X-Message-Number: 22669 Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2003 23:51:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Davis <> Subject: Status of cryonics legality in BC Friends, I moved to the Sunshine Coast of BC in August of 2001, and have been gradually getting used to my new surroundings. Nice place, good folks. Yesterday, on seeing Christine Gaspar's post, #22667: first tv interview [Christine Gaspar] I took a moment to check out the Cryonics Society of Canada website, and in the course of exploring, came upon a page entitled: THE ILLEGALITY OF CRYONICS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA [at: http://198.173.255.200/cryocdn/law57.html] (The first part of what follows appeared in the June 1991 issue of CRYONICS magazine.) The Cemetery and Funeral Services Act, Bill 42, ... Under ... "Arrangements Forbidden" is Part 5, Section 57: "No person shall offer for sale or sell any arrangement for the preservation or storage of human remains based on cryonics, irradiation or any other means of preservation or storage, by whatever name called, that is offered or sold on the expectation of the resuscitation of human remains at a future time." Now, I've been aware of this situation for some time, even read the above quoted part sometime back, perhaps on another website. This time however, there was something new. At the bottom of the page I find: 2002 UPDATE: A POSSIBLE "COMFORT LETTER" What follows I forward in it's entirety: In 2002, British Columbia something Olaf Henny wrote to the Solicitor General of BC concerning how Section 57 is to be applied. Olaf believes that the response he received can function as a "comfort letter" which could be shown to funeral directors, medical personnel and common carriers in BC who might be fearful of how the law is applied. The letter may well assure these service providers that they are not violating the law by providing service to cryonicists who have contracted with out-of-province cryonics organizations. The letter is as follows: September 4, 2002 Olaf Henny RR#2 315 - 7801 Spartan Drive Osoyoos BC V0H 1V0 Dear Mr. Henny: Your letter of July 13, 2002, to the Honourable Claude Richmond, regarding Section 57 of the Cemetery and Funeral Services Act and the sale of cryonics in British Columbia, has been forwarded to me for response. Section 57 of the Cemetery and Funerals Services Act is designed to prohibit funeral providers from offering for sale any cryonic arrangements on the expectation of resuscitation of the human remains at a future time. This section does not prohibit private cryonic businesses from operating, nor does it prevent consumers from accessing the services of these businesses. Should a consumer wish, that their remains be preserved using cryonics, a British Columbia funeral provider would not be restricted from performing related services such as preparation and transport, but cannot be involved with the sale of the cryonic arrangement. If you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Registrar of Cemetery and Funeral Services at: Registrar of Cemetery and funeral Services PO Box 9297 Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9J8 I appreciate you bringing your concerns to my attention. Sincerely yours, R.T. (Rich) Coleman Solicitor General cc: The Honourable Claude Richmond Tayt Winnitoy, Registrar, Cemetery and Funeral Services ------------------------------------ Almost certainly, this is old news and has long since been posted to the cryonet, yet, though I've been continuously subscribed to the cryonet, scan the list nearly daily, and have my "BC news" sensors on alert, I hadn't seen it. And in going back to the archives I cannot find it, at least not posted by Olaf. (No doubt someone will set me straight.) If you look at the earlier attempt (as described on the same web page) at addressing the BC cryonics illegality problem, and compare that result with what I can only describe as Olaf's success, you see what can be accomplished with skillful communications, artful interpretation, and diplomacy. ***THIS IS MY GUESS***, because the letter Olaf sent off is not included with the very favorable response he received from the Solicitor General of BC. But I am willing to stick my neck out this harmless little bit and makee this guess, because I have always found Olaf's messages to suggest that he is a reasonable and bright fellow, short on arrogance and 'long' on people skills. Olaf, if you read this, could you post a copy of that letter? I'm very interested to see how you achieved your result. It seems that the Solicitor General has arrived at the determination that the Cemetery and Funerals Services Act applies ***narrowly*** to funeral providers, and that consequently only "funeral providers" are constrained by the law. This implies a crucial and completely apt distinction between cryonics service providers and funeral service. This distinction is long in coming, and constitutes in my view the central element in Olaf's accomplishment and a major accomplishment in its own right. Something to be built upon. Again, major kudos, Olaf. Best, Jeff Davis "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Mahatma Gandhi __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22669