Get rich with obituaries

Echovita uses public information disseminated by funeral homes to generate tens of thousands of obituaries per year which will be advantageously referenced in the Google search engine. The Quebec company derives the majority of its revenues – around US 5 million in 2020 according to the American media The Wired – not advertisements, but the sale of commemorative products.

Internet users who find out about the death of a loved one on the site are invited to have flowers delivered to the family, to finance the planting of memorial trees or to light a “virtual candle” in memory of the deceased. to be expensive.

All profits go into Echovita’s coffers, unless the family comes forward or creates an obituary on the site themselves. The company explains on its site that it then agrees to share 10% of the revenue.

” It’s a flight “

Suffering from cancer, Jimmy Jolicoeur’s father died on February 10 after requesting medical assistance in dying. A few days later, a death notice was published on the website of the funeral home mandated by the family, Groupe Garneau. Then a second, slightly edited review appeared on Echovita.

Communications advisor Jimmy Jolicoeur, who counts the Corporation of Thanatologists of Quebec among his clients, already knew Echovita well, the “black sheep” of the funeral industry.

“No one asked us for our authorization,” he complains.

Digital candles, which are intended to be purely symbolic, appear to be the most controversial offer. This is a “spiritual and religious way of honoring the memory of [nom du défunt] and to warmly express your sympathy,” the website states.

Virtual lighting costs $7.99 per month, $14.99 per year or even $24.99 for an “eternal candle”, touted as “pure for the environment” compared to the wax candle. Once it has been developed, this product also has the advantage of being virtually cost-free for the company.

“Twenty-five cents is too expensive when it’s worthless,” explains Mr. Jolicoeur. That the candle doesn’t cost that much, I don’t care, that’s the principle. This money could go elsewhere, like to one of the foundations targeted by my father. »

The late Patrice Jolicoeur had made the wish that the purchase of flowers would be replaced by a donation to the Cancer Research Society or to the Le Grenier food aid counter, in Lévis.

A robot with a heavy heart

The sales arguments – “supporting grieving family and friends” – and the wording of obituaries can lead one to believe that the “profits” and messages are given to loved ones closely affected by a death.

The algorithm that reformulates the publications often has “a heavy heart”, “a lot of sorrow” or even reminds us that it is “difficult to say goodbye to someone you love”.

“In order to make up for your absence, it is possible to express sincere condolences to the family and their loved ones. Leave a comforting thought, light a candle in his memory, or send a floral arrangement of your choice to the funeral service,” the site states.

“You have the impression that the money from the candles is going to go to the family or to a charity, but not everywhere,” criticizes Benoit Maillette, who saw his father’s death notice being taken up by Echovita in 2022 .

It was while carrying out a search to find out if the obituary for the Yves Légaré house had been posted online that Benoit Maillette came across an entry in the competing platform. “I said to myself: what is this matter? We inquired and saw that it was vultures coming to pick up the remains. It’s shocking. »

His sister, a lawyer, quickly sent a letter demanding the withdrawal of the notice, which was done after a few days.

We informed Mr. Maillette that the obituary of his mother, who died in October 2023, had also been reprinted and was still online on the site. “It doesn’t make sense, it’s really cheap. »

The vast majority of families will never know that “tributes” are the subject of transactions on Echovita. His slogan ? “Where loved ones are eternal. »

Last February, the Funeral and Cemeteries Authority of Ontario issued a warning to consumers about Echovita and similar companies.

In Quebec, the platform has been the subject of six complaints for “deceptive or unfair practice” to the Consumer Protection Office since 2020.

Its founder and main shareholder, entrepreneur Paco Leclerc, did not respond to our interview requests.

Thousands for little Rosalie

Memorials created in the name of different public figures also encourage the purchase of virtual candles, without the permission of the families. The disappearance of Thérèse (Maman) Dion, for example, made it possible to sell 300 virtual candles, which represents revenues between $2,400 and $7,500.

A page in tribute to Lise Payette, a leading figure in politics and feminism, hosted 68 symbolic lanterns at the time of publishing this report.

In both cases, family members confirmed to us that they were never informed of the process, let alone involved.

The platform even took advantage of the death of Rosalie Gagnon, a 2-year-old girl stabbed by her mother in 2018. “Let’s pay a final tribute to this child who left too soon by leaving messages of sympathy to loved ones,” including we read.

More than 650 people exchanged their credit card number for a candle: that’s six times more than the number of messages left under the real obituary on the Harmonia Memorable Services website. The family had, however, requested that “the expressions of sympathy result in a donation to the Center for Social Pediatrics of Quebec”.

From $6,000 to $18,000 was spent to illuminate the digital nothingness in memory of little Rosalie on the Echovita site.