The Space between the words
sept 24, 2025 @ 1:00 PM
Category a - 1 cec

Summary of the session.

Honouring What’s Unsaid, Weaving What’s True, and Holding Grief with Grace

It’s a session created to support both seasoned and newer professionals in this ever-evolving landscape where grief is showing up in more complex, layered, and unexpected ways.

Rather than add more to your team’s already full plates, this workshop offers three gentle, intuitive tools they can fold right into how they already show up with families. The goal is to offer “ah-ha” moments sprinkled with empowerment through unique tools and affirming approaches that prove to make a profound difference. 

Presenter Kelly Meloche :
is an international keynote speaker, funeral celebrant, and creator of the World Class Celebrant™ coaching program. A graduate of The Speaker Lab, she is also certified through Hospice’s No One Dies Alone program.

Kelly is a proud published author of Leaving Your Light On… Inspirational Stories of Unforgettable Lives and serves couples as a licensed wedding officiant. Her background in media communications and tactical-communications training helps her teach clear, compassionate dialogue to funeral professionals.

Her success as a grassroots entrepreneur has been featured in the Toronto Star, National Post, Global’s 16 x 9, and the podcast Healthcare Elsewhere.

funeral professional peer support
october 15, 2025 @ 1:00 PM
Category B - 1 cec

Summary of the session:

Participants will be introduced the mission, values and aims of Funeral Professional Peer Support as helpful way of providing mental health support to those who work in the funeral services profession.  The presentation will cover the available services for any person working in the Funeral Services Profession, including other allied helping services that involve death care.  FPPS is a not for profit service aimed at increasing knowledge and mental health awareness among the funeral services profession.  We currently support FSP's in Canada, the USA and in Kenya.  For funeral home whose mental health or wellness programs are limited because of costs or lack of resources, FPPS can help provide another buffer against the stress and impact of death and grief labour.  Join two of our members of the Management Team and Board of Directors as they open a dialogue about peer support services and other initiatives FPPS is bringing to the members of the funeral services profession

Presenters: 
Andrea Grieg, FD, CFSP:  Nova Scotia Funeral Director, Embalmer and part time Instructor with Nova Scotia Community College, Kingstec Campus (Online Allied Health FSE Program), Management Team of FPPS, she is also host of the Death Talk Canada Podcast.  She works for Middleton Funeral Home, in Middleton, Nova Scotia

Dwight Thompson, MSW RSW RMFT-S, is a Registered Social Worker/Marriage and Family Therapist with Ottawa Psychotherapy Services, Ottawa, ON.  He works as a board member with FPPS.  Dwight was formerly licensed as a funeral director in Nova Scotia and Ontario.  He is the Director of Veterans Services, and manager of the Funeral Service Professional Mental Health Program through Ottawa Psychotherapy Services.  

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estate planning essentials for canadians: wills, poa's & Executors
october 29, 2025 @ 1:00 PM
Category a - 1 cec

Summary of the session:

A comprehensive guide to understanding the legal foundations of estate planning in Ontario and across Canada.

Presenters: Solus Trust & MacDougall Family Wealth Management
Riaan Botha, Senior Trust Advisor:  
With over two decades of expertise in legal, fiduciary, insurance, investment, and banking sectors, Riaan excels in addressing complex tax, estate planning, and fiduciary challenges, both domestically and internationally. He delivers sophisticated estate, incapacity, and trust planning solutions tailored to Ontario-based clients.
David MacDougall, CIM, Senior Portfolio Manager
As a member of the founding family of MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier (3Macs), David joined the firm in 1999 and brought with him a legacy of integrity and financial stewardship
Mark Reynolds, CFA, Partner & Portfolio Manager
Is a cross-border Investment Advisor and Portfolio Manager, licensed in both Canada and the United States, and holds the prestigious Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

navigating the Sale of Your funeral home
november 26, 2025 @ 1:00 PM
Category a - 1 cec

Summary of the session.

This presentation is designed to equip funeral professionals with the insights and tools needed for a smooth and successful transition, whether you're considering a sale now or planning for the future.

In this session, you will:

•    walk through each stage of the transaction—from the Letter of Intent to closing and post-sale considerations
•    provide practical insights on preparing for succession and address the key issues that may arise throughout the process
•    highlight key legal, regulatory, and tax issues that may arise during the sale process
•    provide insight into current market trends and what they mean for the future of your business

Presenter:
Jordan Morelli, Managing Partner and Head of the Funeral and Cremation Law Group at Linmac LLP,