General Topics and Information - Halton Region

For full directory of "How to" listings on different topics, see here

Overview of how to report a death (not in hospital) and what to do when someone dies

TO REPORT A DEATH:

For an unexpected death:

Call 9-1-1

• when a death happens outside of hospital, it is deemed a Coroner's Case (for more information, see separate listing here)
• Police will attend, investigate, and "secure" the scene until a Coroner arrives
• Coroner is responsible for determining the cause of death and deciding whether the deceased is taken to hospital for postmortem or to chosen funeral home

For an expected death:

Call the primary health care provider who was caring for the deceased person

• primary health care provider is responsible for pronouncing death
• once death has been pronounced, contact chosen funeral home
• transfer service will attend to remove the deceased and take to chosen funeral home

AFTER THE DEATH HAS BEEN REPORTED:

Death Registration:

Registering a death requires two documents that are submitted to the municipal clerk's office, usually in the municipality where the death occurred:

• Medical Certificate of Death, a form that the attending doctor or a coroner completes outlining the cause of death
• Statement of Death, a form that the funeral director and an informant (usually a family member) completes that includes personal information about the deceased, such as family history, age at death and place of death

Arrange the funeral:

For more information on arranging a funeral, see here

• for a complete list of licensed providers, see here

For more information on what to do when somebody dies, see Government of Canada website here and Government of Ontario website here

For more information on estate administration and wills, see separate listing here

For more information on bereavement services, see separate listing here

No restrictions

Refer to information in Service Description

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