Notice to the Consumer: Registrar orders unlicensed cemetery operator in Township of Hamilton to cease selling or providing burial services

An unlicensed cemetery operator in the Township of Hamilton has been ordered to stop selling or providing burial and other services.

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) has learned that John Bev Rose has been operating the Bethel Grove United Church Cemetery, in the Township of Hamilton, without a licence, in violation of the law.

Licensing of cemetery operators requires them to follow the law including maintenance of the property and of a fund, which ensures money is set aside for the cemetery’s care and maintenance in perpetuity after it no longer has space for new burials and the income that comes with them.

Pursuant to section 4 of the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 (FBCSA), the Registrar has ordered John Bev Rose to immediately cease:

• Offering to sell licensed supplies and/or services as described in the FBCSA and the regulations, including conducting burials,
• Selling licensed supplies and/or services as described in the FBCSA,
• Providing licensed supplies and/or services as described in the FBCSA.

If these operations do not cease at the Bethel Grove United Church Cemetery, the Registrar may take further enforcement action under the FBCSA. A person convicted of an offence under the FBCSA faces a fine of up to $50,000 or imprisonment of two years less a day, or both.

For more information on the cemetery, please contact the Township of Hamilton, which is seven kilometres north of Cobourg.

Media contact
David.Brazeau@TheBAO.ca
Manager, Communications