BC Bereavement Helpline

Compassionate Listening * Navigation * Resources & Referrals * Support & Information

 Call: 604-738-9950 

Toll free: 1-877-779-2223

Or email: contact@bcbh.ca

We are open:

Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays: 9:00am - 5:00pm Pacific Time

Wednesdays & Fridays: 9:00am - 8:30pm Pacific Time

Saturdays: 9:00am - 1:00pm Pacific Time

Our provincial Helpline has assisted over 40,000 calls and emails since its inception in 1988 and continues to be the only free, grief-specific helpline via phone and email in Canada. When you contact the BC Bereavement Helpline, your call or email will be answered by a caring, compassionate volunteer who, through the BCBH Resource Directory, can access updated and accurate contact information for 300+ organizations that help those coping with grief and loss located in over 80 communities in BC.

Volunteers are also trained to provide compassionate listening, so if all you need is to talk to someone, the Helpline volunteers are there to listen. Your call is free, confidential, and anonymous, and will be treated with care in helping you find the most appropriate support for your specific type of loss.

Benefits of the Helpline 

• Bereaved callers and emailers receive support and confirmation that what they are experiencing is a natural response to the death of a loved one. 
• Trained volunteers can provide appropriate referrals to commmunity support programs that suit the needs of the service user based on type of loss, location and ability to pay.
• The Helpline "Record of Contacts" allows for the identification of trends and gaps in service for the bereaved which allows BCBH to prioritize and lead efforts in reducing barriers to access.
• The Helpline is a free service. 

Do you identify as Indigenous?

We are here to walk alongside you in your journey through grief, and so is the Kuu-Us Crisis Line. BCBH acknowledges the importance of lived experience as an aspect of grief support, and the KUU-US Crisis Line can help support you in engaging with culturally appropriate and informed grief practices.

The Provincial Grief Resource Directory

The BCBH Provincial Grief Resource Directory is the document that guides all Helpline volunteers in providing updated and accurate information for the bereaved. It contains detailed information, broken down by city/community, for over 300 grief and loss related organizations in British Columbia. BCBH is committed to updating this guide annually to ensure that all information is up-to-date and accurate for the bereaved or professionals. Information available on each organization includes the type of grief support (individual, group, phone support, etc.), for whom (families, children, men, women, traumatic loss etc.), location information and fee information (full fees, sliding scale, pay as you can or no fees).

The Resource Guide is a PDF document that is hyperlinked, cross-referenced under selected grief categories, and searchable for key words. It is available in electronic format for all BCBH members (included in the annual membership fee for Silver, Gold and Platinum level members. It is available for an additional fee for Bronze level members).

We wish to thank our funders for their support in the expansion of the BC Bereavement Helpline