Holly Haliburton, 1946, age 29.

A blog by the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA), a non-profit group that is a funeral consumers watchdog in the U.S., mentioned the lawsuit recently filed by the Haliburton family in Vancouver, Canada, concerning a funeral home incident involving their 95-year-old mother, Holly Haliburton, who died two years ago. Click here to see what was written by executive director Josh Slocum.

The FCA website provides some interesting articles about funeral services and the industry in the U.S.. It recently provided advice to people who can’t afford a funeral and also shared this Detroit Free Press story about do-it-yourself funerals in your own home.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance also recently noted a new memorial trend in England to use cremation ashes in a tattoo to honour the memory of a loved one. You can read that story here.

Another trend is for green burials (environmentally friendly). You can read more about this on the website established by the Green Burial Council in the U.S., which also includes a list of green burial providers in B.C.

Last year, The Atlantic did a story on those seeking a greener approach to funeral and burial services. And the David Suzuki Foundation’s “Queen of Green” has written about green funerals and burials here.

Consumer Protection BC has information about green burials here and the Memorial Society of B.C. (MSBC) has information here.

Funeralwatchdog highly recommends joining the The Memorial Society of B.C., a non-profit organization formed in 1956 to help its members plan funerals that are simple, dignified and affordable. For a $40 lifetime membership, members can save up to 40% on cremation and services. More information is available on the MSBC website here or by calling MSBC at 1-888-816-5902.

photo by Mike Wakefield/North Shore News

The North Shore News also did a story this weekend on the Haliburton case. That story is here.