What do I need to do when a family member dies?

Whenever someone dies, a qualified doctor, nurse, or coroner must officially certify their death. This means that they produce a medical certificate that shows:

the person's name
where they died
when they died
the medical cause of death
whether their death was from natural causes

If your family member dies at home

If your family member's death is “attended”, this means that the doctor or nurse who was treating them was there when they died. The doctor or nurse will certify their death and help you understand what to do next.

If your family member's death is “unattended”, the person who finds them should call 911. Paramedics and the police will come.

The paramedics decide whether to try to revive your family member, take them to the hospital, or call the Coroner’s Office to certify their death.

If your family member dies in a hospital or long-term care home

If your family member dies in a hospital or long-term care home, the staff:

arrange for a doctor to certify their death, and
decide whether they need to tell the Coroner's Office.

If they contact the coroner, the person's body is taken to a morgue. The body stays at the morgue until the coroner decides if there needs to be an autopsy. An autopsy is a medical examination of a body after death.

The staff at the hospital or long-term care home get in touch with the people that the person listed as their contacts.

The role of the coroner

The Coroner’s Office must be told if:

the cause of death is not known
the death was from a disease that was not being treated
the death was sudden and unexpected
the death was medically assisted

The Coroner's Office must be contacted if someone dies from unnatural causes, such as, an accident, suicide, or murder.

And people must contact the Coroner's Office if they:

have serious concerns about the care someone was getting before they died, or
suspect that the person was being abused.

This applies to the police, family members, and medical care providers, such as doctors or nurses.

The coroner decides if there needs to be an autopsy. If there's an autopsy, you must wait until it's been done before arranging for a funeral.

If the coroner decides an autopsy is not needed, they release the person's body to the funeral home that the family or the estate trustee chose.

If someone dies from a reportable disease

When people die from a reportable disease, the health professional who certifies their death must report this to the Chief Medical Officer of Ontario or the local public health office. Many diseases must be reported, including COVID-19, tuberculosis, hepatitis, mpox, and AIDS.

Getting a death certificate

When someone dies, you need a death certificate to do things like cancel their health card or driver's licence, and deal with their estate.

Funeral directors issue death certificates that an estate trustee can use to deal with the estate. These death certificates do not show the cause of death.

Some organizations need an official death certificate from the Province of Ontario. You get this by applying online, by mail, or in person.

Dealing with the estate

When a family member dies, someone will likely have to deal with their estate. This includes doing things like:

carrying out the wishes they put in their will
selling their house or ending their lease
closing bank accounts
stopping pensions and other benefits

They may have made a will that named an estate trustee, also called an executor.

If the person did not name an estate trustee, a family member has to apply to be the estate trustee.