As pan-death alternatives are a very new development in Canada, we have only listed those which we are aware of.   We hope to be able to eventually provide links to specific information for each of the provinces and territories.   If you are aware of an alternative death-care service being offered in your area, please let us know — contact us via email.   Information on the actual pan-death process (what/when/where/how) is covered under the Post-death Care/Home Funerals page.

One of CINDEA's mandates is to bridge the gap between pre-death and post-death services — services that are rarely directly connected.We recognize that we are reinforcing that gap by offering pre-death and post-death resources on separate pages of this site.However, it was necessary to avoid the Resources in Canada pages from becoming too long.We hope that you will consider both the pre-death and post-death pages when looking for resources to plan your end-of-life affairs.      We have a new page — DWENA/Deathcare Practitioners Directory — where you will find listings of Death Educators, Death Doulas, Home Funeral Guides, Funeral Celebrants and Death Midwifery/Pan-death Guides.

CINDEA has a new online and expanded training program within By My Own Heart and Hand that will go live on April 15, 2024.   It includes information and instructions on Home Funerals, Greening Death, Children and Death, and Deathing Rites.   You can find more information and updates on it on the Training page.

Table of Contents for Canadian Resources
(click on any of the headings or sub-headings below to jump to that section)

Advance Care Planning Resources (Advance/Health Directives and Representation/Proxy Agreements) CANADA by Province and Territory Dementia Information   General Information   Canadian Studies on Dementia within the population Bedside Singing and Music Thanatology CANADA   British Columbia   Ontario Family Caregiving Resources     CANADA by Province and Territory Hospice and Palliative Care Services   CANADA Suicide Support CANADA and provinces LGBTQ2+ End of Life Resources   CANADA, Ontario, British Columbia

Evolving Attitudes towards Deathing CANADA    Elsewhere Right to Die/MAiD CANADA    Quebec Organ and Tissue Donations (transplant or research) CANADA   by Provincial and Territory Further EOL Advance Care Planning Resources CANADA Other EOL Resources   Canadian Will Kits or On-line  Elder Law and Mediation Canada     General Information for Seniors CANADA    by Province and Territory Ombudsperson and CARD resources for Seniors     by Province and Territory

(For post-death resources, click here)

Pre/during Death Services

Advance Care Planning Resources — primarily Advance/Personal Directives and Representation/Proxy Agreements, otherwise referred to as a 'living will' [Note: these two elements of Advance Care Planning are sometimes dealt with in the same document.   Individual province/territory listings below use their specific terminology.]

CANADA

	Canadian Centre for Elder Law — information on Advance Directives (legislation, etc.) for all provinces/territories
	Speak Up — Provincial /Territorial resources for Advance Care Planning [Note: Speak Up is connected to the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association]
	End-of-Life Law and Policy in Canada — information on the withholding and withdrawal of potentially life-sustaining treatment, advance directives, palliative interventions (e.g., potentially life-shortening symptom relief and palliative sedation), assisted suicide, and euthanasia.
	Quality End-of-life Care Coalition of Canada (QELCCC) — a group of 35 national organizations dedicated to improving end-of-life care for all Canadians.
	Virtual Hospice Health Care Directives
	National Seniors Strategy — including resources for each of the provinces/territories
	Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association — extensive written resources on Advance Care Planning
	The Right to Make Choices — concerns about use of Advance Care Planning for Developmentally Disabled (PDF) international, but quite useful
	Canadian Nurses Protective Society on Consent for the Incapable Adult
	CINDEA — has a comprehensive Advance Directive/Expressd Wishes (personal care) form and Representation Agreement template available to death-care providers who are supporters of CINDEA — contact us for information on the document (see also the CINDEA Advance Care Planning page for further information on both documents)

by Province and Territory [Note: although the legalistic language of the Public Trustee/Legal Guardian office can be somewhat confusing to the average person, they are included because they have a lot of information on Advance Care Planning issues — although their focus is on situations where there is no Representative, Temporary Substitute Decision-maker and/or Power of Attorney available.   See certified Public Trustees across Canada.]

	Alberta	Understanding Personal Directives (PDF), Personal Directives Act, Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (OPGT), Advance Care Planning, Decision making and advance planning, Advance Care Planning: Preparing for Your Future Healthcare , home and community care
	British Columbia	Advance Care Planning BC government, Doctors of BC Advance Directives, Incapacity Planning BC (Representative and PoA forms), and NIDUS's ACP information and forms, Home and Community Care, Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia
	Manitoba	Health Care Directive and Proxy, home and community care, The Public Trustee of Manitoba — Vulnerable Adults
	Newfoundland/Labrador	Newfoundland Health, “It's Your Decision: How to Make an Advance Health Care Directive”, Substitute Decision Makers, home and community care
	New Brunswick	Power of Attorney for Personal Care and Attorney for Personal Care Public Trustee of New Brunswick, home care, Care at Home and in our Communities
	North West Territories	Personal Directives, NWT Personal Directive form, Personal Directives Act (including Health Agent), home and community care, Office of the Public Guardian
	Nova Scotia	Personal Directives and Delegate and forms (both downloadable pdf), home and community care Office of the Public Trustee
	Nunavut	No specific legislation yet — general living will see Rules of Court — Probate and Administration Rules, Home and Community Care
	Ontario	ACE Advocacy Centre Elderly Library on Advance Directives and Power of Attorney for Personal Care, and Power of Attorney for Health care (both property and personal care), home and community care, and The Role of the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee (PDF)
	Prince Edward Island	Personal Care Directive and Proxy information and forms (PDF), home and community care Public Trustee and Public Guardian
	Quebec	Incapacity Planning in Quebec – Protection Mandates and Powers of Attorney mandates in Anticipation of Incapacity and Mandatary, In case of incapacity: the protection mandate (PDF), Protection Mandates: Naming Someone to Act for You, Advance Medical Directives, home and community care, Curateur Public Quebec
	Saskatchewan	Completing Your Own Advance Care Plan Health Care Directives and Substitute Health Care Decision Makers Regulations, home and community care, Public Guardian and Trustee
	Yukon	Find decision-making and legal tools for adults, or Last resort substitute consent by care providers – form 5, Statement by a close friend before chosen as substitute decision maker Representation Agreement, Representation Agreement form, applying for adult guardianship, home and community care, Public Guardian/trustee Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee

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Dementia Information

CANADA

General Information — wide range of information on all dementia-related issues and services

	Alzheimer Society of Canada, Provincial, Alzheimer Society offices (click on 'Change Your Society'), and Email for general information
	Living the Dementia Journey
	Dementia Guidelines
	Different types of Dementia from Toronto Dementia Network or Alzheimer Society
	Veterans Affairs Canada on Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

Canadian Studies on Dementia within the population

	A Dementia Strategy for Canada: Together We Achieve - 2021 Annual Report and Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in Canada from Stats Canada
	Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia in Canada (PDF) by the Alzheimer Society January 2009

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Bedside Singing and Music Thanatology vocal or instrumental music, specifically suited to supporting the person (and their families/friends) through a serious illness or the dying process

Music Thanatology

CANADA
	CAMT — Canadian Association for Music Therapy (unclear if they support Music Thanatology — music used specifically to support the dying — although some music therapists do work in hospice situations)
	MTAI — Music Thanatology Association International
	Threshold choirs in Canada (see at bottom of screen) Bedside Singing

Bedside Singing Resources — using mostly a capella songs to support those who are seriously ill or dying (see Threshold choirs above as well)

British Columbia

	En~chanting Beyond — Victoria — supporting the two major life-passages of dying and giving birth.For more information or a Bedside Singing visit, contact Pashta MaryMoon at Tel: (250) 383-4065 or Email:contact@beyonds.ca
	Victoria Hospice Bedside Singers — Victoria — serving the Hospice Unit and Oncology Unit at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, B.C. (see bottom of page) Email: bedsidesingers@shaw.ca

Ontario

	Hospice Peterborough — Peterborough — developing a Bedside Singing group in Peterborough, Ontario Attention: Jan Sterling-Twist at Tel: (705) 742-4042 Email: admin@hospicepeterborough.org
	Encircle: Soulful Singing at the Bedside — Kingston — a developing group.    Contact Aileen Stewart at Email

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Hospice and Palliative Care Services — medical 'comfort care' and other services, from terminal diagnosis through to active dying and death

CANADA

	Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association — including Directory of Hospice Palliative Care Services — list of national and provincial organizations; as well as excellent, comprehensive resources on end-of-life issues, including.
	Canadian Virtual Hospice — includes Advance Care Planning/Decision-making for different provinces/territories (several pages of resources — look for those for your province/territory); Living Well; Planning Well (downloadable PDF); and 'Ask a Professional'.   Portail Palliatif (French version of Canadian Virtual Hospice)   There are also a wide variety of Discussion Forums (including in the French version of the site) — a safe, supportive forum for patients and caregivers to share openly; and which are both managed by a community moderator, and supported by a clinical team of palliative care experts. A sister site, Living My Culture, offers information on a variety of ethic/cultural traditions and practices.
	E-hospice (related to Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association) — palliative care news, views, and inspiration from around the world: you can register to have specific kinds of articles sent to you by email (see the 'categories' tab) as they are published
	Quality 'end of life' care coalition of Canada — The Way Forward initiative for all Canadians to realize the right to die with dignity, free of pain, and surrounded by their loved ones
	International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care — information and directory for 9 countries, including all Canadian provinces and territories
	National Cancer Institute - making choices about care — excellent review on choices and services available (generally) for advanced cancer

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Family Caregiving Resources

CANADA (French versions available)

	The Family Caregiver (information for all provinces/territories) — as well as by disease (lower right of site page)
	Victorian Order of Nurses for Canada (sponsored by VON) — information by province/territory (Caregiver Resources) and condition
	Victoria Order of Nurses (VON) — by province
	Canadian Caregiver Coalition — general information and advocacy
	Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence — federal and provincial/territorial services
	Canadian Home Care Association — general information and advocacy
	Care-ring Voice Network — information, teleseminars, support in English and French
	A Caregiver's Guide: A Handbook about End-of-Life Care by Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Lotsa Helping Hands — an online way to develop communities of support for individual caregiving (or volunteer support) within your own area (Canada, U.S.A., and elsewhere)

by Province and Territory

	Alberta	Compass for Caregivers, Seniors Council-Caregiving, and Family Caregivers Network Alberta (see lower left side of page for specifics on this province/territory)
	British Columbia	Family Caregivers Network B.C. Caring for Seniors B.C.
	Manitoba	A Guide for the Caregiver and Resources for Caregivers
	Newfoundland/Labrador	Seniors Resource re Caregiving, Seniors NL Caregiving Resourses
	New Brunswick	Family, Home and Community resources and More resources for caregivers, NB Gov't Caregivers' Guide
	Northwest Territories	The NWT Caregivers Guide (PDF)
	Nova Scotia	Caregivers Nova Scotia, Caregiver Benefits, Caregiving Where to Begin, and Caregiver, Family NS Health
	Nunavut	Family Caregivers Network is re-developing -- options for Nunavut coming
	Ontario	Ontario Caregiver Org, Ontario Caregiver Coalition and Ontario Gov't Seniors: for family and other caregivers
	Prince Edward Island	Taking care of caregivers, Caring for Aging Parents
	Quebec	Informal and family caregiver and Family and support for individuals
	Saskatchewan	Caregiver Information and Support
	Yukon	Yukon Gov't Find resources for caregivers and Care for the Caregivers

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Suicide Support

	Helplines in Canada for suicide -- including different provinces, ages, and types of distress
	Mental Health Commission on suicide prevention -- tools, support, etc.
	Preventing suicide: Warning signs and how to help -- tools, support, etc.
	Suicide prevention in Indigenous communities -- various links for support

LGBTQ2+ End-of-Life Resources

	Canada	End of Life Doula Association 2LGBTQ+ resources
		Virtual Hospice 2LGBTQ+ resources
		Egale and National Institute on Aging 2LGBTQ+ resources
		Sage -- National Resource on LGBTQ+ Aging CINDEA
	Ontario	Ontario Caregivers on 2sLGBTQ recources
		Hospice Palliative Care Ontario 2SLGBTQ resources
	British Columbia	British Columbia LGBT End-of-Life Resource Inventory PDF

Evolving Attitudes towards Dying/Death

CANADA

Elsewhere — There are few organizations that are fully devoted to modern evolving attitudes towards the process and support of dying/death.   Although not Canadian, we recommend the following:

	Life and Death Matters — information and online training in an evolving psychosocial and spiritual approach to death
	TalkDeath — its mission is to encourage positive and constructive conversations around death and dying.   Although our awareness of the issues and needs surrounding death is growing, it is still not considered appropriate “dinner table talk.
	The Order of the Good Death — U.S. based — information and videos (including "Ask a Mortican" YouTube videos) on concepts of death, especially appropriate to younger people
	Dying into Love — U.S. based — workshops and videos (some free) in evolving concepts of dying and death — related to Doorway into Light, recognizing death as a sacred and spiritual passage
	Transitions Magazine — U.S.— regular issues on conscious, wholistic, and green approaches to the end of life
	Dying Matters — U.K. — videos and information for raising awareness of changing approaches to dying, death and bereavement
	GoodLife, GoodDeath, Good Grief — U.K./Scotland— online resources for supporting each other through death, dying and bereavement

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Right to die/MAiD — organizations working towards securing or protecting the rights of individuals to self-determination at the end of their lives

CANADA

	World Federation of Right-to-Die Societies — founded in 1980, consists of 38 right to die organizations from 23 countries
		Member organizations (including for Canada and elsewhere)
	Dying with Dignity (of Canada) — A national organization dedicated to improving the quality of dying and expanding end-of-life choices in Canada includes related Canadian news and articles — 55 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 802, Toronto, Ontario M4P 1G8, CANADA; Tel: (416) 486-3998 or toll-free at 1-800-495-6156, Fax: (416) 486-5562, E-mail: info@dyingwithdignity.ca — contact them for information on local chapters of DWD.
	MAiD Family Support — compassionate, lived-experience support and connection to people helping a loved one who is considering or planning for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) or those who are grieving a loss due to MAiD.  Volunteer or wanting 1 to 1 peer support
	Right to Die Society of Canada — 145 Macdonell Ave. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6R 2A4 Tel: (416) 535-0690 Toll-free: 1-866-535-0690 Email: info@righttodie.ca
	Bridge C-14 — Canada-wide online support for Death Journeyers and their familyfriends before and after a MAiD death — support groups, workshops and resources
	MAiD house — a safe space to die via MAiD in Toronto or Victoria

Quebec

Association Québécoise pour le Droit de Mourir dans la Dignité (AQDMD)

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Organ and Tissue Donation (for transplant or research)

CANADA

	Canadian Living Organ donation: What you need to know (resources for all provinces/territories)
	Canadian Organ and Tissue Donation and how register to become a donor in your province or territory
	Canadian Association of Transplantation with a list of kinds of transplantable organs
	Save Lives Tomorrow transplant preparation information
	National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Campaigns raise awareness about the critical need for more donors across the country and encourages Canadians to register their decision and to talk to their loved ones about organ donation.
	Estate Box Organ and full body donation information for all provinces
	Canadian Institute for Health Information — FAQ on Organ Replacement — use the search area to find information for your province
	Canadian Funerals — information on Body Donation (for research) in registered Medical Schools in Canada

by Province and Territory

	Alberta	Organ Donation (HOPE program) , and Southern and Northern Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Program, Alberta Organ and Tissue Donation Registry
	British Columbia	The BC Transplantation Support Network, and its Organ donation registry
	Manitoba	Manitoba Government on Organ Donation   and Transplant Manitoba
	Newfoundland/Labrador	Multi-Organ Transplant Program (MOTP) Atlantic Canada, COVID Information for People who have had an Organ Transplant how do I indicate my intent to donate (PDF)
	New Brunswick	Multi-Organ Transplant Program (MOTP) Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick Organ Donation Program
	Northwest Territories	Organ Donation from Canadian Living Resources, FAQ on organ donation, and Organ/Tissue Donation
	Nova Scotia	Multi-Organ Transplant Program (MOTP) Atlantic Canada, NS government links for organ donation issues/forms/etc.,
	Nunavut	Organ Donation from Canadian Living Resources and shares registry with Alberta
	Ontario	Ontario Government forms for organ donation, Trillium Gift of Life Network, and Be a Donor
	Prince Edward Island	Multi-Organ Transplant Program (MOTP) Atlantic Canada, more information (PDF) , Tissue Donation Manual, and registering your intent to donate
	Quebec	Quebec Transplant (including pdf on information for 'living donors')
	Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan government Organ/Tissue Donation, Organ Donation Awareness Campaign, and register my intent to donate
	Yukon	Yukon government on Organ/Tissue Donation

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Further EOL (end-of-life) Advance Care Planning Resources

CANADA

	Speak Up — information on 'end of life' planning in Canada, in connection with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care association — includes registry of services for each province/territory
		also Provincial /Territorial resources
	Backgrounder: Government of Canada supports for seniors or French version — government website for a range of issues, including planning for end-of-life
	Health Canada - Palliative Care or French version — including Palliative Care and end of life including provincial/territorial resourses
	Long-Term Care Planning Network — offering tools for both professionals and families on end-of-life planning — through seminar series, web sites, newsletters, video series and print materials
	Canadian Initiative for Elder Planning Studies — Elder Planning Counsellors — certified members' list for all provinces/territories
	Certified Professional Consultant on Aging —  find a CPCA near you (fill in all of the boxes offered)
	Record Me Now — the not-for-profit legacy app lets you make a lasting video legacy for yourself, your family and loved ones.   It is also good for life review.

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Other EOL Resources

Will Kits (which do not require a lawyer)

	List of Free Will and Templates in Canada 2025
	CanadaWills.ca — free on-line approval of will
	Canadian Legal Wills — on-line approval of will
	The Canadian Personal Will Kit — mailed Will and Testament, versions for each province
	FormalWill.ca — on-line approval of will
	JurisMedia — legal information for Quebec

Elder Law and Mediation CANADA

	The Canadian Bar Association and Find a Lawyer (looked under Wills, Estates, etc.)
	Practical Guide to Elder Abuse and Neglect Law PDF
	The Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse — including What is Elder Abuse (see menu) and Elder Abuse Provincial and Territorial Networks
	LawyerLocate.ca — registry of Canadian Elder Law lawyers by city or province
	Lawyers.com — finding a lawyer by issue (Estate and Elder law) and province/territory (use the two boxes)
	Elder Mediation Canada
	Exploring the Role of Elder Mediation in the Prevention of Elder Abuse -- extensive informaton on elder Mediation

General Information for Seniors CANADA

Seniors' Care (Canadian Government) large range of articles

Provinces and Territories (governmental services and information)

Ombudsperson on seniors' related issues or CARP (New Vision of Aging for Canada) and its provincial chapters (scroll down) — support in dealing with problems related to any kind of organization/institution serving seniors [Note: not all provinces/territories have a specific division for seniors and/or people with disabilities: use 'search function' to find specific policy on seniors -- including provincial ombudspersons]

Provinces and Territories (ombudsperson or Carp services and information)

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