Darlene Harrison, president of the Verdun legion, Branch 004, poses in the room where the legion members now meet in Montreal.
Even as they fundraise for other community organizations, some legions across Canada are having trouble keeping their own lights on amid rising inflation and maintenance costs. The Royal Canadian Legion branch in Montreal's Verdun borough meets once a week in a community centre space it rents by the hour, less than 500 metres from the elegant brick building it sold over a decade ago when maintenance costs got too high.
"All of these things cost money, and until we can generate the funds to cover it, it's really not feasible at this point in time to try to rent a locale," she said in a recent phone interview. It's a matter of "aging membership and aging buildings," president Ken Box said. With only about 85 members, many of whom no longer live nearby, keeping the building just didn't make sense.
Against all odds, the legion has managed to pay off its debts and stabilize its finances — something president Wayne Boutilier credits to community support. He said the weekly dart league, businesses that donated goods for a draw, and former residents who continue to pay their dues from other provinces made it possible. More recently, the legion rented its building to the Nova Scotia government for seven weeks to use for the provincial election.
"Our main source of income is hall rentals, and we need to update our facilities to attract more rentals," Wyn Fournier wrote in an email. "However, we don't have the income to spend money on that. It's a nasty circle." "We're still having financial difficulties. We're still living paycheque to paycheque, so to speak," he said. He said the legion doesn't rule out having to sell its building one day, though he hopes it doesn't happen.Rules around legion fundraising are strict. The money raised by the annual poppy campaign, for example, is reserved exclusively for veterans, leaving legions to pay their bills from membership dues and fundraisers.
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