British Columbia's government helps to pay families who can't afford funeral costs, but those who offer the services say the funding isn't enough and could mean the demise of rural operators.

The provincial program is meant to cover funeral costs where the estate has no resources, but the B.C. Funeral Association says funding has "remained stagnant" for almost 20 years.

It says funeral homes have been absorbing the costs that have grown to nearly double the available funding, which is forcing the industry to "heavily subsidize the program."

The group's executive director Bradd Tuck says many rural operations that see a disproportionate number of the support situations are closing, leaving those communities to find services elsewhere, sometimes hundreds of kilometres away.

The Ministry

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