"Everyone at Cardinal Funeral Homes is committed to demystifying our profession, so that people are not afraid of rituals surrounding the death of a loved one. When properly handled, the way in which we say our final goodbye to someone we love can be a meaningful and comforting experience. We will ensure that our team will do everything we can to make it so for you. Over the past 95 years, we have found the same questions come up over and over again. If your question isn’t answered in this website, please send an email to us and our team will do our best to answer it."

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why should we even have a funeral, what’s the point of it?

An effective funeral helps family and friends heal emotionally and psychologically from the death of a loved one. Even for an acquaintance, it can be meaningful to attend a funeral to pay respects to the deceased and to offer comfort to the family.

Practically, as well, publicly marking the death of a loved one will make casual social encounters easier, for the family and their acquaintances. If people know your mom has passed away and have already had an appropriate opportunity to express their condolences, it’s less likely you will be approached in the supermarket six months from now by someone asking, how’s your Mom?

For acquaintances as well as for family, there is comfort in coming together, a reassurance in the basic connection of humanity in supporting each other, affirming that every life matters and its passage must be marked by dignity and compassion.

2. How much does a funeral cost?

The typical funeral at Cardinal Funeral Homes costs between $7,000-10,000. The exact price depends on the details chosen for instance, two days of visitation will cost more than one; a police escort for the funeral procession will add another $1,000 to the bill.

3. Is embalming required?

Embalming is only required if the deceased will be shipped to another country for burial. It is the policy of Cardinal Funeral Homes that the deceased be embalmed for open casket visitation.  If you prefer not to have the deceased embalmed, the casket would only be open for the immediate family for viewing and then closed for the public visitation.

4. Should I bring my children to a funeral?

As parents, we always want to protect our children from sorrow. However, denying them a chance to participate in official mourning doesn’t end their pain. Often, it just blocks an outlet for grief. Children are remarkably resilient and process death in their own way, often visually and through games. It can be healing for a child to see that their Nana mattered to other people as well.

The Ontario Funeral Service Association has a good pamphlet, Should Children Know About Death? Which explains how children understand grief at different ages. It is available for free from us, and from the Ontario Funeral Service Association.

5. Is cremation cheaper than burial?

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