industry Canada
• Shareholder’s register confirming equity ownership

Also, any transfer of shares that results in a change of controlling ownership (transfer/sale of 51% or more of the equity shares) requires a business licence application. Before applying, we recommend you speak to one of our Licensing Officers for more information first. 

Questions?
You are welcome to call and speak to one of our Licensing Officers at 647-483-2645 or 1-844-493-6356 or send an email to Licensing@thebao.ca. 

Thank you for your cooperation. 
The BAO Licensing Team