Who has the right to make funeral arrangements?
This is covered in Section 5(1) of the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act. The personal representative named in a Will has the first priority, followed by the deceased person’s spouse (includes legally married or a person who has lived in a marriage-live relationship, including a marriage-like relationship between persons of the same gender, with the deceased for a period of two years immediately preceding death). Next are adult children, adult grandchildren, parents, adult siblings, adult nieces and nephews, then other closest next-of- kin. Among persons of the same degree of kinship, priority begins with the eldest and descends by age.
