Being surrounded by water and having a rich nautical history and culture attachment with the sea, it is not surprising that many Newfoundland and Labrador funeral homes have received inquires about burial at sea. The National Office of the Funeral Service Association of Canada (FSAC) has also received several inquires, the most recent from the Royal Canadian Legion, Dominion Command in Ottawa on behalf of Second World War veterans.
In Canada the disposal of human remains at sea is regulated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Part VI. In 1992, Environmental Canada prepared draft guidelines to clarify their policy. Although these guidelines remain in draft form, they are the ones followed whenever the matter is raised.
Experiences in other countries have shown that a great deal of distress can be caused by the remains, once committed for burial, being yielded up or trawled up by a fishing vessel. Therefore, it is the government’s position that initial inquires about burial at sea should be discouraged, and those who ask should be requested to consider scattering the cremated remains at sea as an alternative.
Permit
For those opposed to this alternative, a permit application must be made at least eight (8) weeks, prior to the anticipated need. It is recommended funeral homes apply annually for this permit, thus eliminating the need to make application for each occasion. It has also been suggested that the FSAC take out a permit, which could then be used by its membership. To date, this had not been done.
Prior to making the initial application, the funeral home must also publish a “notice of intent” in the local newspaper. Proof of publication of this notice must accompany the application along with a $2500 application fee payable to the Receiver General of Canada.
The permit granted will include conditions to be met for the identification of the deceased and reporting of each time the permit is used.
Medical certificate
Because of the possibility of water-bourne infections, a medical certificate verifying the deceased was free from infectious or contagious disease must be obtained from the deceased’s family physician or hospital doctor for each use of the permit. If a physician is not prepared to issue a certificate, burial at sea will not be permitted. Furthermore, burial at sea of an embalmed body is not permitted.
Identification of the remains
The deceased must be identified with a permanently inscribed plastic wristband, which must also include the telephone number of the funeral home who carried out the original burial at sea. The body should not be dressed but shrouded loosely with cotton cloth.
Casket specifications
The casket should be of sufficient size to hold the deceased and at least 90kg of weighting material to ensure it remains on the seabed. It should be made of solid wood rather than a veneered board with butt jointed corners and right-angled brackets screwed internally to strengthen all joints.
The casket may be weighted with iron and steel or a weak concrete mix placed at the foot. Lightweight concrete blocks are not suitable.
At least twelve 2cm diameter holes should be drilled in each side and top of the casket and three (3) additional holes drilled in each end.
To ensure the casket survives impact on entry to the sea and arrival at the seabed, two (2) steel bands should be placed around its exterior.
Burial site
The location of a burial site should be chosen to avoid trawling grounds, the risk of recovery by dredging activity and currents, which might cause the casket to be moved. The site should be in at least 200m of water and located at least three (3) nautical miles from land (land being defined as baselines for measurement of the territorial sea).
Procedure in United States
Burial at sea services in the United States are offered by the Department of the Navy for members on active duty, retirees and honourably discharged veterans of all branches of the U.S. military. Also eligible are U.S. civilian marine personnel of the Military Sealift command and dependants of members, retirees and veterans of the uniformed services.
Services are performed on Navy vessels deployed on official maneuvers. Therefore, it is not possible for family members to be present. The family will be notified by the commanding officer of the vessel and the date, time, longitude and latitude of the committal service.
To initiate a burial at sea, a Burial At Sea Request/Authorization Form must be completed and signed by the immediate next of kin, executor, or person legally responsible for arranging the final disposition.
As the remains may be held for long periods until a ship is scheduled to get under way, it must be completely embalmed and preserved for at least 60 days. A metal casket is also required, and it must be banded, weighted and a specific number of holes drilled into each of its sides. A diagram describing the procedure is available from the Navy.
Ports of embarkation include Norfolk, Virginia; Jacksonville, Florida; and Corpus Christi, Texas on the Atlantic side, and San Diego, California; Bremerton, Washington; and Hawaii on the Pacific.
For those American veterans, their families and relatives living in Newfoundland, you may call 1 800 647 6676 (Ext 628 or 629) to obtain more information.
Commentary
Although there are some similarities between the procedures followed in the United States and Canada’s draft guidelines, there are certain requirements, which completely contradict each other (i.e. embalming verses no embalming, wooden verses metal casket). As there would undoubtedly be a lengthy holding period before the burial could take place, embalming with the use of a metal casket would appear to be more practical. Nevertheless, with a $2500 application fee, it is obvious that the Canadian Government is doing all it can to discourage the practice.
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