The fact of the matter is, Haida Gwaii does not have the population to support (nor afford) a funeral home or a mortician. And yet, death care services are undeniably essential and deserve to be offered with dignity and respect.

Speaking of respect, on Thursday, February 16th, one of our deeply valued members of our islands community, retired bookkeeper, recipient of the Order of QC and volunteer Community Undertaker for past some 25 years, George Westwood, was invited to Victoria to receive a formal apology in the Legislative Assembly of BC.

An apology that was, in many folks’ minds, long overdue. “I was treated like royalty,” George shared with me, while sipping on his Queen B’s coffee.

Five years ago, the BC Funeral Association registered a complaint against George with Consumer Protection BC, saying he was an ‘unlicensed funeral director taking advantage of people grieving’. Following this complaint he was investigated in depth and at risk of a possible year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

In her February apology, after once saying that George was “unsuitable for the job,” Justice Minister Suzanne Anton graciously and humbly retracted her words, saying she repeated misinformation that she was given and that she had misspoken. In stating what his real reason for going to Victoria was George said “I didn’t require an apology, I require better services. Burying the dead is one of the basic obligations of humanity…to feed, to give drink, to clothe and to shoe. To visit, to console the sick, poor and afflicted and to bury the dead. That’s all that’s requested of us, the rest is either trim or greed.”

With this in mind, George had the honor of a rather lengthy sit down (well over an hour) with Corporate Policy and Planning Executive Director Toby Louie. “We discussed workable ways to set up after death services for remote areas,” reports George. “Once the powers that be (3 BC Acts, Consumer Protection Branch, Funeral Directors Association, etc.) get to the point of approving a rural death care precedent, the idea is that an appropriate person interested would apply to take on the role of (suggested titles) a “Funeral Commissioner” or “Community Undertaker”. They would have to be community-approved and backed by authorities such as the town mayor, RCMP, etc.”

Although there is much work to be done, it is a worthwhile cause and George is a champion of getting it off the ground. “This is not for me or for you (or for anyone’s term in office); it’s for all of us, forever.”

• Email your MLA. George has the ball rolling. Now, we need to keep it rolling. AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE: email Jennifer Rice, our North Coast MLA at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and let her know you’ve heard of an after death service for remote areas, what’s to become of it? What are you doing with it? THIS IS AN ELECTION YEAR: if MLA’s from all over BC report that they have many constituents asking about this, it has to be dealt with.
• Have an Advance Care Plan in place. This will not only ensure your wishes are honored but greatly reduce the stress and risk of unnecessary conflict, arguments and added grief for all involved. Give your death care plan to your doctor to put into your medical records.
• Northern Health also puts out a very helpful and informative pamphlet called “Responsibilities of the Next of Kin for Burial on Haida Gwaii”. Ask for a copy at your local health centre (in Queen Charlotte you can get a copy at the Health Information Office, located on the second floor of the new Haida Gwaii Hospital).

Being that George assists with anywhere between 12 to 50 deaths annually, it is understandable that he is often asked, by folks of every age: What happens when you die? His response will be sure to make everyone smile: “When you go into the sea, you put a wetsuit on, while you are here, you have an earthsuit. When you leave, you will leave your earthsuit behind. The zipper in the back will pop open and the spark will nip out and go onto the next adventure.” George continues with “If you’re graceful in life, you’ll be graceful in death. Everybody has that spark, some people have a bit more baggage than others…you just have to be able to see through the baggage.”

With his standing as an accepted and respected after death care service provider restored, George can now get back to, for the most part, enjoying his retirement with his lovely wife Heidi along with their dogs, ducks, geese and a cat. If  you have any general death care questions on what to do, George is more than happy to help. Messages can be left @ 250-559-8086.