‘Sick to my stomach’: Websites reposting obituaries without consent in Ontario

Ontario’s funeral regulator warns that some websites are reposting obituaries without family consent to sell memorial items, often misleading grieving relatives.

For many families, dealing with the loss of a loved one is hard enough.

Now, some third-party websites in Ontario are making it harder by reposting obituaries without the knowledge of grieving families, often in an attempt to profit from their loss.

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) is sounding the alarm, claiming these companies profit from reposting obituaries without consent from family members.

In a notice published in the spring edition of its magazine, the provincial regulator says some websites are copying death notices and republishing them to sell “in memory of” items like flowers, candles and tree planting in honour of someone who has died.

While the items may appear to be tributes arranged by the family, the BAO warns that this is often not the case. Families receive nothing and are often unaware that their loved one’s obituary has been posted elsewhere.

“People generally find out about unauthorized obituary notices – of their fathers, mothers, grandparents and others – when they happen across them online,” the BAO said.

One such website, Afterlife.co, was ordered by a federal court in 2019 to pay $20 million in damages after a class-action lawsuit revealed it had profited from reposted obituaries and photos. The company later shut down, according to the BAO.

But concerns have resurfaced with Echovita, a newer third-party website that appears to be operating similarly.