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BC brother, sister accuse funeral home of picking up mom’s body without consent

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A brother and sister are taking a BC hospital and funeral home to court. They say the body of their 95-year-old mother was picked up by a funeral services company without their consent and later had to be tracked down by another firm.

James and Jacqueline Haliburton name St. Paul’s Hospital and its parent company Providence Health Care, as well First Memorial Funeral Services and its parent company Service Corp. International Canada in a notice of civil claim filed Feb. 20 in BC Supreme Court.

The siblings say that after the death of their mother, Holly Haliburton, on Feb. 17, 2013, the companies were negligent and broke the province’s consumer protection rules.

The Haliburtons say they have experienced emotional upset, psychological pain, suffering, sleep disruption, anxiety and prolonged grief.

The statement of claim says that almost two years after their mother’s death, the siblings have not received an explanation or apology from First Memorial for what it terms a “terrible end-of-life ordeal.”

Providence Health Care did not comment by publication, and Service Corp. International Canada declined comment.

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