The body of an undocumented migrant from Brazil has been sitting at a Toronto hospital morgue since Saturday because his three teenaged children can’t afford to bury him.

Relatives of Rogerio Marques De Souza asked the city to give the man a proper burial through a special program that covers funeral costs for low-income families, but were told he’s not eligible. Instead, the city said it would dispose of De Souza’s body, but only if the family gave up control.

De Souza, who had lived illegally in Canada for 27 years, died of colon cancer Saturday in the palliative care unit at the Toronto Grace Health Centre downtown. He was 49.

“They said we must sign the release of the body to the city, so they can bury him in an unknown spot. And that’s the only way,” said an upset Barbara Steeves, the guardian of De Souza’s children, Joshua, 18, Lalena, 15, and Kyle, 14.

De Souza’s children believe the city is refusing to pay for a funeral through the special program because their father was an undocumented immigrant.

Instead of just having the city pick up and cremate De Souza’s body, his children are hoping to give their father a proper funeral and say farewell so they can have closure, added Steeves.

The funeral program is a discretionary benefit under the Ontario Works Act administered by the city, but the city’s own website says a deceased person does not have to have been in receipt of government assistance at the time of death to be eligible.

The incident has raised concerns among migrants’ advocates over Toronto’s commitment to being a “sanctuary city” and making municipal services accessible to residents without immigration status in Canada with the declaration passed by City Council last year.

“Mr. De Souza was sick and we don’t even know the quality of care he received and now that he’s dead, he can’t even be laid to rest,” said Syed Hussan of No One Is Illegal Toronto, a grassroots advocacy group, which has received reports of two other similar cases in the past.

“The family has to claim that their father is not theirs, they have to disown their own family member in death for Ontario or Toronto to fund their burial. This is utterly despicable, how can we deny dignified death simply on the basis of citizenship?”

Citing privacy concerns, a city spokesperson declined to comment on De Souza’s case, but told the Star the program cost taxpayers $7.25 million in 2012 and assisted 1,769 families in need.

De Souza came to Canada by himself from Brazil in 1987 and had since lived underground toiling in the city’s construction industry, working as a bricklayer. He met a Canadian woman and they had three children.

“He was a good father. He loved his kids. But because he’s illegal, he had limited rights and always lived in fear the whole time. He spent lots of time with his kids and cooked for them,” said family friend Jeanna Fernandes.

According to Fernandes, De Souza started to feel sick in 2011 but did not seek treatment because he did not have health insurance. Later, he became so sick that he was admitted to the Toronto General Hospital and treated at Princess Margaret Hospital.

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“He was in and out of hospital in the last two years. He was home for (this past) Christmas but was readmitted for a blood clot. His condition started to deteriorate really fast. He wasted away to 92 pounds,” said Fernandes.

“The kids just didn’t want to believe he was that sick. They just don’t want to deal with it.”

Steeves, who is on disability assistance after a heart attack last year, said the kids have lost their maternal grandfather, an aunt and uncle in the last three years and the family has no financial means to pay for the funeral.

“Even though Roger had been here illegally for 27 years, he supported himself and his children all these years and never asked for anything,” said Steeves. “This is not right. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. They just have no other way to let their father to rest.”

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Fernandes and Steeves have set up an online fundraising account through gofundme.com to collect donations for De Souza’s funeral. So far, they have raised only $240.

After being turned down by the city’s funeral service program earlier this week, the two also contacted Mayor Rob Ford’s office for help but to no avail.

In a terse email reply to the family, the mayor’s office said, “We cannot make accommodation for you during this difficult time in your family. . .I would suggest possibly contacting a local church and asking for some charitable assistance.”

Fernandes said she was disappointed with the city’s and the mayor’s response.

“The saddest thing is how much Roger loved Canada, and this is the country he called home and paid taxes for all these years, undocumented or not,” she said. “He’s kind of like a silent business partner, and to be treated with such indignity is inhumane.”

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