The Revelstoke Legion’s doors continued to be closed to the public on Wednesday.
In the evening of Monday, March 4, the Revelstoke Legion volunteers were informed by BC Yukon Legion Command that the Legion would be closed. On Wednesday, March 6, when the Revelstoke Review attempted to speak with BC/Yukon Legion director and zone commander, Peter McKenna, he declined to comment and locked the door.
McKenna advised the Review to speak with the BC Yukon Command central office. In a telephone interview, BC Yukon Legion president, Craig Thompson, said that the Legion has been working with the Revelstoke branch for “awhile.”
“We’ve been having difficulty doing that and we’ve had some push back at times,” said Thompson.
When questioned about the “push back,” Thompson said that they weren’t getting the cooperation that they would have liked.
“We were getting excuses about accounting and such,” said Thompson.
Thompson explained that the Revelstoke branch is currently being internally audited. Among other elements of the branch, the audit will examine liquor sales. Thompson said that most of the Legions operate under what is known as a ‘primary club license’ that is issued by the province, and that guests must be signed in by a current legion member.
The audit will examine whether or not the Revelstoke branch operates in compliance with these guidelines, as well as their gaming license and building permits.
When asked about the upcoming events planned at legion, Thompson did not have an idea as to the timeline of the audit, but said that the judo team will be able to continue practicing at the Legion, as they have an upcoming competition. Thompson also said that they will be looking at upcoming events on a case-by-case basis to determine whether or not they can be accommodated.
Revelstoke councillor, Tim Palmer took to Facebook to offer his take on the closure on March, 5. In his post, Palmer addressed the impact the closure of the Legion has on the community, and highlighted Revelstoke’s tax exemption to the Legion.
“The city for decades has provided the Legion with a tax exemption now exceeding $10,000 per year,” said Palmer in a Facebook post.
As the audit is only in its early stages, Thompson couldn’t indicate when it would be concluded and the Legion reopened. There will be a meeting on Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. at the Revelstoke Legion. The meeting will be open to everyone and will feature a presentation about the audit.
READ MORE: Legion lockout: Revelstoke Legion temporarily closed
