Regina-based Paragon Funeral Services, also serving Moose Jaw, Weyburn and districts, is offering an alternative for people who want to keep the cost of funerals down, said Jim Hutchinson, one of the partners.

Without a chapel, no showroom and no very expensive traditional funeral vehicles on the premises, Paragon Funeral Services has lower overhead than other funeral homes. As a result, it offers lower-priced services, said Hutchinson, who also manages the business.

"We are making funerals more affordable by getting rid of some of the frills and extra charges that are not necessary,@ he said.

"This doesn't mean we're sacrificing dignity or quality."

Hutchinson is also planning to open a Moose Jaw office.

At Paragon Funeral Services, instead of visiting the funeral home, a deceased's family members can make the arrangements in the comfort of their own home. The thinking is people are most at ease in their own homes when discussing funeral arrangements, Hutchinson said.

Family members are able to select caskets and urns by looking at pictures and prices in a catalogue. For most people, the showroom is the most intimidating part of making funeral arrangements, he said..

The funeral home believes in supporting the churches in the communities it serves by using them for funerals and not competing with them, Hutchinson said.

We believe as well that, when in a funeral procession, families are more comfortable riding with friends or relatives.

While Paragon Funeral Services opened less than eight months ago, Hutchinson is no stranger to running a funeral home. The Moose Jaw-raised Hutchinson used to manage Broadfoot's Funeral Home in Moose Jaw (now known as Parkview Funeral Chapel), which he and his mother, Vera Broadfoot, once owned.

For further information on Paragon's prices and services call Regina (306) 359-7776 or Moose Jaw (306) 694-0770. 

Editorial note:

For further consumer information on different commonly-used funeral services ripoffs, check the Internet for Funerals and Ripoffs. Much of the information is American, but several of the same companies operate in Canada. A list of some of the most commonly- used tactics include:

1. Exorbitant high prices and markups

2. Misleading and using the media

3. Influencing and using the clergy and churches - misleading information, gifts, bribes (The clergy have the greatest potential to stop the ripoffs by warning their people.)

4. Legislative and community influence

• pressure politicians to keep hands off the funeral industry and grant professional status
• gain control of funeral services regulatory boards and agencies to favour morticians,

5. Don't pre-pay your funeral, is the advice of Money magazine and consumer groups

Information from Ont. Coalition for Social Justice.