Notice to the Profession: BAO’s OBIS system for licensees and the public is live!

April 30, 2024

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario’s new information system is now online and ready to use.

As announced two weeks ago, the Ontario Bereavement Information System (OBIS) went live today. OBIS is the new platform for the BAO Licensee Portal and for the BAO Public Register.

Individual licensees: You will receive an email with the ‘Redeem Link’ to access your new OBIS portal personal account in the first two weeks of May.

Licensed operators: If you have an email address on file with the BAO, an email with the ‘Redeem Link’ to access your new OBIS portal operator account will be sent to the email address on file for the licensed operator, in the last two weeks of May. Funeral establishment and transfer service operators: There will be no portal accounts for individual funeral establishment and transfer service sites, as all site info will now be managed from the main licensed operator accounts (including annual licence renewals).

Accessing OBIS Licensee Portal

The new OBIS Licensee Portal can be accessed at https://portal.thebao.ca.    
Access to the Licensee Portal is available through our public website, TheBAO.ca, as before.

Public Register of BAO licensees

Access to our Public Register remains on our public website at this link.

“Following a year of diligent work by all staff, as led by our Information Technology team, we are proud to announce our new system for the public and for our 9,500 licensed business operators and individuals. OBIS replaces our well-used and archaic previous information system which dates back some 20 years,” says Jim Cassimatis, CEO/Registrar of the BAO.

OBIS represents the BAO’s most significant investment in information technology since the authority’s inception in 2016. OBIS is an essential tool for the BAO in the achievement of its:

• Mandate to protect the public interest and administer the law – the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 – in the bereavement sector on behalf of government
• Implementation and sustainment of expansive recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario
• Modernization of operations and providing key data to address the changing needs of consumers, while providing better resources and services to licensees toward their professional compliance with the law

OBIS will provide the tools necessary for features from electronic inspection reports and improved tracking and analysis, to sharing bereavement sector data with BAO licensees and the public.

OBIS How-To Task Guides

Our How-To Task Guides for the OBIS Licensee Portal are available for you here and on our website’s Licensee Resource Hub.

OBIS Licensee Portal Webinar

To assist you all once you’ve had a chance to use OBIS, the BAO will be offering a webinar in coming weeks. Stay tuned. We will announce the webinar date and how to access it.

For more information on OBIS, please read our April 16, 2024 Notice to the Profession.

Call volumes are likely to be high during these first few weeks of the new system, please be patient and allow up to three days for a reply. We are committed to replying to you as soon as possible. Thank you.