If you're reading this in the room with them, or you've just stepped into the hallway because you needed a moment, take a breath. You have more time than it feels like.
Most people imagine that the second a loved one passes away at home, a clock starts ticking and everything has to happen at once. It doesn't. Whether you're in Ontario or Quebec, when a death is expected and unfolds at home, you can sit with your parent. You can call your sister first. You can wait until you've stopped shaking before you pick up the phone again.
This guide walks you through exactly who to call, what happens next, and what cremation pickup actually looks like when the team arrives at your door. We've written it for both Ontario and Quebec because the rules differ, and because at Cleo, we serve families across both provinces, 24/7, at (438) 817-1770.
The first 15 minutes: was this expected, or sudden?
Knowing what to do when someone dies at home starts with one question: was your loved one's death expected, or did it happen suddenly?
Expected death means there was a known illness, a palliative or hospice team involved, or a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order in place. The doctor or nurse knew this was coming.
Sudden or unexpected death is everything else, a heart attack with no warning, an accident, an unexplained collapse, or someone found unresponsive when no one knew they were sick.
The difference matters because it changes who you call first. In an expected death, you do not need to call 911. In a sudden death, you do.
If you're not sure which category you're in, that's okay. Call the person's family doctor or palliative team if you have one. If you don't, call 911 and let them help you sort it out.
Who to call when someone dies at home in Ontario
Ontario handles home deaths through a few different pathways depending on the situation.
If the death was expected
If your loved one was on a palliative care plan or had a DNR in place, many regions of Ontario use what's called the Expected Death in the Home (EDITH) protocol. The plain-language version: a nurse can come to the home, confirm the death, and the physician completes the death certificate within 24 hours, no police, no ambulance, no flashing lights in the driveway.
Here's what to do:
- Call the palliative nurse or hospice team at the number they gave you.
- Wait for them to come and pronounce the death.
- Once they confirm, you can call a cremation provider to arrange transportation.
Not every region of Ontario uses a single EDITH protocol, Toronto, for example, doesn't have one province-wide form. If you're not sure whether your area uses it, the palliative team will know. The principle is the same: an expected death at home with a medical team involved doesn't need 911.
If the death was sudden or unexpected
Call 911. Paramedics, and usually police, will come to the home. If your loved one is pronounced deceased, the officer will contact the on-call coroner. The coroner reviews every unexpected death in Ontario.
Until the coroner releases the body, you can't arrange transportation through a cremation provider. That release can take a few hours or, occasionally, a few days depending on the circumstances. You don't need to do anything during that window — the coroner's office contacts you directly when the release is ready.
What you'll need before cremation can happen
Ontario requires a burial permit before any cremation, regardless of where it takes place. Your cremation provider obtains this for you, along with the medical certificate of death. The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (thebao.ca) regulates this part of the process. You can read Ontario's official guidance on what to do when someone dies at ontario.ca/page/what-do-when-someone-dies.
Who to call when someone dies at home in Quebec
Quebec's process looks similar but with a few important differences, especially around timing.
If the death was expected
Call the family doctor, palliative nurse, or on-call physician. In Quebec, the doctor signs a constat de décès, the formal medical confirmation of death. In some palliative care arrangements, the physician can confirm the death remotely and send the constat directly to your chosen funeral or cremation home.
Once the constat is in motion, call your cremation provider. They'll come to the home for the transfer when you're ready. There's no legal time limit in Quebec for how long your loved one can stay at home after an expected death. Many families take an hour. Some take longer. Either is fine.
If the death was sudden or unexpected
Call 911. Emergency responders will come and confirm the death. In Quebec, the coroner is only involved if the death is violent, unexplained, or potentially related to negligence. You won't need to call them yourself, a doctor or police officer initiates that contact.
For most sudden home deaths where natural causes are clear, the coroner is not involved at all, and the process moves to the cremation provider once the medical certificate is signed.
The 48-hour rule
Quebec law requires 48 hours between the death and the cremation itself. That doesn't mean your loved one stays at home for two days, pickup usually happens the same day or the next morning, and the body is held in the provider's care during the waiting period. The 48-hour clock is about the cremation, not the transfer. If you're wondering what the cremation itself involves during that window, our guide to how long cremation takes and what to expect walks through the full process.
You can read Quebec's official guidance on death procedures at quebec.ca.
How long can your loved one stay at home?
This is one of the questions families ask quietly, almost apologetically, and the answer is usually longer than they expect.
In Quebec, after an expected death, there's no legal time limit. Some families want pickup within an hour. Others want to keep the room as it is overnight, especially if siblings are flying in to say goodbye.
In Ontario, the practical answer is similar, though the medical team will guide you. Once death has been pronounced and the certificate is on its way, the body can remain at home for a few hours without issue, long enough for family to arrive, for a quiet ritual, or simply for you to gather yourself before the transfer.
A few practical notes if you're choosing to wait:
- Keep the room cool. Lower the thermostat or open a window in winter.
- It's okay to sit with your loved one. Hold their hand. Talk to them. None of this is unusual.
- If your faith calls for a washing, prayer, or specific positioning before transfer, the cremation team can wait. Tell them when you call so they can plan around it.
There's no rushing this part. You can take the time you need.
What happens when the cremation team arrives for pickup
This is the part nobody describes, so families brace for something dramatic. It isn't.
How quickly pickup happens
In Greater Montreal and the Greater Toronto Area, a cremation provider can typically arrive within two to four hours of your call, day or night. If it's 3 a.m. and you've just confirmed the death with a nurse, you can call. Someone will answer.
Who comes and what they bring
Usually two transfer professionals arrive in an unmarked vehicle. They bring a clean stretcher, a respectful covering for the transfer, and the paperwork you'll sign at the door. They wear plain professional attire, not uniforms, not anything that announces to the neighbours what's happening.
How the transfer is handled
The team will ask where your loved one is and walk through the route from the bedroom to the door. They handle stairs, narrow hallways, and apartment elevators every week. If you're in a small condo or a fourth-floor walk-up, this isn't a problem they haven't solved before.
They'll move your loved one onto the stretcher with care, cover them, and carry them out. The whole transfer usually takes 15 to 30 minutes inside the home.
Should you be present?
That's entirely your choice. Some families want to be in the room, to say a final goodbye as their parent is moved. Others step into another room, or leave the apartment for a walk. Both are completely normal. Your team will quietly let you know when it's time, and they'll handle the moment in whichever way feels right to you.
What you'll sign
A short transfer-of-care document and an authorization for the provider to begin paperwork. That's it at the door. The bigger paperwork, declaration of death, burial permit, application for the death certificate, comes later, usually by phone or email, and your provider walks you through every step. Quebec families can read more about the legal side in our guide to cremation paperwork in Quebec.
Practical things to handle while you wait
While you wait, your mind will want something to do. Here are the things that actually matter right now — everything else can wait until next week:
- Gather one piece of ID for your loved one (health card, driver's licence, or passport).
- Find any pre-planning paperwork if it exists, written wishes, a pre-arrangement contract, a will.
- Take care of pets and kids in the house. Move dogs to a back room or another family member's care; explain to children in age-appropriate language that someone will come to take their grandparent to the funeral home. If you're not sure how to start that conversation, our guide on talking to children about death offers simple, age-appropriate language.
- Secure medications. Bag up any prescription medications, especially controlled substances, your provider can advise on safe disposal, and a pharmacy will take them back.
- Call one or two people, not the whole list. Pick a "point person" who can pass news on to extended family while you focus on what's in front of you.
If you've never done any of this before, that's the most common thing in the world. Most of our families haven't either. Our first-time funeral planning guide covers what comes next once the immediate hours are behind you.
Paperwork your provider handles for you
You don't need to navigate the bureaucracy alone. A cremation provider handles:
- Obtaining the medical certificate of death
- Applying for the burial permit (Ontario) or coordinating the constat de décès (Quebec)
- Filing the declaration of death with the province
- Ordering official copies of the death certificate
- Coordinating with the coroner if applicable
What you'll still need to do yourself, eventually: notify banks, the employer, Service Canada, insurance companies, and the executor of the estate. Those calls can wait until next week. They will not get worse for waiting a few days.
For a fuller view of the timeline, our complete timeline of what happens after someone dies in Quebec maps out the first month step by step.
How Cleo handles a home pickup
We know that figuring out what to do when someone dies at home can feel like the heaviest task of your life. We try to make that first call the easiest part of the week.
Cleo answers 24/7 across Ontario and Quebec. What we quote on the phone is what you pay — no add-ons at the door, no surprises on the final bill. Our transfer team is trained to handle home pickups discreetly: small spaces, walk-ups, late-night arrivals, families who want a moment of ritual before we move their loved one. We see these scenarios every week, and we treat each one the way we'd want our own family to be treated.
If you're calling from out of town and trying to coordinate a pickup at a parent's home from another province, our remote arrangement guide covers how the whole thing works by phone.
You can see what's included and current pricing for your province on our cremation service page.
When you're ready
There is no perfect order to do any of this in. You will not "do it wrong." The team that comes will be kind, the paperwork will get done, and the next few weeks will move at their own pace.
If your loved one has just passed away and you're not sure what to do when someone dies at home, you can call us at (438) 817-1770, anytime, day or night. We'll talk you through what comes next based on where you are and what's already happened. No pressure to decide anything on the call, just clear answers when you need them.