Shannon Leson of Leson’s Funeral Home in Canora has been elected as the chair of the Funeral and Cremation Services Council of Saskatchewan. (FCSCS)
Born and raised in Canora, Leson has been licensed as a funeral director since 1993. In 2010, he and his wife Shawna became the official owners of Leson’s Funeral Home.
In 2012 he was elected as a council member for FCSCS. Leson said he was humbled and honoured when the group elected him as chair.
“The FCSCS is all about consumer protection. It is a regulatory body bound by the Funeral Services Act and bylaws, while ensuring consumer confidence when buying funeral and cremation services,” said Leson.
Leson said each funeral director in the province must be licensed. Continuing education is mandatory and a certain amount of credits have to be obtained each year to stay licensed.
Saskatchewan has created a reputation as one of the leaders in funeral service across Canada, and as the new chair of the FCSCS, Leson’s goal is to maintain and build upon that foundation. He said success in funeral service begins with personal values.
“It’s very demanding work, and you need to be able to give of yourself. You must have care and compassion for people as part of who you are. We’re essentially always on-call, 24/7, because death occurs anywhere, at any time.”
Leson said an important aspect of funeral service is staying current with the latest technology. Traditionally, the two main options for families to consider were burial and cremation. But in recent years Saskatchewan was the first province to legalize alkaline hydrolysis, which gives families a non flame-based option for disposition of the body.
One of Leson’s goals during his four-year term as chair of the FCSCS is to work toward creating uniform funeral standards across Canada. One area where he believes there is much work to do is in dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among funeral directors. He said one of the first steps is to talk about the problem.
“PTSD is widely recognized among professions such as police and firefighters, but it’s also a major problem among funeral directors. People sometimes take us for granted in that way, but giving compassion is very draining and emotions run high with families who have suffered a loss. Our families know they can lean on us. And in a small town like Canora, we often know the person who passed away, so there can be personal grief involved.”
As a funeral director with years of experience, Leson is a strong supporter of the funeral profession offering support services to funeral directors in dealing with PTSD.
Leson said it’s important for Canora business people like himself to be involved in the local community. He has served as a volunteer in the fire department in a number of capacities. He is a board member trustee for the Good Spirit School Division and a member of the Canora Golf and Country Club and the Canora Trakkers Snowmobile Club. Leson’s Funeral Home is a long-time sponsor of local activities such as school groups and sports teams.
As an escape from the daily grind of bereavement care, he likes to spend time with his family, including traveling when possible. Leson and his wife Shawna have four children; Skylar, 22; Saryn, 14; Shayna, 11 and Shiloh, 7.
