Who We Are

A non-profit, non-sectarian organization, incorporated under the Ontario Corporations Act, and managed by a board of volunteer trustees elected from the Society's membership at the annual meeting. The Society provides consumer information concerning funeral arrangements and options in its annual Newsletter. You may also want to check out the Society's Privacy Policy. Useful information on funeral arrangements and 'what to do when death occurs' may also be obtained from websites.

The Society was founded in 1958 as the Ottawa Memorial Society (OMS) by a group of concerned citizens who believed in simple inexpensive funerals. It changed its name to Funeral Information Society of Ottawa (FISO) in 2002 to reflect more accurately its purpose. FISO operates under a Constitution and is one of 12 societies belonging to the Federation of Ontario Memorial Societies (FOOMS). FOOMS provides a unified voice to speak to the provincial government on behalf of all funeral information societies.

Brief histories of Funeral Information Societies in general and the Funeral Information Society of Ottawa in particular have been recorded by Pearl Davies and Eric Finch, respectively.

More then 3000 individuals and families in Ottawa and district, coming from every walk of life and all age groups, belong to the society. A ten year membership in the Funeral Information Society is $25 for each adult and $35 per family. For this each member gets the following:

1. A list of current costs of basic and traditional funeral and removal services

2. A set of pre-arrangement forms on which to record final wishes. One copy of the forms is then filed with a cooperating funeral director

3. Planning guides, a wallet sized identification card, and an annual News Letter. There are no annual fees or dues.