What is cremation, and what does BC require?

How cremation works, the rules that apply in British Columbia, and what your family receives afterwards.

Updated September 29, 2026

Cremation uses intense heat to reduce a body to bone fragments. BC law calls what remains "cremated remains". Most people call them ashes.

What BC requires

Permission and paperwork

The crematorium must have written authorization from the person with the legal right to decide. Our article Who can arrange a cremation in BC? explains who that is. The death must also be registered with BC's Vital Statistics Agency. The funeral director registers it and issues a disposition permit.

A 48-hour wait

Under the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act, a crematorium can't cremate within 48 hours of the time of death, unless a medical health officer orders it under the Public Health Act.

A suitable container

The body must be in a container that is strong enough to hold and move the person and prevents any health hazard. Under the regulation, it must be combustible and rigid, and it can't contain plastic, fibreglass, foam or styrofoam, rubber, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or zinc.

A casket isn't required. You can supply your own container if it meets these rules, and a funeral provider can't refuse it or charge a fee for handling it.

Pacemakers and other implants

Pacemakers, implanted defibrillators and similar battery-powered devices are normally removed before cremation. In the heat of the cremation chamber they can explode, which can injure staff and damage the equipment. Please tell your funeral provider about any implanted device. Metal implants such as hip replacements stay in place, and the metal is separated from the ashes afterwards. At Just Cremation, pacemaker removal is listed on our pricing page.

Is embalming required?

No. By law, every funeral contract in BC must include "a statement that embalming is not a legal requirement but may be required in some cases." Consumer Protection BC says embalming and viewing are "personal choices that are up to the family to make."

Instead of embalming, the funeral provider keeps the person in refrigeration. BC's rules require this as soon as practical, and within 24 hours of the person coming into the provider's care. Our Simple Cremation package doesn't include embalming.

How long it takes

The cremation itself takes up to about two hours for an adult, sometimes longer, depending mostly on the person's size. Because of the paperwork and the 48-hour wait, the ashes are usually ready several days after the death. At Just Cremation, every cremation takes place at our own licensed crematorium in Aldergrove.

What your family receives

After cremation, the bone fragments are cooled, any metal is removed, and the fragments are processed into fine particles, usually less than about 3 millimetres across. The ashes are generally white to grey. An adult's ashes weigh, on average, between about 1.8 and 2.7 kilograms (four and six pounds), though some weigh more or less, depending mostly on the person's height and build.

The ashes are returned in an urn or a temporary container. Our Simple Cremation includes a white cardboard urn, and you can choose another urn or supply your own. There are no legal requirements for what the container for ashes must look like.

For what you can do next, see Scattering ashes in BC.

If you have questions at any point, please get in touch.