Thompson’s Funeral Home Ltd. was given a final opportunity to correct longstanding compliance failures after New Brunswick’s consumer regulator imposed strict conditions instead of immediately cancelling its licence for pre-arranged funeral services.
In Thompson’s Funeral Home Ltd., reasons issued June 1, 2026, Director of Consumer Affairs Alaina M. Nicholson explained the restrictions she had communicated on March 27. The decision concerned licensing under the Pre-arranged Funeral Services Act, not a general order closing the funeral home.
Commission staff had recommended cancellation because of recurring licensing lapses, deficient trust records and failures to meet regulatory commitments. Nicholson found a serious, systemic pattern of non-compliance, but also accepted that recent management changes and corrective steps made enhanced oversight a proportionate alternative.
Trust records at the centre of the case
Thompson’s had been licensed under the Act since 2010. Reviews over the following years repeatedly identified missing or incomplete trust-account reconciliations, unclear records, unaccounted contract forms, withdrawals before funeral services were provided and late or inaccurate filings.
The records mattered because staff said the business administered more than $1 million in consumer trust funds. Incomplete documentation prevented the regulator from reliably checking that contracts and funds were properly accounted for. The reasons did not quantify a loss to consumers or make a criminal conviction.
Provider and manager licences were not renewed on time in several years. After both expired in March 2024, Thompson’s was directed to stop activities under the Act until licensing was restored. It later completed promised corrective actions, but outside the deadlines in a formal undertaking.
By the March 18, 2026 hearing, the funeral home again lacked a licensed manager. A replacement funeral director had been hired, and its representative brought an application for a manager’s licence to the hearing.
New management’s response
Appearing for Thompson’s, Bernard Doucette acknowledged the deficiencies and apologized. He said he had become involved about a year earlier and had initially concentrated on stabilizing the business, dealing with creditors, repairs and tax matters.
He described staffing changes, new accounting assistance, improved record-keeping and meetings with the financial institution. He also said trust funds remained secure, that the business had stopped selling pre-arranged funeral plans and that it would cooperate with stronger oversight.
Nicholson accepted that engagement with regulatory obligations had improved. The cessation of pre-arranged sales reduced consumer risk, and she concluded that immediate cancellation was not required. But the record justified strict controls and only one final opportunity to demonstrate compliance.
Conditions on continuing under the Act
The licence conditions required monthly trust-account reconciliation, a continuously updated trust ledger, immediate reporting of any shortage with its explanation and corrective measures, and prompt notice of legal proceedings or judgments against the provider.
Thompson’s was also required to undertake additional measures, including a ledger of all outstanding pre-arranged contracts, staff training and regular financial reporting. The reasons recorded that the manager’s training had been completed on May 28 and that the 2024 and 2025 financial statements had been received on April 28.
The undertaking also restricted negotiating insurance-funded pre-need funeral contracts unless the funeral home obtained the necessary insurance licence or verified that a properly licensed life-insurance agent handled the paperwork.
The distinction was between preserving a regulated licence under heightened supervision and excusing the earlier failures. The restrictions were to remain until the director determined otherwise. The reasons provided a 30-day right of appeal.
