Estate Planning

Cleanup in Aisle Two

By Hull & Hull LLP

Having recently posted a blog on bad neighbours, you can well imagine my shock when I rounded the corner this week and saw what appeared to be an OPP paddywagon parked in front of a house on a fairly white bread, middle class street in Nothing-Ever-Happens-Here-ville, Ontario. A white box van with blue and red stripes – you know the one. As I slowly passed the van, admittedly hoping to glean some fodder for juicy neighbourhood gossip, nothing prepared me for the words ‘CRIME SCENE CLEANERS' on the side of the vehicle.

Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners Inc., a division of Biohazard Canada, and a licensed member of the Canadian Association of Decontamination Specialists, operates in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. Their website states that they are ‘committed to helping people when tragedy strikes' and that their objective is ‘to restore safety to an environment in the most professional and discrete manner possible. This relieves family members or employees of the emotional and traumatic task of cleaning up after a suicide, homicide, decomposition, accidental death, etc.' For those of you reading this blog on your lunch hour, feel free to defer your perusal of the graphic photo gallery of various before and after crime scenes. Very Dexter, indeed.

The company, and their 34-year old president, Christian Cadieux, who has occasionally been referred to as ‘Death's Janitor', are getting wide and witty press coverage:

... 'And You Thought Your Job Stunk' – Toronto Sun
... 'Out, Damn Spot' – Eye Weekly
... 'Behold, The Grim Sweeper' - Toronto Star

Cost? In an interview with George Stromboulopoulos on The Hour, Mr. Cadieux mused that the cleanup of the accidental backseat head shot in Pulp Fiction would set one back about $4,000 to $5,000. Although I'm still trying to figure out how you would explain this kind of expense to your insurer….

Jennifer Hartman, Guest Blogger

Full post as published by Toronto Estate Law Blog on September 28, 2009 (boomark / email).