Investigative Process


for Complaints and Administrative Inquiries



An investigation under The Funeral Directors and Embalmers Act is typically commenced either following receipt of a complaint from a member of the public or as an "Administrative Inquiry" initiated when an issue that merits investigation comes to the attention of the Board's Administrative staff. The Inspector will follow the steps below when conducting an investigation (please note that Steps 1 to 7 apply to an investigation initiated as a result of a public complaint while only Steps 3 to 7 apply to an investigation initiated by an Administrative Inquiry).

Step 1: Complainant(s) send their complaint in writing to the Funeral Board of Manitoba. A form is available on this website.
Step 2: Upon receipt of the written complaint, the Board's Administrator sends an acknowledgement letter to the complainant(s) providing the Inspector's contact information. The Administrator then opens a complaint file and refers it to the Inspector for investigation.
Step 3: The Inspector sends written notification to the Licensee (funeral director, embalmer, funeral home, cemetery and/or crematorium), of the allegations against him/her and provides a copy of the complaint/investigative inquiry with a timeframe for submitting a response/rebuttal.
Step 4: The Licensee may provide a written response/rebuttal directly to the Inspector within that timeframe however, it is up to the Licensee if they wish to respond or not.
Step 5: The Inspector may interview the complainant(s); the Licensee, and any witnesses or persons involved in the incident. The Inspector may use any tool at his disposal to thoroughly investigate the complaint.
Step 6: Upon completion of the investigation, the Inspector will either:
a) Mediate the situation to an acceptable resolution for both parties involved; advise all parties of the resolution and close the complaint file,
OR
b) Submit a written report to the Chair of the Funeral Board of Manitoba with a recommendation to either proceed to hearing or not.
Step 7: The Inspector will either:
a) Coordinate the hearing with Legal Services,
OR
b) Advise all parties of the outcome of the investigation and close the file.