George Westwood has been helping residents of the Haida Gwaii islands deal with their deceased since 1991 for free and has been forced to stop operating as an unlicensed undertaker.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Before B.C. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton declared in March the person providing funeral services on remote Haida Gwaii was "not suitable" for the role, that person – George Westwood – had spent decades serving people in the remote region. On occasion, the provincial government was one of his clients.
Mr. Westwood's dealings with the provincial government are outlined in documents obtained by The Globe and Mail through a Freedom of Information request. Mr. Westwood was warned last December that he could be breaking B.C. laws, after B.C.'s Consumer Protection Branch launched an investigation based on a 2012 complaint from the B.C. Funeral Service Association.
That warning prompted Mr. Westwood to reluctantly announce this year he would no longer be able to offer his services, setting off an avalanche of worry among residents in Haida Gwaii, who wondered who would be able to look after their dead if Mr. Westwood was no longer doing the job.
As noted in the Consumer Protection Branch report, the nearest licensed funeral services are in Prince Rupert on the mainland, "95 nautical miles away." That's 175 kilometres.
The furor triggered an outpouring of support, including a bouquet from Queen Charlotte's mayor to the Justice Minister with a card quoting Johnny Cash lyrics in reference to the controversy.
Documents show that over two decades of providing death-related services on Haida Gwaii, Mr. Westwood had on several occasions invoiced the province for such services, even though he was not licensed as a funeral provider as required under B.C.'s Cremation Interment and Funeral Services Act.
"During investigation, Mr. Westwood confirmed when offering services to families, he does not charge a fee and does not invoice these families," says a case assessment report. "The only time in which Mr. Westwood submits an invoice is to the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation to cover the expenses of the funeral service for the respective families."
Mr. Westwood has consistently said he has not charged families for services that include preparing bodies for burial, although he did sometimes receive a homemade pie or fresh-caught salmon for his trouble.
Case notes from the investigation obtained through the same FOI request also refer to payments from the province to Mr. Westwood.
"During conversation, Mr. Westwood stated the following: been providing the services of 'Funeral Services' as defined by the legislation for over 20 years, deals with 12-50 human remains per year from the local community, in the past has been paid to provide Funeral Services by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development (4x supporting documents in the file), services have been used by the Coroner, never had a Funeral Director Licence."
Asked why the province had on several occasions dealt with an unlicensed funeral provider, a Justice Ministry spokesman said the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation will pay necessary funeral costs for people whose estates or families are unable to cover those expenses and that "it was understood in the community that Mr. Westwood had been performing funeral services for some time."
"As part of its investigation, Consumer Protection B.C. informed [the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation] that Mr. Westwood was not a licensed funeral provider – and since then (2012), Mr. Westwood has not been paid for funeral services by [the ministry]," the spokesman said.
On March 5, Ms. Anton – responding to questions in the legislature – said the person purporting to be a funeral provider on Haida Gwaii "was not suitable," and not permitted to provide funeral services by the Consumer Protection Branch.
That Mr. Westwood had provided services to government ministries did not come up.
Incensed, Queen Charlotte Mayor Greg Martin wrote to demand an apology. On March 26, again speaking in the legislature, Ms. Anton took a more conciliatory tone, emphasizing that Mr. Westwood could still help families – as a volunteer.
On March 30, Mr. Martin sent Ms. Anton the card riffing on a Johnny Cash classic and what Mr. Martin considered Ms. Anton's "don't cross the line" rhetoric. It read: "I keep a close watch on this town of mine, We keep our eyes wide open all the time, We have not ever gone and crossed that line, Because you're kind, we'll walk the line."
The bouquet was in keeping with community support Mr. Westwood has enjoyed since the story broke, including a T-shirt with the message, "Keep calm and bury on."
Mr. Westwood is hopeful the discussion may have opened the door to a new role, one that might allow people in remote and rural communities special permission to provide funeral services without having a licence and without running afoul of the law.
"This all started with me just wanting to help my friends," Mr. Westwood says.
B.C.'s Consumer Protection Branch received a complaint about George Westwood, the unofficial undertaker of Haida Gwaii.
Wendy Stueck