The Quebec coroner’s office has initiated an inquiry following a viral video depicting a funeral transporter staff member mishandling a deceased body. The video captures a man on a second-floor balcony in Quebec City pulling a white body bag along the length of the balcony. The footage, shared on Facebook by Stéphane Dupont, a Quebec City radio host, ends as the man approaches the stairs.
Dupont revealed that a listener who witnessed the incident sent him the video, prompting him to share it to highlight the disturbing event. He expressed shock and described the act as “appalling,” emphasizing how he couldn’t bear the thought of his own parents being treated in such a manner.
Annie St-Pierre, the executive director of the Corporation des thanatologues du Québec, a body representing the province’s funeral sector, expressed dismay at the video, labeling the transport conditions as unacceptable and disrespectful to human dignity. St-Pierre emphasized the importance of adhering to proper body-moving protocols, which involve securing the body to a stretcher carried by two individuals.
Following the incident, the coroner’s office suspended the contract of the private funeral transporter employing the individual in the video. The office’s spokesperson, Jake Lamotta Granato, confirmed the suspension and stressed the importance of service quality and respect for the deceased and their families. The coroner’s office has a network of private carriers under service contracts, with strict obligations regarding service standards and family respect.
Acknowledging the swift response by the coroner’s office, St-Pierre highlighted ongoing challenges in the funeral industry, such as labor shortages and time pressures in handling deceased individuals. She underscored the difficulty of the funeral transporter role and pledged full cooperation with the coroner’s office and public security minister to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Quebec’s Public Security Minister, Ian Lafrenière, condemned the incident, expressing support for the coroner’s office actions and endorsing its investigative process.