Long running CBN funeral home to be run by a co-op

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Noel’s Funeral Homes has been operating as a family-owned business on the Avalon Peninsula since 1930, with locations in Carbonear, Harbour Grace, and Western Bay.
In 2021, the business was bought from proprietor Kenneth Noel by The Fédération des coopératives funéraires du Québec, and is on track to be returned to and run by the community as a co-op in just a few months.
The FCFQ was established in Quebec in 1987 to combat a trend of foreign companies buying up family-owned funeral homes in cases where there were no successors to the company, causing prices to skyrocket.
Now providing support to some 20 funeral co-ops across Quebec, it has also branched out to Ontario, New Brunswick, and now here in Newfoundland.
David Emond, a licensed funeral director, embalmer, and director of operations of the FCFQ, said the main goal of facilitating a co-op is to provide a service, rather than extracting profit from residents of the community.
“Every one of those funeral homes, they are owned by a local community and (FCFQ) is just there as a partner to assist and provide professional services,” Emond said.
The traditional way to start a member co-op business is to begin from scratch with a number of volunteers, but acquiring a previously established business like Noel’s allows things to run a little more smoothly, and quickly.
“Kenneth Noel wanted to make sure he was going to sell it to somebody that had the same philosophy who would take care of the community,” said Emond.
Kristen Murray, a project specialist with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-operatives, said the project is a historic one, and unique to the area. Her group was approached by the FCQC to make sure the province was being represented fairly during the funeral home’s conversion.
“It signals a huge need and opportunity when it comes to community owned services that would traditionally remain in the private sector,” Murray said. “We’re taking a funeral service and putting the ownership into the community where it will be serving.”
Murray said operations and directives in the business will be driven by the voice of the community, whether it be more affordable funeral services, or some modification on a preexisting service.
“Whatever the needs and desires are that come from the community will be the focus of the co-op,” she said.
Murray expects incorporation to take place in a month or so and full operations to start in about four months.