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![\"JOHN](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4172228_web1_260428_dobson_cremated_remains_07.JPG\")
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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Phil Dobson says seeing his brother\u2019s current resting place offered him no comfort, as it\u2019s not what he would have wanted. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dobson, 64, who had schizophrenia, died of natural causes March 28, 2025. He had no children.<\/p>\n
Initially, the office of Manitoba\u2019s Public Guardian and Trustee, which was responsible for Dobson\u2019s affairs, had contacted his stepmother. She, in turn, directed them to Phil, because she wasn\u2019t a blood relative.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took my information and thanked me,\u201d Phil said. \u201cThey never said they were going to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phil said he didn\u2019t hear from the public trustee\u2019s office until September 2025, at which time his brother\u2019s remains were classified as unclaimed and had been interred.<\/p>\n
A report from the public trustee office noted Dobson had three living siblings \u2014 two brothers and a sister \u2014 but their identities were unknown and that, according to their stepmother, \u201cnone of them wished to be involved in planning a funeral service.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phil subsequently learned his brother had been cremated and his ashes were placed in a columbarium at the Glen Lawn cemetery. The $14,000 bill \u2014 approved by the chief medical examiner\u2019s office \u2014 was covered by Dobson\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n
In addition to not knowing about the funeral, the surviving family members would have preferred to have Dobson\u2019s ashes spread at a meaningful location, much like they did for his older brother and father.<\/p>\n
In retrospect, Phil acknowledges that he should have followed up with the public trustee\u2019s office as the months passed. But he was grieving and thought the bureaucratic process involving the trustee\u2019s office would be a lengthy one. He was confident he\u2019d be consulted before any final decisions were made.<\/p>\n
The hefty price tag covered by his late brother\u2019s estate is a concern, but there\u2019s a \u201cbigger picture\u201d at stake, he said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SUPPLIED<\/p>\n Phil Dobson, left, and his brother Robert Dobson, can be seen in this photo taken in the early 80s.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Knowing what happened to his family, Phil is calling for a review of the 237 other cases where a body went unclaimed last year.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many other people have they done this to?\u201d he said. \u201cThey are cutting corners because it\u2019s easier, and people like me are suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n A government spokesperson said in a statement the public trustee\u2019s office cannot comment on specific cases, but noted the chief medical examiner\u2019s office has the authority to arrange funerals for unclaimed bodies.<\/p>\n The miscommunication involving the Dobson family \u201cis extremely rare,\u201d said Dr. John Younes.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a problem was identified, regarding communication between the various agencies and this office, steps would be taken to improve it,\u201d Younes said, adding his office will look into the family\u2019s concerns, but he doesn\u2019t believe a wider review is required.<\/p>\n \u201cI have not heard of any major complaints or issues with the unclaimed body system.\u201d<\/p>\n He stressed the process involving unclaimed bodies is rigorous, closely monitored and that the efforts undertaken to locate next of kin are extensive. It\u2019s common for staff to go through a person\u2019s home searching for leads on contacts in their life, he said.<\/p>\n A minimum of 28 days will pass before an unclaimed body is buried. At that point, the office will request a funeral home to perform a \u201csmall and simple service.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe people that do take on this work are very serious about it and go to the utmost length to make sure that things are done appropriately,\u201d Younes said.<\/p>\n Despite the spike in cases last year, Younes doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s part of a longer trend.<\/p>\n The number of unclaimed bodies recorded thus far in 2026 suggests there will be fewer than last year, he said. As of April 21, there were 58, which would lead to a total of 192.<\/p>\n What happens to your body after you die in Manitoba?<\/p>\n Under Manitoba\u2019s Anatomy Act, there are essentially three outcomes that can occur after you die.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tClick to read more<\/p>\n Under Manitoba\u2019s Anatomy Act, there are essentially three outcomes that can occur after you die.<\/p>\n Your remains are claimed by your family members, who then become responsible for properly and legally dealing with the body. This means hiring a funeral home to help with a burial or cremation.<\/p>\n Your remains go unclaimed. If this is the case, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will do its best to track down next of kin, a process that can last up to a month. If no one claims the body, it then becomes the responsibility of the office, or its designates, to provide a proper burial.<\/p>\n Your remains go unclaimed but the body is needed for research. Under the act, an unclaimed body may be diverted to the University of Manitoba or another designated institution for the \u201cpurposes of anatomical or other scientific instruction or requirements.\u201d This is rare and happens only on request now.<\/p>\n The trafficking of dead bodies in any other capacity or form is strictly prohibited.<\/p>\n \u2014 Morgan Modjeski<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tClose<\/p>\n There are, however, factors that might contribute to an explanation for any increase.<\/p>\n \u201cCosts for funeral services have steadily risen, and that\u2019s a significant component in families deciding not to claim descendants, because they can\u2019t afford to, or choose not to, pay the money that would be required,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Phil is hopeful the review will provide some answers into how his brother\u2019s case slipped through the cracks. And he said the family would still like the opportunity to spread the ashes elsewhere.<\/p>\n However, Younes said his office needs to know more about the case before it can consider facilitating the request.<\/p>\n Melissa Iarusso, manager of corporate communications for Toronto-based Arbor Memorial \u2014 the company that operates Glen Lawn \u2014 said the funeral home cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy concerns.<\/p>\n However, Iarusso noted the funeral home\u2019s role is to carry out arrangements \u201cexactly as directed by the legally responsible government authority.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur involvement begins only after those determinations and instructions are made, and we do not independently assess or alter that status,\u201d she said in the statement.<\/p>\n \u201cIn all cases, including unclaimed decedents, our team is committed to providing respectful, compassionate care and ensuring the individual is treated with dignity, regardless of their personal circumstances or the complexity of the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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