Legion halls in Saskatchewan facing tough times

COVID-19 has painted a dreary picture when it comes to Royal Canadian Legion halls.

Closed since March, it’s estimated that 124 of the 1,381 branches across Canada are likely to close permanently, with another 357 facing serious financial hardship.

The way Legions operate, most aren’t eligible for any of the federal aid programs.

The executive director of the Legion’s Saskatchewan command, Chad Wagner, says it’s disappointing.

“Essentially we’ve fallen into this gap where we don’t belong in the norm,” said Wagner. “We have a call into the prime minister to see if he can do something about it.”

Often the backbone of many communities, the halls need that support, Wagner said.

“They’re the pillars of various communities,” he said. “They’re the place where people get married, have graduations and all these other things people don’t realize.”

Wagner said about 10 Legion halls in Saskatchewan are really struggling.

And if branches start to close, it could throw a major wrench into their poppy drives, which would mean less money for veterans.

“Without the branches, without the volunteer base, the poppy campaign doesn’t exist,” said Wagner. “Without the poppy campaign, it’s going to be a lot tougher to support these veterans and families.”

The Regina Legion has been facing its own problems due to the pandemic.

Jody Salway, the executive director of Legion Branch 001, said its support programs for veterans have taken a hit.

“We’ve seen a massive spike in veterans applying for financial relief,” he said. “It was heartbreaking, but we ended up having a few veterans end up on the street.

“It’s very expensive to get them off the street; that’s one of the lessons we did learn. Putting them up in hotels, giving them meals while we get the shelter sorted out can get very expensive quite fast.”

However, the Legion is currently working on a solution — what Salway calls a “veteran village.”

The Legion is looking for donations and stakeholders to finance the construction of 10 houses to be used for sheltering veterans. He estimates the cost of building the houses at around $2 million.

As for reopening the physical location, it’s on the way in steps.

“We reopened the lounge and we renovated it, and we gave it a new name,” Salway said. “It had been called Vimy for so long that I thought, ‘Let’s give it a coat of paint and put some different decor up.’ We renamed it the Lamplighter Lounge.”

However, the Dieppe Cafe restaurant and museum are still closed and will remain that way until it’s financially viable for them to reopen.