Conference Program

OACFP 100th Anniversary
October 1–3 Hamilton
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Centennial COMMITTEE CHAIR’s Welcome
Dear Colleagues:
On behalf of the Centennial Planning Committee, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the
centennial anniversary celebrations of the Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals
to be held from October 1–3, 2013 in Hamilton, Ontario.
To commemorate 100 years of service in the bereavement industry, we have planned many special
events in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting, Educational Symposium and Tradeshow.
The program will include opening ceremonies at the beautiful Hamilton Cemetery, birthplace of the
Association, welcoming remarks from the Mayor of Hamilton and other government representatives;
a Hamilton Police Honour Guard; Hamilton Police Band; display of vintage funeral vehicles, a tour of
Dundurn Castle, a celebration tea at the Coach House (on the grounds of Dundurn Castle) and much
more!
But that is only the beginning…
That same evening, the official launch of the tradeshow will take place at the Hamilton Convention
Centre – Old Hollywood Style! The following days feature a variety of outstanding speakers and
programs; an old-Hollywood-style red carpet reception, banquet and gala at the Sheraton Hamilton
Hotel; and closing ceremonies at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The 100th Anniversary
celebrations will surely be remembered for years to come!
This Centennial celebration will bring together cemetery, cremation, funeral professionals, and
industry suppliers to commemorate this significant and historic event. We urge you to be part of this
momentous celebration and join us for what we hope will be the best, well-attended OACFP event in
the history of this association.
On behalf of the Centennial Planning Committee, we encourage you to join us in Hamilton to
celebrate in the Preservation of Tradition to Guide Progress.
Sincerely,
Crystabelle B. Fobler
OACFP Centennial Committee Chair
Cover photos, left to right: Hamilton Cemetery Gatehouse (1854);
Old main gates at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa(1873); old hearse;
Butler Funeral Home (St. Catharines); cremation garden at Mount Pleasant
Cemetery (Toronto); Mausoleum at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery
(Hamilton); Bay Gardens Funeral Home (Burlington); Our Lady of Hope
Mausoleum located at Resurrection Cemetery in Ancaster.
Inside photo: Cemetery from the early 1900s
TAKE YOUR SEAT
THIS SPECIAL EVENT
IS ABOUT TO BEGIN
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
(subject to minor changes)
Monday September 30
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Exhibitors with large displays move in and set up
Tuesday October 1
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Exhibitor move in/set up
12:30
Depart Sheraton Hotel aboard Hamilton Transit trolley cars and double-decker buses
Transportation generously provided by Hamilton Transit
1:00
Opening Ceremonies at the Hamilton Cemetery, including the Stories in The Stones Tour
2:15
Celebrations continue at the Historic Dundurn Castle, including the Death and Dying Tour
4:00
Depart for Sheraton; hotel check in
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Opening of the Exhibit Hall Hollywood Style
Dinner and drinks in the Exhibit Hall
Wednesday October 2
7:30 – 8:30
Breakfast in exhibit hall
8:30 – 9:15
100th Annual General Meeting of the Members/Prayer Service
9:30 – 10:30
Opening Keynote – Building A Brand: Bruce Croxon’s Lavalife Revolutionized How People Connect
10:30 – 11:00
Break in exhibit hall
11:00 – 12:30
Joint Presentation: Commonwealth War Graves Commission/Veterans Affairs/Last Post Fund
12:30 – 2:00
Lunch in exhibit hall
2:00 – 4:00
ICCFA Mock Trial – “The Case of the Botched Cremation”
4:00 – 5:00
Open Tradeshow/Cash Bar
5:00 – 6:30 pm
Past Presidents Reception, MacNab Room, Sheraton Hamilton Hotel. By invitation only
5:30 – 6:30
Red Carpet Reception
6:30 – 100th Anniversary Gala – a celebration and evening you won’t want to miss
Entertainment by Lorraine Lawson and dance-band Motions Thursday October 3
8:00 – 9:00
Breakfast in exhibit hall
9:00 – 10:30
Staff Sergeant Cam Durham – Complex Logistics of State and Police Funerals
10:30 – 11:00
Room check out
Exhibitor tear down. Refer to Exhibit package for details.
11:00
Departure for Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum for Closing Ceremonies
Transportation provided by the City of Hamilton
11:30 – 12:30 Tour of Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
12:30 – 1:30
Lunch
1:30 – 2:30
Closing keynote – Rex Murphy
This concludes the 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Ontario Association of Cemetery and Funeral Professionals
A very special evening...
CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
RECEPTION & GALA
Hollywood style fun at the Sheraton Hotel.
The paparazzi will be in full force for this event!
Award presentations
Entertainment performed by
Lorraine Lawson and the dance-band Motions.
Dance the night away to top 40 hits
spanning the decades.
special
Opening Ceremonies ~ Tuesday October 1
Celebrations will commence at the beautiful Hamilton Cemetery, the birthplace of the Association. Featured highlights include
congratulatory wishes from the City’s Mayor and other government representatives; performances by the Hamilton Police Service
Honour Guard and Hamilton Police Pipes and Drums Band; Stories in The Stones Cemetery Tour, and tree planting
ceremony. Guests will then be transported across the way to one of Hamilton’s most-recognized landmarks,
Dundurn Castle, a National Historic Site and magnificent home of Sir Allan Napier MacNab, one of Canada’s
first premiers. Discover mid-19th-century Hamilton; beautiful picturesque landscape and stunning views of
Burlington Bay; the Castle was a showpiece for Sir Allan Napier MacNab.
Festivities include a Centennial Tea at Dundurn’s Coach House, castle tours, display of vintage funeral
vehicles and much more.
Attire: Business or business casual (no blue jeans or shorts); recommend comfortable shoes for walking the grounds.
Stories in The Stones Tour at Hamilton Cemetery
Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries are like museums, with their headstones serving as a record
of our culture and social history. Through an enduring stone, they reflect personal and national
sentiment; speak of love, pity, and patriotism; summarize lives of remarkable longevity and remind
us of lives lost through tragedy. Many of Hamilton’s colourful characters and history lie buried in
our cemeteries. The Stories in The Stones tells their fascinating stories through a guided tour at
Hamilton Cemetery. The Hamilton Cemetery is Canada’s first and oldest municipally owned and
operated cemetery, providing a lasting memorial, permanent tribute and a final resting place to
many loved ones.
The Stories in The Stones tour will guide you through history including the opportunity to use your
smart phone to learn more about the interactive guide markers.
Death and Dying Tour at Dundurn Castle
Elaborate mourning practices and rituals were developed during the Victorian period. The MacNab
family was not spared these experiences which are well documented through newspaper articles,
illustrations and journals when both Sir Allan MacNab and his wife Mary died at their family home. Other
events surrounding Dundurn include hangings for treason, death from cholera and the tragic Desjardins train
accident of 1857.
Join costumed historical interpreters for a special tour of the grounds and castle to uncover the truths
about these tragedies.
Photos, left to right: Hamilton Cemetery; Sheraton Hotel [Photo by Tourism Hamilton]; Hamilton Police Service Honour Guard; Dundurn Castle [Photo by Tourism Hamilton]; The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum; Hamilton Convention Centre; B-52 Mitchell
l events
Tradeshow Opening ~ Hollywood Night
Join us for a unique evening of fun at the Hamilton Convention Centre for the opening of the tradeshow. This spacious venue is
appointed with state-of-the-art meeting facilities that provide the very best in exhibition and convention services. Take a stroll
along the OACFP walk of fame, but be aware, the paparazzi will be following you! The excitement continues inside the
tradeshow where exhibitors have the option to decorate their booths Hollywood-style! Delegates will cast their votes
for the best dressed booths. This will be an evening to enjoy dinner, drinks and mingle with industry colleagues.
Attire: Business casual ~ Hollywood Glam (no blue jeans or shorts)
Annual General Meeting
The Town Crier will announce the opening of the 100th Annual General Meeting of the Members on
October 2nd at 8:30 AM. This will be your opportunity to be formally introduced to the members of
the Board and the many OACFP committees, who have worked tirelessly on your behalf.
Attire: Business or business casual (no blue jeans or shorts)
Centennial Anniversary Reception and Gala
The Hollywood fun continues for the centennial anniversary reception and gala at the Sheraton
Hotel. The photographers will be in full force for this event! Following the award presentations,
you will enjoy entertainment performed by Lorraine Lawson and the dance-band Motions.
Dance the night away to top 40 hits over the decades.
Attire: Business Dress – Hollywood Glam
Closing Ceremonies ~ The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
Closing ceremonies will take place at The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, a Canadian aviation
museum located at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport near Hamilton. The museum has
36 military jets, propeller-driven aircraft and helicopters on display. Here, guests will enjoy a tour of the
aviation museum, delight in a lunch,and hear a keynote address from Social Commentator, Editorialist, and
a distinct Canadian Voice, Rex Murphy. To conclude the 100th anniversary celebrations, guests will witness the
three lucky winners hop aboard the B-25 Mitchell for a flight. To be eligible for the draw, your registration must be
received during the early registration period. This is a sponsored event and is open to delegate registrations only.
Attire: Business or business casual (no blue jeans or shorts)
an
d
speaker profiles
Bruce Croxon
Jaime MacKinnon
DominIque Boulais
Don Ferfolia
Building A Brand: Bruce Croxon’s Lavalife Revolutionized How People Connect
Long before “social networking” became a buzzword, Bruce Croxon made his mark as a digital pioneer by co-founding Lavalife in
1987 and revolutionizing how people connect. Under his direction, he grew this early tech start-up into the marquee brand in online
dating with over two million users. In a variety of positions, including partner, chairman and CEO, Croxon helped lead the company’s
growth from four to 600 employees, and achieving revenue of just under $100 million. After its spectacular rise, he led the sale of the
company for a stunning $180 million dollars. As the newest investor on CBC Dragons’ Den, he is adding a broad range of businesses
and products to his portfolio that tap into his passion for digital media, health and marketing. In this opening keynote address Bruce
Croxon will show organizations the importance of redefining a brand through marketing. That no matter what the challenges are,
businesses can reinvent themselves and thrive.
ICCFA Mock Trial: “The Case of the Botched Cremation”
ICCFA’s Poul Lemasters (plaintiffs’ attorney) and Don Ferfolia (defense attorney) will bring their expertise in law and funeral service
to Ontario to present the mock trial, “The Case of the Botched Cremation.” The wrong body has been cremated and everyone involved
is a suspect: the cemetery, the funeral home, and the crematorium. Join us for a mock trial in which people from outside the profession
will sit as jurors to hear the case. Did the defendants have the proper procedures in place? Were proper procedures followed? What
went wrong, and how could this have been avoided?
You’ll hear the evidence on both sides and then you will find out what our panelists think – including the trial participants and the
jurors. Will the jury convict one or more of the companies involved? How much will they award the family for damages?
Participants from across the province have been chosen to participate as plaintiff, defendants representing the crematorium, cemetery
and funeral home.
Poul Lemasters (plaintiffs’ attorney) is principal at Lemasters Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a coach with the ICCFA
Cremation Coaching Center.
Don Ferfolia (defense attorney) is principal at Donald B. Ferfolia Jr. Ltd., Northfield, Ohio.
education seminars
Poul Lemasters
Emile Gallant
Staff Sergeant
Cam Durham
Rex Murphy
Joint Presentation: Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Veterans Affairs, Last
Post Fund
Mr. Dominique Boulais, Deputy Secretary-General, The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, will provide a brief history and
the mandate of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He will outline the responsibilities of the Commission’s Canadian
Agency within the Americas while emphasising its work in Ontario.
Ms. Jaime MacKinnon, National Client Service Manager at the Last Post Fund and Mr. Emile Gallant, Senior Program Advisor,
Veterans Affairs Canada, will explain the delivery of the Veterans Affairs Canada Funeral & Burial Program for eligible Canadian and
Allied Veterans. The Last Post Fund’s mission is to ensure that no eligible Veteran is denied a dignified funeral and burial, as well as a
military gravestone, due to insufficient funds at time of death.
Staff Sergeant Cam Durham: Complex Logistics of State and Police Funerals
Staff Sergeant Cam Durham is the Officer Commanding Chief ’s Ceremonial Unit with the Toronto Police Service. Cam has been
a member of the Toronto Police Service for over 29 years. He has worked in many different areas of the Service from Uniform
Patrol to Organized Crime and Intelligence including a six year secondment to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a senior
money laundering investigator. Since 2006 Cam has been the Officer Commanding the Chief ’s Ceremonial Unit for the Toronto
Police Service. In this role he has planned hundreds of ceremonial events including large funerals for line of duty deaths and notable
dignitaries. Staff Sergeant Durham will share with us his host of experience with the complex logistics of state and police funerals and
his unique perspective on all that goes into these very significant and high-profile events.
Rex Murphy: Social Commentator, Editorialist, and a Distinct Canadian Voice
The one and only Rex Murphy is a trusted face and voice across Canada on CBC TV and CBC Radio One, whose intellect and biting
humour strikes through the heart of our profound political and social issues. He is one of the faces of Canada, radiating intelligence
and trustworthiness. He is one of its voices, heard in a Newfoundland brogue coast to coast as moderator of Cross Country Checkup,
our only national, open-line program. Certainly, as a speaker, he’s quality. He’s profound. Oh, and entertainer Murphy can spin a funny yarn.
COMPANION PROGRAM
The Companion Program is a separate program for guests of exhibitors and delegates who are NOT participating in the main
conference. This year, registered delegates for the Companion Program are also invited to the Opening Ceremonies at Hamilton
Cemetery and Dundurn Castle.
The Artisan Tour ~ Pewter, Pottery & Glass Blowing ~ Wednesday October 2
The tour will depart from the Sheraton Hotel for St. George where you will discover a hidden gem in Robert Hall Originals
Pewter Studio. Robert Hall Originals is Ontario’s largest Pewter Studio and Rock Shop. The truly unique 2,600 square foot
showroom and studio combines Canadian made treasures with Mother Nature’s awesome beauty. Enjoy a tour of the workshop
and shopping. Next on the stop is Donn Zver’s Pottery Studio in Troy, Ontario. Donn has become one of this area’s best known
artists, and his credentials and experience is far reaching. While here, enjoy a lunch at Café Troy. The next stop will be Paull
Rodrigue Glass Blowing Studio. Paull is a skilled and talented glass blower, who has been sculpting molten glass for 15 years. His
signature style features fantastic swirls of glass bursting with colour and life. The last stop of the day will be on the trendy Locke
Street for some shopping.
It’s a Royal Time in the Gardens ~ Royal Botanical Gardens with Flower Arrangement
Workshop ~ Thursday October 3
Royal Botanical Gardens is the largest botanical garden in Canada, a National Historic Site, and registered charitable organization
with a mandate to bring together people, plants and nature. The first part of the day will include a flower arrangement workshop,
followed by lunch. After lunch you will go on a tour of the Rock Gardens at the RBG.
Photos, left to right: Hamilton Cemetery; Royal Botanical Gardens; Donn Zver’s Pottery Studio
GENERAL INFORMATION
Delegate Registration ~ Submission Required By September 20. No Exceptions.
Please fully complete the DELEGATE REGISTRATION form and submit it to OACFP no later than September 20, 2013. An
electronic (PDF) version of the form is available at www.oacfp.com (it can be completed and submitted electronically).
Hotel Accommodations ~ Sheraton Hamilton Hotel , 116 King Street West, Hamilton
The Sheraton Hamilton Hotel is conveniently located in the centre of Hamilton’s business district with direct access to the Hamilton
Convention Centre and steps away from Copps Coliseum home of the AHL Hamilton Bulldog Hockey Club.To book accommodations
visit the link: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/OntarioAssociationOfCemeteryAndFuneralProfessionals or call 800-514-7101
and quote room block “OACFP”. Guestroom prices: $144 per night for a traditional single room; $164 deluxe guestroom; $194 for
the club level rooms. Block of rooms will be held until September 1, 2013. After this date, any unreserved rooms will be released.
Hotel Directions/Map
Included in your Delegate package is a conference map. You can also download the map from www.oacfp.com
Hotel Parking
Self $9.99 per day; Valet $19.99. Please note that the parking garage has a height restriction of 6’1”.
Transportation
Transportation to the city venues is generously provided by the City of Hamilton. Hop aboard one of the vintage trolley cars or doubledecker buses to the opening ceremonies at Hamilton Cemetery and Dundurn Castle, and to the closing ceremonies at the Canadian
Warplane Heritage Museum.
Travel Information
http://www.tourismhamilton.com/visitor-services/getting-here-around
Cancellation Policy
Notice of a cancellation must be submitted to the OACFP office in writing by September 9, 2013. Written cancellations received on
or before September 9th will be issued a full refund. Cancellations received after this date and no-shows will not be given any refund.
Equivalent substitutions are permitted and must accompany notification to the OACFP office.
Registrations for tradeshow booths must be received and fully paid by August 16, 2013. No cancellations will be accepted or refunds
issued beyond this date. Equivalent substitutions for representatives are permitted and must accompany notification to the OACFP
office by September 1, 2013.
Dates To Remember
July 31, 2013
• Sponsorship deadline
August 16, 2013
• Exhibitor Registration Deadline
• Exhibitor logos and profiles due
August 16, 2013
• Early registration period ends; last day for eligibility to enter flight draw
• Registrations for tradeshow booths must be received and fully paid by this date
September 1, 2013
• Last day block of hotels rooms held. Unreserved rooms will be released
September 9, 2013
• Last day for cancellation to get full refund
• Final day to register to ensure your information appears on the attendee lists
September 20, 2013
• Last day to register
Questions? Please contact OACFP at: Phone: 1-888-558-3335; 905-383-6528 • Fax: 905-383-2771 • Email: info@oacfp.com
“Pride in his profession and aim for improvement will cause every official
to reach out for knowledge and we trust this Association will be the school
to furnish them”.
W. H. Foord
first President of the Association of Cemetery Officials in Canada
from his inaugural address, August 1913
Inaugural OACFP Board of Directors, 1913