Financial crimes unit investigating funeral home

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This article was published 18/04/2018 (2199 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police say they are in the “preliminary stages” of a financial crimes unit investigation concerning a local funeral home in court-ordered receivership.

The province, meanwhile, says it has forwarded information on a second funeral home to law enforcement officials.

Without providing details, Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Rob Carver would only confirm Thursday police are looking into the Wheeler Funeral Home, Cemetery and Crematorium at 1800 Day St.

“There is an investigation — it is just underway. It is in the early preliminary stages,” Carver said. “I don’t believe the complaint was initiated by family members. I believe it was referred to us by the PUB (Public Utilities Board).”

Carver said no charges have been laid and he noted investigations into alleged financial crimes usually take much longer than with crimes of violence.

A spokeswoman for the Funeral Board of Manitoba said Thursday the province sent data to police about two funeral homes in recent months. The spokeswoman said the information was sent to police by the PUB, which used to oversee the Pre-arranged Funeral Services Act.

“When responsibility for the act transferred from the PUB to the Funeral Board of Manitoba in September 2017, we were advised that information about two licensees was referred to the Winnipeg Police Service,” she said.

“You may wish to connect with the WPS on whether this resulted in further investigation.”

The province would not identify the second funeral home.

Neither Chad Wheeler, who owned Wheeler Funeral Home before transferring it to his wife after he declared bankruptcy a few years ago (and who, according to the CBC, still conducts funerals elsewhere), nor his wife, Chantal, could be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Joel Lazer, managing partner of Lazer Grant LLP, which was recently appointed by the Court of Queen’s Bench to be the receiver in the Wheeler Funeral Home matter, confirmed about 300 people have pre-paid for funerals through the company.

Lazer said there is $900,000 being held in trust for prepaid funerals, and if anyone wants to check on their prepaid funeral arrangement — or to confirm the pre-purchased plot in a cemetery is still waiting for their loved one — they can reach him by email at lazergrant@lazergrant.ca.

When asked if $900,000 is enough to hold funerals for 300 people, Lazer replied: “I don’t know. I’m not familiar with what funerals cost. But if they put money into trust, when they die, that money is sent to pay for a funeral.”

The Funeral Board of Manitoba spokeswoman said Wheeler was last issued a licence under the Pre-arranged Funeral Services Act in April 2014, for the 2014-2015 licensing period.

Michael Gibbens, president of the Manitoba Funeral Service Association, the organization which represents many of Winnipeg’s and the province’s funeral homes, said it’s disappointing a funeral home is in trouble, but would not comment on the Wheeler situation itself.

“We have very little information,” Gibbens said, adding he is worried the police investigation may make the public uneasy about prepaid funerals.

“It paints all of us with a certain brush,” he said. “It does not look very well… But the vast majority of funeral directors — whether a member of our organization or not — are very good and very careful with the trust they are given.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca