Honouring Life: How Memorial Societies & Funeral Co-ops Support Affordable Planning

In Canada, memorial societies and funeral cooperatives offer vital support to individuals and families seeking dignified and affordable end-of-life arrangements. Memorial societies provide expert guidance and resources, often negotiating with local funeral homes to secure lower costs for their members. Funeral cooperatives, on the other hand, are member-owned and often manage funeral services directly, pooling resources to offer transparent, cost-effective options. Both models emphasize community connection, proactive planning, and fair access to essential services, easing the emotional and financial burdens of funeral arrangements. In the United States, a similar role is played by Funeral Consumer Alliances (FCAs). These nonprofit organizations focus on helping individuals and families make informed, affordable funeral arrangements through advocacy for consumer rights, transparency, and fair pricing. Whether in Canada or the United States, these organizations work to empower their members through education, compassionate support, and affordable end-of-life planning options. Together, they foster a culture of transparency and dignity, making it easier for families to navigate difficult times.

Find Memorial Societies in Canada

British Columbia

• Memorial Society of British Columbia (MSBC)
  Address: 949 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2T1
  Website: https://memorialsocietybc.org/
  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 604-733-7705 / 1-888-816-5902 (Toll-Free)

Alberta

• Cooperative Memorial Society
  Address: Suite 204A, 223 12 Avenue SW
  Website: https://coopmemorial.org
  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 403-248-2044 / 1-800-566-9959 (Toll-Free)

Saskatchewan

• Funeral Advisory and Memorial Society of Saskatchewan (FAMSS)
  Address: Box 1846, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3S2
  Website: https://famss.ca/
  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 306-374-5190

Ontario

• Funeral Advisory and Memorial Society (FAMS)
  Has participating funeral homes and/or transfer services in Ajax, Barrie, Bowmanville, Brampton, Cobourg, Colborne, Cookstown, Kitchener, Newcastle, Oakville, Orangeville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, and Toronto. Information is also available concerning funeral providers within Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo and other parts of Southern Ontario.
  Address: 107-307 Queen Street South, Kitchener, ON N2G 4V3
  Website: https://www.fams.ca/
  Email: [email protected]
  Phone: 416-461-6274

These organizations offer valuable resources and support for funeral planning, helping members make informed decisions and potentially save on funeral costs. For more information or to become a member, please visit their respective websites or contact them directly.

Find Funeral Co-operatives in Canada

This list may be updated. For more details, please visit: Find Funeral Cooperatives in Eastern Canada.
​​

Funeral Co-operative of Ottawa Inc.
​419 St. Laurent Blvd,
Ottawa ON K1K 2Z8
http://www.fco-cfo.coop
[email protected]
​613-288-2689
​

The Cooperative Funeral Home of the District of Sudbury
​​222 Lasalle Boulevard East, 
Sudbury, On. P3A 1W5
[email protected]
https://www.cooperativefuneralhome.ca
705-566-2100
​

First Cooperative funeral home in Canada and probably the first in the world being founded in late 1951 and opened for business in 1952.

The Funeral Cooperatives Network
Fédération des coopératives funéraires du Québec 
548 rue Dufferin, 
Sherbrooke, Quebec J1H 4N1
Website • Email
[email protected]
819-566-6303 
​​

Funeral Co-operatives of PEI
​http://www.peifuneralcoops.com/
​

​Sunset Funeral Co-operative Ltd.
​65 Crowdis Cross Road,
Margaree Valley, NS. B0E 2C0
[email protected]
​http://www.sunsetfuneralco-op.com
​902-248-2991
​

Fundy Funeral Home
230 Westmorland Road
Saint John, NB E2J 2G3
506-646-2424
​

Passage Funeral Co-operative
625 Mountain Road,
​Moncton, NB. E1C 2P1
[email protected]
​​506-855-1145 / 1-888-532-1050
​

Passage Funeral Chapel
625 Mountain Road,
​Moncton, NB. E1C 2P1
[email protected]
​​506-855-1145 / 1-888-532-1050
​

Chartersville Funeral Home
363 Amirault Street,
​Dieppe, NB. E1A 1G1
​[email protected]
​​506-857-1901 / 1-888-532-1050
​

Includes about 33 funeral cooperatives that operate in Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. These cooperatives have nearly 250,000 members and serve approximately 14,000 families each year.

Find Funeral Consumer Alliances (FCAs) in the United States

Find a FCA in the US

Buyer Beware: Memorial Society of Alberta Service Concerns
​
The Cooperative Memorial Society (CMS) is issuing a notice to consumers regarding reports received in recent years about the service provider contracted by the Memorial Society of Alberta, a separate entity from CMS. It has come to our attention that this service provider may not consistently honour negotiated rates and, in some cases, has reportedly engaged in upselling practices. Multiple individuals have described situations in which they were led to believe that CMS memberships and pricing plans would be honoured, only to later face upselling efforts during funeral planning. This resulted in families paying significantly more than expected, sometimes amounting to thousands of dollars.
The designated provider for the Memorial Society of Alberta is First Memorial South Calgary Funeral Centre, located at 12700 Macleod Trail South in Calgary. This funeral home operates under the Dignity Memorial network, which is owned by Service Corporation International (SCI), a U.S.-based company. We urge consumers to exercise caution and to report any such incidents to the Alberta Funeral Services Regulatory Board to ensure transparency and accountability in the industry.

CMS is proud to work exclusively with locally-owned funeral homes. Our commitment to our members remains steadfast: we do not tolerate upselling practices and prioritize the integrity and affordability of end-of-life planning.
​
For more information, please contact:
[email protected]
403-248-2044
coopmemorial.org