Reviews of Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery (Mortuary)

Ding Santos

I would like to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to Glen Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery. The staff and Team assistance specially Jennifer DiStefano is very commendable.The recent unexpected passing of our beloved son is very devastating to the family, and Jennifer really helped us to make it easier for us to bear; she is very compassionate. I would recommend Glen Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery to our friends.

Joseph Widjaja

The best place for eternity home

siva guru

REST IN PEACE

keith german

BE CAREFUL WITH THESE GUYS!! after my aunt was told that she fully paid for everything in the pre-arranged service, they still charged $4500 for handling of the documentation. No funeral services, nothing. Just documentation! They will TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU when you are grieving and not thinking clearly. This is a sales company firm no matter the label

Elizabeth Kingsbury

Family members are buried here.. we live out of town & whenever we do visit without any notice, grass is always cut & weeds are always removed. Several years back we had a memorial stone plaque made for them, chose a tree & plaque was beautifully carved and placed underneath the tree. No complaints... RIP.. ????

Vanessa Medina

Beautiful location, well-kept grounds, and easy-to-access area. The staff were extremely professional, patient and kind. Patrick, our director, was extremely accomodating and thoughtful through this difficult process. The mausoleum where my mother-in-law was entombed is gorgeous. While I don't wish that anyone has to go through the difficult process of locating a funeral home for their loved ones, I can say that this place made the process a lot easier. There is also a chapel on-site, which simplifies travel for mourning family members/friends, as well as the elderly.

Mawmaw makeup

This place is THE WORST. My uncle chose here because my grandmother is in the wall here and another family member ..so when my mon passed he chose this same place They charged us 7 GRAND.... and my mom was cremated with NO SERVICE. In the cheapest pine box...that was less than 1000 yet everything cost 9ver 7000 .. my friend was buried and had a service here in London the whole thing was 5000.. this place is way overpriced. Dont go here.

Bianca Kunkel

Deirdre was the funeral director. She was absolutely amazing. She paid her respects to my grandfather in law, she prayed with us. She was very polite, organized and was elegant. We were offered water & tissues. Everything was set up perfectly with his photos displayed. The cards were also prepared beautifully. I’m very impressed and I appreciate Glen Oaks was able to make this day special for the family. Highly recommended. Beautiful ceremony in the chapel.

Franklin Madison

I travel back and forth between Canada and the U.S. in the past 3 years, 2 of my family members have died while I was on the road. Most recently my Father who died Xmas morning 2019. Again, this funeral home stepped up and helped me sign documents to be emailed back to States that would help me lay my family members to rest quickly. The first time it was Patrick S. McDonough, Funeral Director. Last week it was the most wonderful, jovial, sweetest woman in the office (British accent - former Police Officer) who can console anyone with her kindness and laughter. Asja-Monique Jacelon was my Funeral Director who assisted me this time...I can tell you without question, they lessened what I was feeling with their sincerity and their bedside manner. Death is hard, these folks remind you that it takes a special person to remind you how important life is through their interactions. This team is amazing.

MizQueenFlawless TV

Cemetery is huge so huge u might be lost among the dead lol

Shanta Saujani

Caring ??????. THese people do not the meaning of the word. All they have to say is "SORY" fo lousy zoom service. Blame internet, blame the computer, blame the world. In need of Funearal service, find some other place.

Joseph D

My wife and I are ethnic Chinese, it was the first time we approached a licensed cemetery director in an attempt to pre-purchase a burial lot and relevant services for our future use. We had little knowledge on what we were about to purchase. Luckily, we found Amy Huang of Glen Oaks Cemetery, who herself is also an ethnic Chinese. Amy efficiently led us through the whole process with no-nonsense guidance and empathetic assistance. We ended up with a lot at Harmony Dragon Garden, Glen Oak Cemetery with relevant burial services. I rarely met someone who is so empathetic to client, and so devoted and passionate in meeting every specific need of the client. We had Buddhism background while Amy is a Christian, in order to understand our needs, Amy started by learning from us first. She even borrowed books and audio disc from us and started learning Buddhist traditions in order to better understand our needs. She went above and beyond in many ways to see that our purchase is reflecting our specific needs. We are truly thankful to Amy, it was due to her empathetic guidance, patience and extra efforts that this purchase was made possible and satisfactory.

Elisabeth Natividad

Beautiful grounds. They care a lot about ... their profit.

Sally Chau

People are very helpful and friendly to all nationality. You can see this from the diversity of culture in the cemetery

Happy Traveller

My home when I pass. Still breathing but I'm sure that I will like resting here. Great customer service. Beautiful property.

Crazy Canadian Couponer

As you can only guess how devastating this has been to our family and how heartbreaking it is to to see Mom Katherine, Zech and Isabelle subjected to even more unnecessary grief. This lays very heavily on my heart. It is disturbing to think that the people we entrusted to care for Corey have let us down so greatly. After two known thefts in early November, Glen Oaks made the decision to do nothing. They decided to not notify family members, change the code, put in more monitoring or even place a posting on the door to alert families to this potential threat. When we asked why they did not make any proactive changes to ensure the safety of those left in their care the Branch Manager told me "I don't know".

AL EX

Beautiful place to visit my grandfather

Klaudia Bednarczyk

My dad's been buried here since 2008 and the amount of issues and disrespect we've had to put up with them is unbelievable, especially my mom who maintains the grave. We've had countless issues of groundskeepers ruining the plot and reluctantly fixing it after many complaints and requests. Imagine coming to pay respects and finding the grave cracked and run through from a previous burial. One instance where they did fix it, it was so horrendously done that we redid it ourselves. The dead may not care, but I seriously don't recommend this place for the families left to put up with the unnecessary stress.

Rita Fe de Villa

Paulette has made the process of saying goodbye to a loved one all the more easier in the midst of incredible sadness. She's gone above and beyond in helping my family and does a tremendous job with fulfilling our wishes. The grounds are beautiful with all the greenery and is always so well kept, it makes visiting so pleasant especially in the summer.

Adriana Miller

Great location and a beautiful service.

Deborah Kuo

Plots were bought at this location for my grandparents and parents over a decade ago. My understanding is that the cemetery staff and funeral home (Glen Oaks) are not connected but work together. Anyway, I was a little taken back by all the negative reviews on here and concerned. However, when I was corresponding with both the cemetery staff and the funeral home, I didn't find any issues with anyone being rude, unavailable or up-selling etc. I think they certainly have room to improve to ensure that they are thorough and methodical enough to cover all the details concerning the funeral at the get go (I had to return on my dad's behalf to finalize details missed etc) but everyone I met has provided excellent customer service with discretion, professionalism, patience, empathy and a touch of (appropriate) humour. I suspect that the initial "problem" with my situation was that my dad was distraught over the passing that he was obviously not the best person (although legally yes) to deal with the arrangements and things were missing. Things were dealt with in a timely fashion and the day of the funeral everyone was prepared to do as they were instructed to. There was even a representative at the front drive standing in the cold with a smile to greet us and direct us. I found the facilities clean and well kept. The ground staff were equally professional. Over all I thought that this place is reasonably well run and perhaps not as "mature" as some of the other places in Toronto but that just takes time.

fernanda Farinho

My parents are resting there, and I bought unit Just beside them.. great and professional staff. Highly recommended.????????

R. B.

First of all this is a very large cemetery, but worth considering if your planning your burial place. Also, great for just a walk as there is some beautiful landscaping & it's all well maintained. There are interesting diverse sections that might be important for ethnic groups.

Ruby Naneki

We purchased 5 plots here with 2 family members buried in last few years. From the time we walked in and made our purchase, we have felt the customer service esp. Mgr Chuck as escalation of issues were taken to higher levels very poor. The attitude is bully-like and harassing because once you are a client, they know they have full control. SeRvice on grounds is bare minimum. Realize you CAN purchase your monuments off-site which we only learned days after we purchased our monuments. Prices are much more competitive if you search in the area for monuments. Management made indirect threats to our family behind closed doors as we brought issues to light. When dealing, do not feel pressured or alone. Many families who have purchased feel the same yet are too elderLy to cause a fuss. Be cautious and don't give in to quick pressure to sign everything immediately. If you are unhappy afterwards Make sure you make your points known. Bullying at cemetery sites is unacceptable and needs to be abolished.

Joe Ieraci

This is where my mom is going to be and the staff and place is all great.

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Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery

Zen Lof

The staff was absolutely amazing . My experience was excellent. I just had to show up and they did the rest . They what fantastic job they did. Alanna was so professional and on the ball with everything. I am going to start planning my own funeral at Glen Oaks . I highly recommend Glen Oaks.

Andrew C.

My grandmother passed away last week and had the funeral this past Tuesday and Wednesday. I just have to say the staff were very compassionate and Nicole who guided my family through the process, was extremely professional and accommodated our every need without any attitude. In addition the visitation was until 8pm (closing) but my family ended up staying until 9 which I’m assuming the staff stayed overtime but didn’t make us feel rushed or like we were a bother. Beautiful clean place. My entire family has plots there.

David Blades

I cannot understand many of these reviews as our experience with Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery was exceptional. We were referred by a family friend who had a similar experience some years ago. My initial call to Glen Oaks was the day of my dad's passing. I spoke with Jenny who walked me through the details and sent a follow up email with everything we needed for the next day. The next day we met with Kristen who was the funeral director. She was very warm and compassionate as theses were difficult and unfamiliar times. She explained everything in detail from start to finish including handling the actual funeral for dad in a professional and caring manner. I can't say enough nice things about her. We were also introduced to Paulette who handled choosing a resting place. She took the time in a non-pushy way to explain the process, options as well drove us around the beautiful grounds. Paulette attended when my dads ashes were placed in a beautiful mausoleum. Again I cannot say enough nice things about Paulette. In closing I can only offer my personal recommendation (as well the entire family) but wouldn't hesitate to refer Kristen or Paulette who truly understand what it takes to be in this difficult industry of dealing with grieving individuals. The facilities at Glen Oaks are maintained in a beautiful setting which I believe will give us peace when visiting dad. Thanks so much, sincerely the Blades family.

Sheba Benjamin

Bruce was beyond helpful during this difficult process my family was dealing with and I cannot thank him enough for making my mother's funeral more beautiful and memorable. He went above and beyond to ensure everything was taken care of in such short notice. We put our trust in the right people !

John Yatco

With the passing of my Dad, Glen Oaks helped us with all the preparations. Jessica took care of everyone in my family especially my Mom in a professional, attentive, and compassionate manner. Her care for having everything done right in the early stages of preparation, the visitation, funeral service, and internment for my Dad showed. Another bright star at Glen Oaks was Kevin. He greeted attendees with respect and professionalism. He drove the limo and took great care of my Mom by making sure she got in and out of the vehicle carefully. Kevin also talked to my Mom with kind, compassionate words as she grieved. My family will be eternally grateful for having Jessica and Kevin by our side throughout our ordeal. They are both part of our family!

Reita Rainford

We appreciate the service received from the staff while planning the funeral for our family member. The service and burial was done professionally. Many thanks.

Thin Lizzy

Complete scam artists.STAY AWAY.

Clark Kent

I totally agree with one of the commenters regarding poor management, disingenuous practicese, breaching committments and discourteous treatment at Glen Oaks. At the time of grief, especially after the unexpected loss of a loved one, it is difficult if not impossible to shop around and weigh out alternatives and this is what the staff at Glen Oaks seem to rely on. After you buy the lots and monuments, of course, you are on the hook. We purchased 3 lots and poured in thousand of dollars on monuments and memorial bench and plaques. As soon as money was paid, the shift in attitude and subpar delivery of service ensued. We have mostly dealt with Dean Herridge, the assistant manager, who has proven to be curt, unaccommodating, indifferent to genuine concerns and unmotivated to follow through with agreed-upon arrangements. We have repeatedly been in a position of having to face unpleasant conversations and intolerable treatment to get the service for which we have paid. The maintenance of grounds is very subpar and in some spots dreadful. Trash is not removed, weeds are not cleared and trees are not mulched. The grounds are littered with unsightly, rusty barrels for garbage and dirty, decrepit water stations. They seem to put more energy and emphasis on maintaining certain areas and simply ignore the other sections. Some maintenance staff are extremely rude and confrontational. The dominant attitude is that the staff and management hold all the power and control and bear no responsibility or accountability towards the owners of the lots. They create problems rather than solving them and are dismissive of concerns. Every little thing escalates into a big issue. They know full well that after interment, there would not be many options for dissatisfied families and they take full advantage of it.

Niki Paolo

Having many family members buried here and we needed a Crypt again But we were up charged an extra $3000 on top of the price we were shown and agreed to which might not seem a lot to the cemetery but it helps pay for hydro and things for the crypt and now we feel cheated and robbed and the cemetery didn’t reach out to come up with a resolution that would be mutually agreeable.

Victoria Hamm

Very kind, helpful, considerate and clean. New. It's nice to have a modern clean funeral home. Parking was easy and handicap friendly, ground level and the drive up.

Fari “Fari” P

Will never recommend because they are all about selling ... there is no compassion from the people its about their commision..... they dont explain any of their rules and trust me there is soooooo many rules .....so be sure to read their unreasonable rules before purchasing even if your loved ones have passed away and your not in the rite state of mind ..... unreasonable cost ....there are many more complaints but one major concern is why do they take care of some parts of the graveyard more then others .. we had to ask for grasses to be cut ... i wish google reviews had 0 stars because thats what i wouldve given them. FIX THE MUSLIM SECTION graves are under water... what is wrong with you guys we all paid enough moneyyyyy fix ittttttttt... its been like this for years what is going on fix the damn problem ... alot of people have complained and complained we have wrote letters so fix the damn problem

Xiaodan Zhang

We held funeral services as well as purchased burial plot with Glen Oaks. As lovely as the physical location is, I would struggle to refer family and friends Glen Oaks. Inline with some of the previous reviews, this is driven by the varying levels of professionalism experienced with staff working there. Whilst some have been understanding and helpful ( which is what I expect for individuals interfacing with family members dealing with the emotions and trauma of a loved one's passing), others have been unprofessional and even worse, insensitive. Management should review their staff (new and existing) training and supervision- particularly around staff interfacing with their clientele. This is not the retail industry or another standard service industry, above all else, human compassion and sensitivity, and if not that, basic professionalism is what is required when you work at a funeral home.

Jacky Tran

I had this planner that worked here 3 times for 3 different family members, 5 years within each other, you would think she'd remember you, nope... not once. She was also the cause of my family being angry at me because she told me to go get Tim Hortons for everyone, and I ended up being late. and then she goes and calls my aunt and claims that she can't get a hold of me, and left many voicemails to pay, when she never did. I forgot her name, but she was a middle aged Chinese woman, avoid her at all costs. She fumbled her way through the ceremony like she had no idea what's going on.

Jay

This is the second time we have used Glen Oaks. We were happy with the service in the first instance my mom passed away and the total bill for a cremation was approximately $2500. However, the next time an extended family member used Glen Oaks WE WERE CHARGED $15000 FOR A CREMATION! The sales people were UNSCRUPULOUS VULTURES who preyed on the people organizing for the first time. They did not offer cheaper alternatives and made them pay for unnecessary items such as a casket and embalming which was unnecessary. My Aunt was cremated within two days of passing away. I would not recommend Glen Oaks. I would give a zero rating but it is not possible.

Rech Santos

My family and I owe our eternal gratitude to Glen Oaks Funeral Home & Cemetery. The recent unexpected passing of my younger brother was devastating to my family. The team there was able to assist my family in planning and arranging all the details not only for the viewing, funeral mass and burial, but with the paperwork required to start dealing with his estate. The process is overwhelming but through the guidance of Jennifer DiStefano and her colleagues, she made the experience much more bearable. Jennifer is very empathetic, understanding and was accommodating to the large turn out for my bother's viewing and burial. Many of our family and guest also commented on how organized and amazing the Glen Oaks team was. Most of my family members had already pre-planned their funeral arrangements with Glen Oaks prior to my brother's passing. Some members are already there at their final resting place. We would highly recommend Glen Oaks to any of our friends, family and acquaintances. If you can, try to pre-plan your funeral now to save your loved ones from having to make those decisions in the future.

Gini Quesnel

Very supportive at a difficult time. Thank you Sean for all your help!!

Cathy Norris

Although I clicked the 5 Star Review, I give Glen Oaks a 10 Star+++ I made an appointment with Glen Oaks and our Funeral Director was "Andree". What a perfect match. She fit in with myself and our family, from the minute we walked in. We couldn't have had a better fit. Andree went and picked up my son in Toronto and brought him back to Glen Oaks which gave me the sense of calmness knowing he was with her. Andree was AMAZING, especially at this darkest time of my life. She goes Above and Beyond to help you through such a devastating & unexpected loss. There were several Funeral Directors on hand for my son's funeral and they were Excellent and very helpful. Also My parents, brother, and cousin are resting at Glen Oaks and now my son is with them. I also would like to thank John with everything and taking care of my son's ashes until the Internment was done. I was relieved my son was in the care of John. Andree and John prepared the Internment which was very comforting. I thank you all for everything. I have told many people about our experience(s) with Glen Oaks and have recommended they contact them if needed. They will be there for you any time, 24 hours a day. Cathy Norris (Christopher Norris-MacNevin)

Charles and Sandra

I am disgusted that, almost 9 months after my Mother's death, her date of death has still not been added to the bronze plaque that was placed after my Father' death in 2011. In addition, I visit weekly and am very disappointed with the lack of attention to detail in terms of care of the plots, clearance of weeds, old flowers just tossed aside into adjacent gardens. My husband and I bought our "plots' adjacent to my parents 10 years ago. We will be changing these arrangements in view of our experience over the last 7 years.

Ranji Rajaratnam

If I could give 0 stars I would. We came today around 6pm to go visit the grave of a loved one who passed away a few months ago. At our arrival we were directed to the cemetery office where we were told an employee would show us to the burial site. The lady at the cemetery office was unwilling to guide us to thr grave which at present has no tomb stone. She said " it is easy " and just marked the path on a map. We are still here an hour and a half later trying to find the burial site for which the number she gave us does not exist on the ground.

DaVinci Last Name

Great place to visit the dead

Anastasia V

Disgusting experience with this funeral home and its head office. Secretive, deceptive practices, just flat out lying to your face. I would never give this company my money.i would rather be buried in my neighbours yard. They need to learn some empathy, some compassion and stop treating family members like garbage. Shame on you all.

Justmeles McVean

Happy to receive call from Dustin to the rescue again to clean mess surrounding Scott's gravestone! Scott didn't want to be buried but I know he'd be unhappy to see it left unkept! I just hope I don't have to complain again and that ghe Grounds are kept tidier than what I find them! September Perrinel plant didn't take due to shallow planter but again disappointed with grass between gravestones higher than a foot! Weeds from next gravesite falling over! Weeds in grass! Grass in bad shape! Garbage! August planted Perrinel and they helped take out clay and I had to buy better soil! In February I found my brothers plot covered in dead planters which I had tossed in fall! Broken glass lanterns ! Dustin had the site cleaned immediately! Very professional! In October of 2016 they respected our wishes to allow us to play AC/DC, display guitars around casket, give a tribute that was perfect!

Liza Hernandez

Beautiful grounds. Well maintained, peaceful and clean.

Charles S

I just wanted to thank Glen Oaks Funeral Home for everything they did for us. From the moment I spoke to Deirdre everything seemed very painless. I guess for many it is their 1st time dealing with planning a funeral for a loved one. Deirdre made us feel very confident in our choice to use Glen Oaks. From the start to the finish, she made sure everything was well taken care of and she was very informative. The staff that we did interact with, also were very nice. From the visitation to the funeral service to everything in between, it couldn't have gone any better. On behalf of my partner and her family we would like to thank Glen Oaks and Deirdre for everything! - Adam

Simonne St. Louis

My Mom passed away and was cremated at Glen Oaks. I have nothing but high praise for the team of Beverley, Nicole and Kendra. These lovely ladies took care of everything with professionalism, kindness and compassion. Thank you for being so special during such a sad time.

Anna Palandra

Today i went to glen oaks cemetery to visit my mother for mother's day of course it's always a very sad when we have to visit a loved one but today upon my arrival i was greeted by to wonderful lady's that put a beautiful celebration for mother's day they had a table setup with coffee and dessert and gave a rose to everyone it was absolutely wonderful.. thank you Glen oaks for always caring. Anna. P

Amos Ramsarup

I've been meaning to write this review for a while. Albeit this is 2 years late but I won't forget how much help they provided my family. For my fathers funeral Glen Oaks Funeral Home was there every step of the way. They allowed us to use our own priest and they made all the preparations and took care of the co-ordination for our Hindu funeral. We were able to perform the ceremony in the hall and had the cremation on site as well. My family and I would like to express our gratitude for all the assistance provided. We found them to be very compassionate and professional. Special thanks to Deirdre and Guy.

tam le

Hi, my name is Tam Le. I am really upset about my mom's grave (lot 2137 space B2 serenity. on March 18,2018. I came to visit and saw a pile up dirt in my mom's grave ( she bury here 2002) . it make me fell like somebody dig my mom's body out or take something from my mom's belong. The days later I did meeting with Frances Tse and Jeff (he said he is manager but doesn't has business card to give me). He explain to me that winter time he digging to hole beside my mom's grave and the dirt fall off. This is the my mom's lot we bought it .It like the house if somebody damage which any reason they should fix it right away but until yesterday May 8,2018 (almost 2 months) I come and my mom's grave still not have grass cover yet like it should be before.

Carmina dL

Glen Oaks was a recommendation from a friend and I am so glad he told me about them. Andree M. was my funeral director when my Mom passed away in May. She and the rest of the Glen Oaks team have been nothing but supportive, compassionate, and empathetic throughout everything. Our situation was complex and wrought with legal issues, and not only did she help us navigate the situation, she put us in touch with the right lawyer who helped me and my family. As such, we're now able to let my Mom rest in peace. I wasn't sure what to expect as this is the first time I've ever had to arrange for the funeral of a family member, but what Andree did exceeded anything I could've imagined. I highly recommend her and the Glen Oaks team.

Lisa Smith

Took very good care of all of our family. Caring and competent. Beautiful grounds.

Saraah Guest

Was there Wednesday October 13th for a visitation. There was an older gentleman on the parking lot and an older woman showing people to the visiting rooms who were super nice and helpful, but seemed run off their feet. We were told by the gentleman who stopped our car that someone would be at the door to let us know if we could go in, but no one was there the entire night (we stayed the whole night outside with the food truck and other family). We never saw any of the directors the whole night, and there was a young girl sitting at the desk on her phone the whole night. It seemed very disorganized, and like two people did all the work so that everyone else could sit and do nothing.

Bob

Stood there waiting for a family member to be buried. The staff memeber said out loud with attitude "We're not working until everyone gets in their cars" we were all wearing mask and at least 30 feet away from her and her crew. We asked can we walk further down 200 feet away from them because it was a really hot day. They still said no, we MUST be in our cars. We all sat in our cars in the middle of the heat, it was a really hot day. I understand the saftey protocol for covid but the funeral director have just forgotten to tell everyone to stay in their cars when they got to the site. For the staff to say something like that was just straight rude and I wasn't expecting something like this from the staff. I was taken back by the lady who said that, how inconsiderate and rude was this girl. To the staff this was just a job that needed to be done and the mourners are in the way. I still wonder if we were not people of colour, would we have be spoken to in a different tone and manner

Joe F

Great people very helpful will explain everything to you, expensive yes but you get wat u pay for believe me when I say that, I seen other experience with other funeral home and yes maybe it was cheaper but service was just not there. Glen oaks service is amazing and I don’t feel bad at all paying the price if I know I’m getting the best service.

Rick Howitt

Our experience at such a difficult time of the passing of our son was very compassionate, warming and heart felt. Kalie was amazing and went out of her way to make sure everything was perfect. She even arranged for our other son who couldn't make it because he lives in Australia to participate on their mobile robot. Thank you Kalie

Janette Acosta Sanchez

DO NOT USE this cemetery, their people did not do their do diligence! Unprofessional and did not follow instructions of the deceased.

Kaur T

To Don Clarke and Terry Eccles, It is with an extremely heavy heart that I write this letter. The way you treated my family after my grandmother’s body was taken to Glen Oaks Funeral Home left me in disbelief. I am deeply saddened that the staff of a funeral home could act with such callousness during a time of such deep grief, including raising their voice with grief-stricken family members the morning of a funeral. My mother was tending to a family emergency in the US when we heard of her mother passing. With COVID regulations in place she travelled according to Government protocols. Within hours the Government of Canada approved her request for a limited release from quarantine to attend her mother’s funeral. Clearly, Health Canada felt this was a reasonable and safe request. We contacted Glen Oaks Funeral Home to voluntarily disclose our travel history and have the proper paper work signed. I expected the voice on the other end to be one of compassion and reason. Instead, Don Clarke, (manager) refused to let me finish my sentence. Not only did you not have the decency to listen, you tried to intimidate me from your position of power. You lectured me on COVID-19 spread, the inaccuracy of testing and the place of vaccines. You said I wouldn’t be able to cross the border (we already had) or that the government wouldn’t grant us the exemption (they already had). From someone in your position I expected empathy and understanding; instead I felt belittled and unheard. Don, I understand you must prioritize the safety of your staff and patrons. I would never want to jeopardize anyone’s health. In fact, any such misbehavior would have put our entire extended family at risk as well. However, safety can still be maintained while treating another with humanity. Terry, after such a difficult experience I reached out to you. I sympathize with the difficult position you are in. That said, it is my opinion that a regional manager should ensure policies and procedures are predicated on fact rather than fear and personal opinion. This is especially critical in an industry that not only is deemed essential but operates at a time that is so sensitive. You are in a position that dictates how people are able to say their final goodbyes to loved ones – you forgot this sense of responsibility. Finally, I want to address how my family was treated the morning of the funeral. While we were finally given 15 minutes for my mother to bid her mother goodbye, members of my family were yelled at in their attempt to be by my mother’s side. Gord Stevens (without a mask), came within 2 ft to yell “no means no!” at us, 2 young women who had permission to attend the regular funeral services. He physically intimidated us, pushed us out the door and forced us to video call our mother from the frigid parking lot. We were told “we will have to disinfect the room if you come in,” implying that the effort required for our family to be accommodated was not worth it. It was the lack of decency or empathy that left us most appalled. In the end, this tone was set by you, Don and Terry, this is the behavior you have condoned. COVID19 is a scary disease. However, you provide an essential service. Refusing to engage with people to create safe policies and procedures for everyone is like a doctor refusing to treat patients or a grocery store clerk refusing to stock shelves. The people you have allowed to enter your funeral home can go to work, school and stores yet you willingly came in direct contact with them to hand them flowers during the service. While people like my mother who, yes, had travelled, but also quarantined for 5 days and produced 2 negative COVID tests had to beg for 15min in an empty room to say goodbye to her mother. I urge you to take another look at how you decide your policies. It seems to me that they are based on fear rather than thoughtful discourse and risk mitigation. The experience my family had at your facility was unimaginably cruel and I hope you are willing change so that another family never has to endure what we did at your hands.