Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network

Dying, Death
and other matters of the living
"Reclaiming Death as an Honoured part of Life" *
Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network
Based in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada
and serving the Cariboo-Chilcotin

* “Reclaiming Death as an Honoured part of life“ is a quote from
Judith McGill; Ontario Death Midwife and Death Educator.
Find REGULAR UPDATES on FACEBOOK
Virtual All Souls
Death Cafe
November 2nd, 6:30 - 8:30 pm PDT on Zoom
Here are a few comments from participants at our Death Cafés:

“Thank you for a wonderful evening of conversation. I really appreciated the connections and hearing the moving stories of others. We're in front of screens so much these days, it feels discombobulating, but last night I felt a deep heart-to-heart kinship. Much appreciation to Nicola and Angela for the invitation, and to all those who responded with a tender "yes!"

“I too appreciate the space Nicola and Angela hold for the Death Cafe. I'm without words, yet absolutely engaged.”

We’re looking forward to our All Souls Death Cafe
Register on FB Events
https://m.facebook.com/events/749575385592361
We invite you to come as you are, from wherever you are.
Come and talk about Death and leave feeling a little more alive.
Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network: What we're all about.
Dying, Death and Remembrance

Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network is based in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada. We are reaching out to connect with others who are interested in rekindling a culture that recognizes and responds to death and dying in natural and meaningful ways. "Reclaiming Death as an Honoured Part of Life." (Judith McGill)

Our focus is on increasing death literacy in the region and to help and encourage each other as we build a holistic community deathcaring network in the Cariboo, and throughout rural British Columbia.

CCDC Network now has Non Profit status in BC under the official name of Cariboo Community Deathcaring Association. Our first membership and fundraising drive is underway! Annual membership in the association is $10. Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated and will be used to continue our work in the community.
Please note that we are unable to issue tax receipts because we are not a Registered Charity. Once our Nonprofit is well established and we can show a strong base of support, we will look at applying for Charitable Status.

We are currently hosting Virtual and Community Death Cafes, and we successfully hosted a local Death Festival in partnership with the national Swan Song Festival on October 26th, 2019. Visit the Archive here. Join us at our next Virtual Death Cafe. Follow us on Facebook.
The 2020 Swan Song Festival is coming up on October 17th. We are offering a Burial Shroud Workshop on October 17th.

We provide access to information for individuals and families who want to be more proactive and hands-on with dying and death. We are reaching out to and working with local resource people and organizations involved in offering deathcaring services.
We are enthusiastically planning a series of Death Talks in 2020 and we are in the beginning stages of establishing a Natural Burial Sanctuary in the Cariboo.

Both founding members of the Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network are trained as End-of-Life Doulas.

Angela Gutzer studied with the Institute of Traditional Medicine. Angela is transitioning from her 12-year career as a Veterinarian to her passion for the holistic deathcaring of people and pets. Angela has a special interest in guiding families through the home funeral process.

Nicola Finch took her End-of-Life Doula training through Douglas College. She brings her online expertise, and her decades of involvement with deathcaring; personally and professionally. Nicola has a special interest in natural burial and death literacy through education.

Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network is part of a much larger movement of reclaiming deathcare and bringing the conversations about dying, death, and bereavement back home.
Some of the things we’re addressing locally are home funerals, legal issues & practices around end of life in BC, end of life planning (Advance Care Planning), End-of-life Choices, MAiD, a local Natural Burial Cemetery for people and pets, greener cremations, Coffin Clubs, building a stone barrow / pit house for ashes, dying at home, and home funerals.

We invite you to join the conversation. Drop us a note if you would like to be on our mailing list for news and upcoming events.
info@ccdcnetwork.com
Who we are
CoFounders of Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network
Small Business Owner and Death Doula; Nicola Finch
Veterinarian and Death Doula; Angela Gutzer

Nicola Finch
Nicola brings her leadership skills and online expertise to the Network along with decades of involvement with deathcaring personally and professionally. She has a particular interest in death literacy through education and Natural Burial. Nicola took her Death Doula training through Douglas College and is a member of End of Life Doula Association of Canada EOLDAC
Email
778-765-1552
Angela Gutzer
Angela is transitioning from her 11-year career as a veterinarian to pursue her passion for holistic deathcaring of people and pets. She currently works as a locum at various locations throughout BC. Angela has a particular interest in guiding families through the home funeral process. Angela completed ITM’s extensive Contemplative End of Life Care Program.
Email
250 267 4636
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CCDC Blog
Thoughts, musings, and ruminations on Dying, Death and Disposition
Reclaiming Death as an Honoured Part of Life
2020年6月21日
Written by Nicola Finch and originally published in the Summer 2020 issue of The Green Gazette. In many respects, our new reality feels like a return to an old way of being with a slower, gentler focus on family and community and on the world under our feet—the natural, physical world. We have...
Death came to the table and we heard its stories.
2019年11月21日 · Deathcaring · 2
by Nicola Finch I came to an understanding when I was quite young, that grief and loss were part of life. My mother grieved the death of her father. I knew into the depth of my being that her grief was a big part of who she was and that she had a magnificent capacity for love. My mom's dad;...
Fostering a deathcaring community that works together for the benefit of us all.
2019年11月13日 · Deathcaring
Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network is all about reaching out and making connections so that when we or someone we love is dying, we have an informed and compassionate community holding us. In today’s changing landscape of death and dying, everyone has an important role to play; individuals,...
More Posts
Keeping the conversation going.
Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network and Natural Burial in BC will continue to keep you up to date on the progress of establishing a Natural Burial Ground in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

We have identified that Green Burial options are a priority for many residents of Williams Lake and the Central Cariboo. Currently, there are just two disposition options available at the Williams Lake Municipal Cemetery. The cemetery offers cremation or a traditional casket burial with a mandatory fiberglass vault.

We've had word from Cindy Walters, Municipal Services Coordinator at the City of Williams Lake that “...our current cemetery location does not have room for expansion for natural burials at this time.”
The good news is ...
"...in the next 5 to 10 years (the City of Williams Lake) will be acquiring new land and the city is already discussing the new options that they can provide including a natural forested area for green burials.”

So... if you want a natural burial in the Williams Lake Municipal Cemetery please hold off on dying for 5 to 10 years. :)

And in the meantime, we are continuing to work toward creating a stand-alone woodland Natural Burial Ground in the Cariboo which will hopefully come to fruition in fewer than 5 years.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
https://www.cariboonaturalburialsanctuary.ca
It will be good to have options when Natural Burial is finally implemented in our local Cemetery, and when we have our community woodland burial ground up and running.

If you are interested in working with us or learning more please be in touch. Email info@cariboonaturalburialsanctuary.ca

OUR VISION for a Natural Burial Ground in the Central Cariboo
We have formed a nonprofit to fund-raise and organize the establishment of a natural burial ground in the Cariboo. Cariboo Community Natural Burial Association
A Woodland Burial Ground for people and pets
A building, a Gathering place
A Stone Barrow or Pit Barrow for the safekeeping of Ashes in Urns
A Secular and Sacred place to come together in community and to remember our beloved dead.
FEATURED RESOURCES for Fall 2020
Where to buy caskets and burial shrouds
in British Columbia, Canada
When someone we love dies, for the most part, we purchase our casket or coffin from the funeral home that is taking care of our beloved dead. But the times they are a-changing.
"Under BC’s cemetery and funeral services law, you have the right to supply your own casket for interment or cremation as long as it meets certain requirements (such as the ability to be closed, hold weight and be sufficiently sealed). Similarly, you also have the right to supply your own container to hold the cremated remains of your loved one."

Locally sourced, handcrafted caskets, coffins, DIY kits, trundles and burial shrouds are becoming available for sale direct to consumers.
This means we can plan ahead. We can purchase or make our own coffin or burial shroud. You can even use your coffin as a bookshelf or a coffee table until it’s required. It means families and individuals can purchase a burial casket, cremation container, or a shroud and trundle and have it at home to personalize to prepare for our own use or for an immediate need.

In British Columbia

Cedar Creek Caskets
"Cedar Creek Caskets is committed to producing a high-quality, culturally sensitive and environmentally responsible product that meets the needs of the Aboriginal community in British Columbia and beyond. Manufactured from sustainably sourced red cedar."

Evergreen Coffin Company
Coffins and Burial Shrouds
"Our coffins are made with a mix of sustainably grown BC pine. Our coffins are 100% bio-degradable, which means we use no metals or plastic, plywood, or toxic glues. We use only untreated Manilla hemp rope for the handles, a strong and natural option. We do not apply finishes to our coffins, leaving the wood the way nature made it, exquisite in its unique colour and grain qualities. Evergreen Coffin kits are flat packed for easy shipping and assembly. They are the economical and ecologically choice for a loved one, or as part of your own end of life preparations."

Evergreen By Diana
Burial Shrouds
"My Shrouds are handcrafted from 100% Natural Cotton using locally sourced materials. Our team has over 50 years of experience in manufacturing products used in funerals across North America."

Casket Plans
Do it yourself Casket Kits & Plans

CINDEA
DIY Burial Shrouds

KORU Cremation/Burial
In Vancouver & North Vancouver
"You can purchase items (urns, memorial jewelery, caskets) from KORU even if you are not one of their End of Life clients."
Let's keep talking
Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network

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Resource Site
Cariboo Death Resources
Death and Dying Resources for Williams Lake,
the Central Cariboo and BC Interior

Photo: Soda Creek Cemetery
RESOURCES for Advance Care Planning
Cariboo-Chilcotin, British Columbia
Information and Links
Because it's always too soon until it's too late.

www.advancecareplanning.ca Excellent national and provincial resources

Advance Care Plan to fill in and download From Dying with Dignity Canada

MY VOICE Advance Care Planning BC Workbook Online

www.bestendings.org A US site that offers an Advance Directive to fill in online and they will email it to you once completed. It is NOT Canadian but is a nice format for addressing some of those difficult questions that are universal.

Patient Pathways ~
Excellent Resources http://patientpathways.ca/plan-ahead/in-case-of-emergency/
The ICE form is one of the resources on their website.

MOST Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (to be completed with and signed by your health care provider) Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) encompass six designations that provide direction on Resuscitation Status (code status); Critical Care Interventions; and, Medical Interventions. The orders are determined by the Most Responsible Physician (MRP).
Another link for MOST information, from Island Health, BC.

NO CPR form
Capable patients may request that no cardiopulmonary resuscitation be started on their behalf. This should be done after discussions with their doctor or nurse practitioner. “No cardiopulmonary resuscitation” is defined as no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (no CPR) in the event of a respiratory and/or cardiac arrest.

Cariboo Community Deathcaring Network ACP Resource List
SOCIAL MEDIA
CCDC Network on Facebook and Instagram