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Widows' bill shock: MOUNTIES RUN UP FUNERAL COSTS
Toronto Sun ^ | 11/12/04 | Mark Bonokowski

Posted on 11/12/2004 10:21:42 AM PST by Conservative Canuck

Only in Canada: The say the Mounties "Always get their man," but it's the widows who pay. This is a disgrace!

WIDOWS OF Mounties killed recently on duty in Alberta, including one shot dead during a standoff, have been stuck with hefty funeral bills by the national police force. Lesley Massey said the RCMP insisted on a full regimental funeral for her husband Dennis, a 33-year member who died in a traffic accident when a trailer came loose from a gas tanker and landed on his car.

Massey said the force told her it would handle all arrangements, which it did, and pay all the costs. But three days after her husband was buried in December 2002 she received a bill from the funeral company for almost $21,000.

She appealed the bill and met with RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli in Ottawa. She said he released about $4,200 to help pay the funeral costs.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: blind; cruel; grasping; insulting; meanness; shameful; stupidity
This is an absoulute OUTRAGE! For a peace officer's widow, especially one who's given his life in the line of duty, to be responsible for funeral costs is beyond contempt -- especially when the RCMP demanded the funeral! How do I get outta this place?
1 posted on 11/12/2004 10:21:42 AM PST by Conservative Canuck
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To: Conservative Canuck
Wow. Ottawa's tax receipts vs. its handouts to asylum-seekers and deadbeats must be at an all-time low.

Surely the RCMP deserves better.

2 posted on 11/12/2004 10:23:23 AM PST by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
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To: Conservative Canuck

i don't know man. doesn't everyone have to pay for their own funeral?


3 posted on 11/12/2004 10:23:45 AM PST by go star go
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To: Conservative Canuck

Here's the link to the full story...

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2004/11/12/710935.html


4 posted on 11/12/2004 10:24:02 AM PST by Conservative Canuck (The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness)
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To: go star go
"doesn't everyone have to pay for their own funeral? "

uh. usually the next of kin does...

5 posted on 11/12/2004 10:25:14 AM PST by camle (keep your mind open and somebody will fill it with something for you))
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To: Conservative Canuck

This is really crazy. I can't imagine why they wouldn't pay for his funeral.

Maybe we can trade you for a couple of American libs.


6 posted on 11/12/2004 10:25:29 AM PST by retrokitten (Hell yeah!)
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To: Conservative Canuck
Probably because our government full of sons-of-bitches cut the Mounties funding recently.

Yeah, that's smart, cut funds of the only federal agency protecting us from terrorism etc.

7 posted on 11/12/2004 10:25:57 AM PST by Ashamed Canadian
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To: go star go

Not when they're killed in the line of duty, and not when the Force asks for a funeral with full honours.


8 posted on 11/12/2004 10:27:26 AM PST by Conservative Canuck (The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness)
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To: go star go

Massey said the force told her it would handle all arrangements, which it did, and pay all the costs.

They sent a bill three days later? Pretty cold, when they insisted on handling the funeral.


9 posted on 11/12/2004 10:27:53 AM PST by AirForceMom (I have post-election elation syndrome)
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To: Conservative Canuck

Hey, the mounties need that money to fix the screen door on the Navy's submarine!


10 posted on 11/12/2004 10:31:39 AM PST by rabidralph (Your car's not as cool in person as it is on TV.)
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To: retrokitten

Oh, to dream!


11 posted on 11/12/2004 10:37:09 AM PST by Conservative Canuck (The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness)
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To: Conservative Canuck; Clive

Appalling.

Even for the Liberal deadwood running Ottawa.(incl. RCMP HQ!)


12 posted on 11/12/2004 10:37:17 AM PST by headsonpikes (Spirit of '76 bttt!)
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To: Conservative Canuck
The interesting aspect of this is the fact that all of the RCMP officers in question were stationed in Alberta.

Maybe the Feds are trying to stick it to Alberta.

Which is OK, because most Albertans will tell you that they don't want any Mounties around, anyway.

13 posted on 11/12/2004 10:43:39 AM PST by Alberta's Child (If whiskey was his mistress, his true love was the West . . .)
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To: go star go

"doesn't everyone have to pay for their own funeral?"

Yes, but they usually get to make the decision about how expensive it will be, that seems to be the problem here. That and the fact that they woman was told the RCMP would pay.

I rather think that in the cases of police, fire and military line of duty deaths the family does NOT pay for the funeral, but I could be wrong.


14 posted on 11/12/2004 10:45:14 AM PST by jocon307 (Maintain the mandate!)
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To: Alberta's Child
..because most Albertans will tell you that they don't want any Mounties around, anyway.

I like Alberta. It's almost Texas without the accent. And Albertans can read.

15 posted on 11/12/2004 10:56:31 AM PST by elbucko ( Feral Republican)
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To: Conservative Canuck

Well, the Mounties should help her out by paying the costs up to a certain amount--usually whatever a regular funeral service cost. However, if the widow wants to have a more elaborate funeral, why should the Mounties get stuck paying for that? I mean you can order a gold-lined casket or any number of fancy services, why should the Mounties pay for that? I do not think that they should.


16 posted on 11/12/2004 10:58:26 AM PST by rawhide
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To: rawhide

Fir enough, but it was the force which asked for a full regimental funeral. If they wanted that, they should pay for it. Besides, if an officer is killed in the line of duty, I think the LEAST the force can do is pay for the frikkin' funeral.


17 posted on 11/12/2004 11:01:52 AM PST by Conservative Canuck (The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness)
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To: go star go
...doesn't everyone have to pay for their own funeral?

I know I won't...I won't even be here.

FMCDH(BITS)

18 posted on 11/12/2004 11:04:20 AM PST by nothingnew (KERRY: "If at first you don't deceive, lie, lie again!")
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To: Conservative Canuck

I agree. She should not pay for anything that the Mounties wanted to do in the funeral.


19 posted on 11/12/2004 11:30:44 AM PST by rawhide
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