Winnipeg Family Advocates for Ban on Third-Party Obituary Sites

A Winnipeg family is calling for a ban on third-party obituary sites after a troubling experience involving inaccuracies and misrepresentations of a loved one’s memorial. Kathryn Van Ameyde, whose father, Dr. Ken Van Ameyde, passed away in October 2025, was dismayed to discover a posting on Echovita.com that misrepresented the heartfelt obituary she had crafted.

Kathryn put considerable effort into capturing her father’s essence in a concise tribute, describing him as “exceptionally committed to his work” and “an exacting but fair teacher.” She included personal anecdotes that brought a touch of humour, such as his haphazard DIY projects and his candid remarks about Winnipeg drivers. However, shortly after the obituary was published on Wojcik’s Funeral Home’s website, she received a call from her aunt, who had proofread the original text. “This isn’t what you wrote,” her aunt said, referring to a different obituary found on Echovita.

The posting on Echovita not only contained factual inaccuracies but also stripped away the personal touches that Kathryn had worked hard to include. “It was factually incorrect, but they stripped it of… the personality of it,” she expressed, adding that the situation made her “livid.” Kathryn quickly contacted Echovita, demanding the removal of the post, which the company complied with. She also reached out to the website’s hosts and Google to have it delisted from search results.

Echovita describes itself as an “archive of obituaries and public death notices,” compiling information from various funeral home websites. Their mission is to assist families in sharing news of a loved one’s passing without financial barriers. Each obituary on their site includes purchase options, such as lighting a virtual candle or planting trees in the name of the deceased. While family members are not notified when a posting is created, they can be alerted if someone makes a purchase in their loved one’s name.

Many families have expressed concerns similar to those of the Van Ameyde family. Laval Palendat, an office administrator at Wojcik’s Funeral Home, noted an increase in inquiries from families who find incorrect or incomplete obituaries on Echovita. “They all initially think the same thing,” she said. After explaining the situation, the funeral home provides families with guidance on how to request corrections or removals from Echovita. Palendat voiced her discontent with the way the site operates, stating, “If they’re out to just help people spread the word of somebody’s loved one, that’s different. But this seems like a business to me.”

Legal perspectives on the issue vary. Yuri Chumak, an intellectual property lawyer based in Toronto, explained that while Echovita is not breaking the law by reposting information like names and dates of death—since this information is public—the text of the obituaries is copyrighted and not public domain. “It would be up to a consumer to bring forward a case against them to make a change in that regard,” he stated. Chumak believes that the sales aspect of Echovita’s operations could pose a legal risk, especially if it creates ambiguity regarding whether families benefit from the listings.

Kathryn Van Ameyde is advocating for legislative change to prevent such practices. She has reached out to her Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Member of Parliament (MP), Doug Eyolfsen, launching a petition in the House of Commons to ban modifications to obituaries and to prohibit sales that are not explicitly mentioned in the original text. “It’s a morally bankrupt practice, what they’re doing right now,” she asserted. The petition is currently gathering signatures until February 26, 2025.

As this issue gains attention, the Van Ameyde family’s experience highlights a growing concern about the ethics of third-party obituary sites. The family’s push for change reflects a broader sentiment among those who seek to preserve the dignity and integrity of memorials for their loved ones.