Royal Canadian Legion / Topics & Posted Articles

Former B.C. Legion president says he was fired for suspending 8 in harassment case

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Tuesday, September 26, 2017 10:08PM EDT
Last Updated Wednesday, September 27, 2017 7:14AM EDT

A former president of the Royal Canadian Legion’s BC/Yukon Command says he was fired after he suspended eight people for allegedly harassing a female staff member on multiple occasions.

Glenn Hodge says he’s now worried he could be kicked out of the Legion altogether.

“I could get expelled from the Legion totally because I’m doing what I believe is right and standing up for the rights of our employees,” he told CTV News.


Glenn Hodge, former president of the Royal Canadian Legion’s BC/Yukon Command, talks to CTV News on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.

Sources say the female staff member allegedly faced derogatory remarks about her body and breasts and how she dressed.
The Legion hired an external human resources firm to investigate. Documents obtained by CTV News reveal the investigator found the allegations were “substantiated.”

In an internal memo on August 4, the Legion’s BC/Yukon Command stated the alleged harassment reflected “poorly on our organization as a whole” and put the Legion “at risk for litigation.”

Hodge ordered the eight members removed from their positions and suspended.

But Legion headquarters, known as Dominion Command in Ottawa, overturned Hodge’s decision to suspend one of the members, First Vice President Valerie MacGregor, and promoted her to president of BC/Yukon Command -- replacing Hodge. The reversal was announced by Dominion president David Flannigan.

Veterans’ advocate Sean Bruyea says he isn’t surprised.

“The Legion has long been acting like a bad bureaucracy in refusing to admit that there’s any wrongdoing in its ranks,” he said.

“They have been vehemently and aggressively stomping on people who are really just trying to hold up the Legion to a higher ethical and administrative standard,” Bruyea added.

Dominion Command said Tuesday night that "due to confidentiality reasons, we are not at liberty to discuss any matter that may be under investigation at the provincial level."

Hodge says he was just trying to do the right thing.

“Lead by example, in my opinion,” he said. “And if you don’t lead by example, the whole system breaks down.”

MacGregor resigned as president this weekend after CTV began investigating. She did not respond to a request for comment.
The matter is now under investigation by WorkSafe BC to determine if provincial regulations were breached.

With a report from CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson in Ottawa

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/former-b-c-legion-president-says-he-was-fired-for-suspending-8-in-harassment-case-1.3607821

Veterans Advocate? Entrepreneur? Landlord?

This is going to far. It's time for the Legion to pull it's people out of VAC. These people called Service Officers have access to the veteran database at VAC.

I can see it now a veteran runs up a tab at a Legion and they garnish their monthly payment.

My knife cuts cleanly through the pork schnitzel, and it’s not too greasy, resting in a splash of stout-based jus. The herb spätzle strikes the right balance between crispy and chewy, while the arugula-and-fennel salad’s natural spice is softened by a lemon vinaigrette. As the evening goes on, I trip through the range of local microbrews on offer, from the XPA to Red Rage to the lemon-berry helles.
The servers are young and black-clad. The décor is black and rustic browns, washed in sunlight on three sides by eight-metre, floor-to-ceiling windows. The light fixtures are those hipster Edison bulbs. I am at Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 264.
It’s likely the most audacious turnaround venture in a country full of legion branches fending off the triple scourge of dwindling memberhip, crumbling halls and slowly fading relevancy. Calgary’s six-decades-old No. 264 hall, a windowless sprawl of beige bricks with a sprawlier parking lot in the Kensington district, is fenced off, destined to become a developer’s condo tower. Next door, as part of a land swap meant to take the branch from struggling to self-sustaining, that developer built a new legion-owned building with a chic public restaurant (dubbed “1918 Tap & Table”), a member’s lounge above it and two top levels with 15,000 square feet of office space that the legion plans to lease for cash flow—a resource whose scarcity in recent years has forced branches throughout Canada to shutter.
“It was a three-stream approach for revenue, which makes the entire operation viable,” says branch treasurer Mark Barham. The v-word is one that in recent years too few legion leaders have been able to utter. Nor have they been able to predict, as Barham does, that those revenue streams may yield $1 million in net annual income—money the Calgary branch treasurer says could be reinvested into local community projects for veterans and others.

Barham, a retired Tim Hortons franchisee with a salesman’s flair says he was first brought into 264’s leadership as a trustee, tasked with turning it around or shutting it. He believes most fellow legions are also sitting on their survival strategy: the prime land, usually downtown, upon which their leaky and underutilized buildings sit. Unlocking that value, Barham says, is the path forward for Royal Canadian Legions.
The alternative is gradual decline. Korean War and Second World War veterans are now in their 80s and 90s, while Afghanistan veterans have returned to a social network their combat predecessors never had: Facebook. The legion started this century boasting nearly 500,000 members at 1,600 local branches nationally; it now has just 275,000 members and 1,407 branches. Some national and provincial leaders now actively encourage troubled branches to amalgamate with healthier ones, and sell their buildings. Other branches are finding smaller or more affordable spaces. A handful are pairing with developers to build halls on a tower’s ground floor, and condos or seniors apartments above, including Cobourg and Port Dalhousie in Ontario, as well as Port Moody, B.C., whose condo/legion project sits near a Skytrain hub.
Legions across the country, many in squat 1950s or ‘60s brick buildings with insides that have hardly changed, are deciding how to cope with their infrastructure problems, says Brad White, national executive director. “They say: Do we really need a great, big building like that, when we had a population of maybe 1,000 veterans or members before, but we’re now at 200 or 100?” he says.
Other branches call No. 264 every week for advice about land sales and development (some have had development plans or sales fall through, or get vetoed by legion members; the Calgary branch was on its third developer before things clicked). Many are surviving just fine and don’t need an asset liquidation, while others sit on less valuable land, in towns with weaker real estate markets–certainly not the $10 million in Calgary land value that No. 264 occupied. In the future, legion branch health may be divided among property haves and have-nots.
In the mountain town of Canmore, Alta., a proposed development would give the branch a facility that’s modern, more reasonably sized than its current 10,000 square feet, and some sales income. “They’ll have a legion, plus investments that should take care of them for the rest of their days,” says branch president Darrel Jones.
At No. 264, change is bringing new members with its new look and sleek public restaurant. The old crowd doesn’t show up there; but it doesn’t show up that much to the member’s lounge upstairs, either. Members didn’t bring over the pool table or shuffleboard from the old hall, and have basically the same design as the modern eatery downstairs–and the same bill of fare, with a burger twice the price it used to be, grilled spring salmon instead of fish and chips, and pea-and-barley risotto on the menu where the baked macaroni with beef used to be. The place is too new to reek of fried food, and it likely never will.
“It doesn’t feel like a legion to me at all,” says a former RCAF pilot in his 80s, who doesn’t want his name used. Many of his fellow veterans now drink at other branches. His Thursday evening beer mate, a legion youngster in his mid-60s, has long liked No. 264 as a quiet place to drink and hear literal war stories. His wife would never accompany him to the old hall, he says; but this newfangled legion, sure.
Bill Cox, Branch 264’s president, acknowledges he’s lost longtime members who prefer the traditional atmosphere. But not as many as he’s lost to old age.
“When you move from one town to another, you lose friends, lose memories,” he says. “But you move to a new one you get a chance to rebuild that, to make new ones.”

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/poppies-for-legions-the-real-moneys-in-real-estate/

Ken MacDonald: Branching out and beyon

Published on September 9, 2017

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Here is the Port Morien Legion Executive for 2017 at the swearing in ceremonies. Shown here from left to right, Jim Leadbeater, zone 2 sgt-at-arms; Ron Peach, Branch 55 sgt-at-arms; Jean Green, secretary; Myrna Murphy, treasurer and service officer; Francie Thomas, president; LeRoy Peach, chaplain; Isobel MacPhee, first vice president; John Green, second vice president and George DelleValle, zone 2 commander.

As a national organization, the Royal Canadian Legion has a long history in Canada.

Founded by a group of Canadian war veterans in Winnipeg in 1925, its members have advocated for the welfare of veterans and contributed to the quality of community life all across this country.

The Royal Canadian Legion in Port Morien dates back to September 27, 1937, when a group of 15 First World War veterans were granted a charter to form Branch 55. The first president was Thomas Wadden. For the first few years, the legion members met in private homes and in the old Masonic Hall. They sponsored fundraisers such as dances in the Orange Hall.



In the late 1940s, a group of Second World War veterans joined to bolster the membership. At about this time, there were discussions surrounding the possibility of having their own legion hall. In 1951, an unfinished home on the Birch Grove Road was purchased for $75, and hauled to the present site using one of the H. Hopkins trucks. Over the next few years, a basement was completed and additions were made. That included indoor plumbing, a luxury in 1951. The first legion building was affectionately called the “Blue Roof,” in reference to the distinctive colour of the roofing shingles.

Branch 55 had the only liquor license in the community, and the bar was the primary source of income to maintain the building. The bar was located in the basement and many of us of a certain age can recall its unique atmosphere. No one seemed to mind the smoky, poorly ventilated and often noisy room where some of the most colourful characters from our village gathered. The upstairs was redone as the “Oceanview Lounge” in the 1960s, but was primarily used for dances and official functions until the bar was moved there in the 1990s.

In the winter of 1971-72, Branch 55 embarked on a major expansion project, spearheaded by president Kenny Andrews. After the renovations were completed, there were a number of years of prosperity. Dances were very popular in the 1970s, and bands like the Country Playboys and Pat Moore and the Bachelor Boys sold out at the legion every Saturday night for years. However, over time, attendance at the dances declined at many local halls and challenging financial times were ahead.

As the revenue declined, the legion faced financial difficulties and even the possibility of closure at one point in the 1990s. With much support, it has recovered and continues as a vital part of our community today. The legion now offers a catering service as well as a monthly country market and weekly bingo that help to financially sustain the operation. Many who return home each year make it a point to visit the legion to renew old acquaintances. Citizens of Port Morien are indeed very fortunate to have a first class venue for public meetings, weddings, community events and gatherings.



One could not discuss the Port Morien Legion without the contribution of volunteers. In the early years, they were involved in the construction, maintenance and expansion of the new building, as well as bartending. The Ladies Auxiliary formed in 1946 and continued their faithful service to the legion and the community until the 1990s. Today, much of their work has been taken up by legion members and community supporters. Without them, there would be no legion.

To commemorate its 80th anniversary, Branch 55 is planning a celebration. The residents of Port Morien are invited to a community barbeque on September 23rd at 4:00 p.m. At that time, legion members and volunteers will be officially recognized for their invaluable contribution to the success of the organization.

The Port Morien Legion continues to be an organization that is the very heart of our small community. Its legacy of 80 years of dedication to veterans and community service is a proud one for the legion and all members of the community. It is indeed a milestone worth celebrating.

Note: Grateful acknowledgement for information for this column goes to LeRoy Peach, Sarah Nicholson and Laura Leigh Jones, editors of “They Shall Not Grow Old” published in 2006.

Ken MacDonald is a retired school teacher and administrator, and a community volunteer. His family can be traced back seven generations in Port Morien, where he has lived almost all his life. He can be reached at morienbay@gmail.com.

http://www.capebretonpost.com/opinion/columnists/2017/9/9/ken-macdonald--branching-out-and-beyond.html

Veterans' groups 'appalled' by website selling Remembrance products for apparent profit

Critics claim site gives false impression proceeds are going to veterans

By Sophia Harris, CBC News Posted: Aug 25, 2017

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Until its website was taken down, a group called Canada Veterans was selling 'Lest We Forget'-themed shirts that veterans' groups say is profiting off those who've served. (Canada Veterans)

Veterans advocates are outraged by an operation called Canada Veterans that they believe is exploiting both the country's military symbols and those who have served.

"I'm appalled," says war vet Michael Blais, of the similarly named organization Canadian Veterans Advocacy. "To think that [someone] would stoop so low to use national sacrifice as a venue to profit is disgusting."

Up until Thursday, Canada Veterans was selling via its website military memorial products such as a poppy brooch for $35.95 and "Lest We Forget" shirts ranging from $29.95 to $39.95.


This Canada Veterans ad for a Remembrance sweatshirt implies they are selling fast. (Canada Veterans)

The organization also has a Facebook page where it calls itself Services Veterans Canada. The page includes photos of soldiers and Remembrance Day services. The Royal Canadian Legion says this gives the impression that veterans are behind the business, when it has found no evidence to support this.

Instead, it believes the outfit is a for-profit operation that's duping customers into thinking they're supporting Canada's veterans.


This photo was posted on the Services Veterans Canada Facebook page along with other military and Remembrance Day photos. (Services Veterans Canada/Facebook)

"It's exploitive in the worst sense," says Peter Underhill, director of supply with the Royal Canadian Legion. "[The word] 'disgust' comes to mind that people would use veterans and Remembrance as a method to defraud Canadians. It's pretty awful, actually."

Underhill suspects Canada Veterans is either selling products for money or just stealing customers' cash — and perhaps even credit card information.

"We're not sure what they're doing, but it's offensive," he says.

Profiting off poppies


The original website sold this Remembrance pin for $29 more than the Royal Canadian Legion's price. (Royal Canadian Legion)

The Legion first heard alarm bells in mid-August when it received warnings from people about a suspicious-looking website advertised in their Facebook feeds.

According to screenshots provided by the Legion, both the operation's Facebook page and website used the Royal Canadian Legion's name and logo, and sold products including a ribbon poppy pin that looked identical to one offered by the Legion. The only difference was that the site sold it for $45.95 and the real Legion charges $16.95.

The Legion took issue not only with the fact that the site stole its identity but also that it was brazenly selling poppy products.

The Remembrance poppy symbol is a registered trademark of the Royal Canadian Legion, which sells poppy-themed items to raise money for veterans' services. Anyone else who wants to use the symbol must get permission.

Underhill said the Legion complained to both Facebook and Shopify, which provided the platform for the website, and that within a day, both the operation's Facebook page and website disappeared.

Soon after, however, a new Canada Veterans site and related Facebook page popped up.

The website no longer used Legion branding but instead a symbol that appears almost identical to Air Canada's logo: an encircled red maple leaf.


The Canada Veterans logo of an encircled red maple leaf appears very similar to Air Canada's logo. (Air Canada/Canada Veterans)

Underhill suspects the same operator is behind the new business because it offers some of the same products, including a scarf with poppy symbols for $21.95. The previous site, however, advertised it as a "red poppy scarf." The new version calls it a "red scarf flower."

"They're evolving their fraud," said Underhill. "It's almost like they're testing the waters to see what they can get away with."


The original website advertised a "red poppy scarf." The new site offers a "red scarf flower." (Canada Veterans)

The operation has also irked veterans' supporters like Wendy Station, of North Vancouver, who saw the website advertised in her Facebook feed and, at first glance, thought it was legitimate.

"It annoys me to no end," says Station, whose father served in the Second World War.

"They've got photographs of or our military, our soldiers on their website. If I saw a family member in that photo, I would just be sick about it."

Website taken down

CBC News reached out to Canada Veterans but did not immediately receive a response.

We also visited the Toronto address that the organization listed on its website: 4907 Dundas St., but could find no evidence of Canada Veterans or any related business at the location.


CBC News visited the address listed for Canada Veterans but found no sign of the organization. (CBC)

Underhill says the Legion is now considering legal action and complained again this week to both Facebook and Shopify about the new sites. CBC News also contacted both companies.

Facebook declined to comment. We didn't hear back from Shopify but discovered the day following our inquiry that the Canada Veterans website had disappeared. At last check, its Facebook page was still active.

To warn future customers, Station has been posting comments on the Services Veterans Canada Facebook page such as "DO NOT PURCHASE from these people … they are scammers!"

Most of her comments have been removed, but Station plans to keep posting warnings. "I'm a retired person, I've got time. I'll do it every morning," she said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-veterans-website-facebook-poppy-1.4260964

Warning!

 Bogus legion website engages in fraud


Thu Aug 24th, 2017

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The Royal Canadian Legion warns members of the public of a fraudulent website that is misrepresenting themselves as the Legion.

The website, displaying the Legion logo and VETS Canada logo, plus information from the Legion’s national website, features an online ‘Legion Shop’ which sells Poppy items protected under trademark.

Listed as www.legionca.com, this website was widely promoted using Facebook ads, even going so far as to create a bogus Facebook page to draw in supporters.

The website is operating illegally and deceiving people into thinking they are supporting the Legion and veterans through their purchases. Sites such as this may also be used to steal money and personal information with every transaction.

The Legion has reported the website and Facebook pages to the authorities and has taken steps to have the website, Facebook page and ads removed.

The Qualicum Beach Legion Branch 49 is encouraging anyone who purchased items through the website to contact their financial institution to ensure their credit card and personal information are secure.

Although their motivations are not known, the Legion is shocked and disgusted that its trademarks and goodwill have been used to mislead Canadians and to profit from their support for veterans.

https://www.pqbnews.com/opinion/bogus-legion-website-engages-in-fraud/

Financial assistance

The Royal Canadian Legion provides financial assistance to serving and former Canadian Armed Forces members, RCMP, and their families who are in financial distress. Grants are available for food, heating, clothing, prescription medication, medical appliances and equipment, essential home repairs and emergency shelter or assistance. Smaller comforts can also be provided to Veterans and surviving spouses who are hospitalized.

Assistance to a Veteran cannot be provided over an extended period but can be offered more than once.

Eligibility for assistance

Any Veteran or Veteran’s dependent in need of assistance is eligible to apply for financial aid from the Poppy Trust Fund, including:

• Any person who is serving or who has honourably served in the Canadian Armed Forces or the RCMP, as well as their dependents

• Merchant Navy personnel who have been awarded campaign stars or decorations, as well as their dependents

• Ex-service personnel of Commonwealth countries and their dependents who reside in Canada

• Ex-service personnel of allied countries and their dependents who reside in Canada

Application requirements

The application process includes:

• The completion of the Benevolent Fund Application

• Undergoing a financial means review

• Provide income as well as justification for claimed monthly expenses that are unusual or higher than average, if requested

• Additional information may be required, such as: specialized medical reports; supplier estimates, other possible sources of funding, etc.

Download the Benevolent Fund Application and submit to your local Legion Branch: http://www.legion.ca/docs/default-source/forms/benevolentassistanceform_e.pdf?sfvrsn=0 http://www.legion.ca/contact-us/find-a-branch

Additional details regarding financial processes and other funds are below.

Financial assistance available

The local Branch, the Provincial Commands and Dominion Command all consider applications for a Poppy Trust Fund Grant. The amount of financial assistance the local Branches can provide depends on the results of its Poppy campaign. There is a financial assistance limit of $500 for the Provincial Command and a $1,000 limit for the Dominion Command.

In normal circumstances, Veterans submit their applications for financial assistance to their local Branch. However, if the Veteran’s needs are significant, several funding partners could be required; or when the local Branch level has expended all of its Poppy Trust Funds, the application should be submitted to the Provincial Command and, if necessary, to Dominion Command with appropriate recommendations on required disbursements from various funds.

To speak with us about financial assistance, please contact your local Legion Branch Service Officer, or speak to a Command Service Officer: http://www.legion.ca/contact-us/find-a-branch http://www.legion.ca/support-for-veterans/contact-a-service-officer

Residency eligibility

There are no residency requirements for ex-members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Ex-service personnel of Allied or Commonwealth Forces must, however, reside in Canada to be eligible for assistance.

Approval process

Every application for a Poppy Trust Fund Grant is considered on the merits of the Veterans’ circumstances and demonstrated need. The problem giving rise to the Veterans’ need must be beyond the ability of the Veterans’ own resources, and it must be of a sufficiently serious nature to constitute a definite threat to the economic stability of the family.

A grant can only be given if the assistance, on its own or in conjunction with grants from other sources, will provide a complete and immediate solution to the situation, or contribute to a plan offering reasonable assurance of a long-term solution. The recommended solution must be the most basic and cost-effective remedy available.

Payment of grants

As a rule, trust fund grant payments are made by cheque, jointly payable to the Veteran and supplier.

Posthumous grants

If a Veteran dies after applying for financial assistance, but before a ruling is made and/or a grant is paid out, a grant cannot be awarded. However, if a surviving family member is still in need of financial assistance, they are encouraged to apply for a trust fund grant.

For additional information:
Toll-free: 1-877-534-4666
servicebureau@legion.ca

Allied benevolent funds

The Dominion Command acts as a liaison for several United Kingdom Benevolent Funds that exist to provide emergency financial assistance to allied Veterans residing in Canada. Contact Dominion Command Service Bureau for all allied benevolent requests:

Toll-free: 1-877-534-4666
servicebureau@legion.ca

Other benevolent funds

• The Royal Canadian Navy Benevolent Fund: Provides assistance to ex-servicemen and women who served in the Royal Canadian Navy, as well as former or serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have significant service in operational units of Maritime Command or the RCN including Army and Air Force personnel who used naval or sea element rank designations. http://rcnbf.ca/

• The Canadian Forces Support Our Troops (SOT) Program: Provides financial assistance to serving and former CF members and their families. Some of these programs include: https://www.cfmws.com/en/SupportOurTroops/Pages/default.aspx

• Military Families Fund: Provides emergency support to serving and former military families.

• The Soldier On Fund: Provides proactive support to seriously injured or ill serving and former CAF personnel by enabling them to pursue physical activity, recreation and sport.

• The Hospital Comforts Fund: Provides support to hospitalized CAF members with access to basic comforts of home such as newspapers, access to television and internet and commissary goods.

Poppy Trust Fund bursaries

As part of the Legion’s commitment to Veterans and their families, Legion Branches may grant bursaries through the Poppy Trust Fund to the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Veterans who need financial assistance to pursue a post-secondary education.
Learn more: http://www.legion.ca/communities-youth/youth-education/scholarships-and-bursaries

Contact the Legion for more information

If you require assistance in obtaining benefits or need additional information about Veterans Affairs Canada benefits and other benevolent fund programs, or for more information on the Legion's benevolent assistance, please contact the Legion Service Bureau:

Phone: 613-591-3335
Toll-free: 1-877-534-4666
servicebureau@legion.ca
Or contact a Command Service Officer in your area: http://www.legion.ca/support-for-veterans/contact-a-service-officer

http://www.legion.ca/support-for-veterans/financial-assistance?utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=Search&utm_campaign=advocacy-grant

The BC and Yukon command of the Legion is suggesting money from the Poppy fund should be used to help wildfire victims.

B.C. and Yukon command issues call to local branches/size

DAN FERGUSON Tue Jul 18th, 2017 1:50pm

A letter to all B.C. Legion branches from regional headquarters has urged them to direct some of the funds from their annual poppy campaign to help people displaced by wildfires.

In the call to “comrades”, Sandy Reiser, Executive Director of the BC/Yukon Command asked B.C. branches to contribute “whatever Poppy Funds they can afford as a Special Use Expenditure” under Legion regulations.

A branch would have to hold a general membership meeting to approve the move, the letter indicates.

The letter was posted online by Langley Legion Branch No. 21. The BC/Yukon command confirmed the request has been made.

Last year, individual Legion branches across the country donated tens of thousands of dollars in poppy funds to aid Fort McMurray wildfire relief efforts.

The Reiser letter also suggests Legion branches “might consider holding a fundraiser with the explicit goal of helping those displaced by the wildfires.”

The finance committee of the BC/Yukon Command has approved grants of $5,000 each for the Prince George and Kamloops Legion branches in order to aid them in their disaster relief efforts “specifically, the continued provision of food and other necessities” to people being relocated to the two communities” the letter said.

“We do not know how long this state of emergency will last, however, the Legion should be prepared to render assistance for at least several weeks,” Reiser said.

Money raised from the annual Poppy campaign leading up to Remembrance Day by over 1400 Legion branches provides financial assistance and support to veterans, including memebers of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP.

Red Cross campaign

The Red Cross is collecting donations to help those affected by the B.C. fires.

Contributions can be made directly to the organization’s website.

A $100-million provincial government fund to help residents and communities was to be distributed through the Red Cross the same way Alberta handled financial aid to evacuees during the Fort McMurray fire.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is asking people not to make donations directly to evacuation centres “until we can provide further information on what items are required by evacuees and where donations can be dropped off.”

Local efforts

Six volunteers from the Langley Emergency Program were volunteering at the reception centre for evacuees in Williams Lake until the fire became too close and they had to be evacuated themselves, Langley City fire chief Rory Thompson said.

Four Township of Langley firefighters and a chief commanding officer went north to help fight the fire at Williams Lake.

The crew and truck left last week.

A winner wants to share

A Kamloops lotto winner said he will donate a portion of his lotto winnings to wildfire evacuees.

The BC Lottery Corporation announced Jason Labby of Kamloops, who won $500,000 playing the Extra on the July 7, 2017 Lotto Max draw, intends to use a portion of his winnings to help.

Anyone who sees a wildfire can report it by calling 1-800-663-5555 or *5555.

https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/legion-poppy-funds-to-aid-wildfire-evacuees/

Legion's used medical equipment donation programs in jeopardy

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, , MAY 31, 2017

For 10 years, Royal Canadian Legion member Allan Fillmore has been taking in donations of used medical equipment and handing the pieces out to those in need.

Not a day goes by where someone — usually a veteran or a social assistance recipient — doesn’t ask for a walker, a wheelchair or a bathing assistance device, he said.

“I’ve delivered hospital beds to people in Toronto; I’ve delivered wheelchairs to people in Kingston, donated wheelchairs to the Wheelchair of Hope, which is an organization that runs out of Belleville,” said Fillmore, a member of Branch 43 in Oshawa. “I’ve never made a dime off this thing. I don’t charge a cent. Any of my expenses come out of my own pocket ... If people need stuff, I try and get it to them.”

The decades-old Legion program is in jeopardy — other branches have already shut their programs down over concerns that someone will sue them for faulty equipment.

The issue came up at a general membership meeting just last weekend, he said.

Pamela Sweeny, executive director Ontario Command for the Royal Canadian Legion, said they’ve been advising branches to close the program for several years, and a fresh e-mail was sent out in April warning of the potential for lawsuits.

The Ontario Command will not force a branch to give up the program, but does strongly point out the risk, she said.

“Our insurance provider basically has confirmed to us that there’s a liability issue with lending out wheelchairs and scooters that could be in disrepair if they haven’t been properly certified,” Sweeny said. “Unfortunately, we’re becoming a little bit like the States where people have become sue-happy with slips and falls ... so it’s a liability issue that we have with refurbished equipment coming from branches.”

Fillmore said he goes over every piece of donated equipment and trashes those in a poor state of repair.

The only complaints he gets are from a company that’s in the business of supplying new medical equipment, he said.

“As a matter of fact, I just got an award from the Legion for what I’ve been doing,” Fillmore said.

Organizations that help the poor come calling for devices like walkers that can cost $47 a month to rent, or carry a $125 deductible to obtain new through government programs, he said.

Lots of people just don’t have that kind of money, Fillmore said.

Sweeny said the Legion is still making sure that veterans and their families get access to medical devices.

“If somebody qualifies and they’re in financial distress, and it’s a veteran, a dependent of a veteran, a widow of a veteran, if the need is there, we will provide medical devices,” she said. “But they’re brand new so we know they are in working order and they actually end up getting the proper fit. This is all done with certified people. It’s not that we’re walking away from it.”

However, the Legion will not cover the cost of medical devices for the general public, she said.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/05/31/legions-used-medical-equipment-donation-programs-in-jeopardy

Whitewater Brewing Co. set to launch Legion Lager

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017


Cobden Branch 550 president Gene Phillion was honoured to be present at the first canning of Legion Lager at Whitewater Brewery in Cobden. Five per cent of the sales of Legion Lager will be donated to veterans programs across Canada. - Submitted

Whitewater Brewing Co. is toasting Canada’s veterans with their new Legion Lager.

“We are extremely proud to join forces with The Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command to produce a new co-branded craft beer — the only beer that helps raise awareness and funds for legion programs for veterans,” says Whitewater. “Legion Lager will become available in our Ontario branches in May, and will soon be rolling out to local LCBOs, Beer Stores and retail outlets.”

Plans are underway to expand nationally, as Legion Lager is one of only a handful of craft brewed lagers in Canada.

“We’re thrilled that Whitewater has partnered with the legion to support Canada’s veterans by donating five per cent of the brand’s sales to legion programs,” says Dominion Command president David Flannigan. “Those funds will help support programs to improve the lives of veterans and their families.”

Flannigan looks forward to seeing the branches — whose volunteers work so hard to generate revenue to run their local programs and services — embrace the new brand and the opportunities it will provide. “Being able to serve our own Legion Lager, in a can or on tap, at legion branches means we can offer our members and other patrons an added beverage choice when they stop in for a visit.”

Sales from those purchases, he points out, also support the branches and the important work they do.

Chris Thompson, one of Whitewater’s three owners/founders, is also pleased with this partnership. “We’re honoured to have been chosen to brew a brand exclusively for an organization that does so much to help veterans. It’s a cause that is close to our hearts,” he says.

https://www.insideottawavalley.com/news-story/7254626-whitewater-brewing-co-set-to-launch-legion-lager/

‘My grandfather and father would be enraged and truly disgusted by the province’s act of gross stupidity’

Tuesday, April 11, 2017 1:05:27 EDT PM



The following is in response to the story Hydro costs forced sale of local Legion: http://www.nugget.ca/2017/04/05/hydro-costs-forced-sale-of-local-legion----fedeli - Fedeli which appeared April 5.

To the editor:

I have never been so thoroughly galvanized to respond to a government's act of disrespect but to have an organization, like the North Bay Legion, forced to sell its building due to a government-operated utility's charge is an unthinkable event.
What makes it more unpalatable is that my grandfather, Andrew Manley Forrest Lindsay who fought in the First World War at Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele and Ypres (wounded twice), was one of the members of this North Bay branch.

My late father who served in the Second World War (RCNVR, RCN) also was a member of this branch.

It sickens me that your government is taking more from our veterans, these revered band of brothers. This is not right.

My grandfather and father would be enraged and truly disgusted by the province’s act of gross stupidity. I weep for these men and their generations, their sacrifices in this, one of the supposedly best countries in the world.

Shame on you Kathleen Wynne. It's not about economics, politics or even ethics. It's about doing what is simply right.
My son is serving in the Armed Forces now. Where will his generation's Legions be if they are not able to pay some utility bill?
I challenge you, Ms. Wynne, to reply (and by you I mean you and not some intern or office staffer).

Better yet, stand up for our veterans, be the leader you claim to be and find a solution that would let them keep their building.

Use your office to waive this utility charge or defer/subsidize it and allow this branch to stay functioning in its building.

I may not be a resident of Ontario but I am a Canadian citizen and you can still do the right thing.

Bruce Lindsay
Calgary AB

http://www.nugget.ca/2017/04/11/my-grandfather-and-father-would-be-enraged-and-truly-disgusted-by-the-provinces-act-of-gross-stupidity

Nav I've been to a lot of Stakeholder meetings and the biggest problem with the Legion is the 2 year term limit for Dominion Command President.

I've seen 4 and each one has their own "style" to advocating from way laid back and quiet to very vocal. But every two years the Legion takes up a different approach. No continuity.

So I suggest that when you get a good veteran as DomCom President leave him/her in that position for 4-5 years. That way that person can see his work get done instead of being abandoned by a laid back DomCom President.

Get that change in the Legion and maybe more vets will join and help make the Legion voice grow from a whisper to a stern voice that will make the GoC listen and do what needs to be done.

I'm just saying if they follow thru and really push the government for these new changes as stated in their statement then it's as probably as good as veterans will get in this country. Veterans need a strong , vocal but also very large organization that will stand up to the government. Who cares if civilians are allowed to be members , as long as they are pro veteran that should be a plus for all of us. I do believe the senior positions should be veteran dominating but the more pro veteran members the more the government will listen. The pa is dead , and maybe we should move on, it's easy for some of us because we get the pa but nobody in government, no party wants it back so the chances of it returning are nil.

Well Navrat they are starting to talk the talk now they have to walk the walk...that's what we are all waiting for.

Very good ideas from this most noble of advocacy representatives of veterans and their families!