A Consumer Protection BC investigation last summer showed that McLean’s Funeral Services & Crematorium was no longer viable and unable to fulfill its customers’ preneed funeral services contracts.
Since then, Fraser Valley Crematorium has purchased assets of McLean’s Funeral Services. On behalf of Fraser Valley Crematorium, Kearney Fraser Valley, a funeral provider based in Chilliwack, will fund preneed services for affected customers with confirmed preneed funeral services contracts with McLean’s Funeral Services.
Background
In July of 2024, Consumer Protection BC suspended the funeral provider licence of McLean’s Funeral Services after the business failed to properly fund its preneed trust account.
Consumer Protection BC informed customers of McLean’s Funeral Services that if they had prepaid for services with McLean’s Funeral Services, they would not get those future services, and the business was most likely unable to refund them.
As the investigation continued, a different business, Fraser Valley Crematorium, came forward with an offer to purchase the assets of McLeans Funeral Services, including any known and outstanding preneed contracts. The preneed funeral services contracts have been reassigned to a trust through Kearney Fraser Valley, a funeral provider based in Chilliwack.
Information for impacted customers
Kearney Fraser Valley is now licensed as a funeral provider and is responsible for funding confirmed preneed funeral services of McLean’s Funeral Services:
- Kearney Fraser Valley will contact you directly to confirm your information, notify you of your options, and ask for your consent to have your contract reassigned to them (or give you the option to cancel your contract).
- If you choose to cancel your contract, Kearney Fraser Valley (on behalf of Fraser Valley Crematorium) is obligated to refund you the deposit or prepayment amount
- If you do not hear from Kearney Fraser Valley by the end of March 2025, they may not have a record of your preneed contract. Please reach out to them at 604-793-6581 so they can gather your information and assess what is possible. Be prepared with any relevant documentation that shows you had a preneed contract with McLean’s Funeral Services (including contracts, receipts and any documented interactions you might have had with McLean’s Funeral Services).
- If you have questions about the details of your preneed contract purchased through McLean’s Funeral Services, please contact Kearney Fraser Valley at 604-793-6581, or via email at fraser-valley@kearneyfs.com.
About Consumer Protection BC
Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit regulator responsible for overseeing certain industries and specific consumer transactions in the province. Their mandate is to license and inspect their regulated businesses, respond to consumer inquiries, investigate alleged violations of consumer protection laws, and classify all general release motion pictures.
For more information about Consumer Protection BC, to read their recent enforcement actions, and to learn about their inspection and complaint-handling processes, please visit their website at www.consumerprotectionbc.ca. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube or read their blog for valuable consumer tips and resources.