Come November, there will be no Langley-legion poppy sales in Langley and no legion-organized Remembrance Day services at Douglas Park.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 21 in Langley has been told to close up for good come the end of May.
“For us in the City, we’d like to see them continue,” said Langley City Mayor Ted Schaffer.
He said he’s not privy to the behind-the-scenes operations but knows the branch has struggled.
The Langley branch is now under trusteeship through B.C./Yukon Command which itself is under trusteeship from Dominion Command, the national organization.
Wilma McEwan ran the Branch 21 poppy campaign since 2000, fashioning it into one of Canada’s top legion poppy fundraisers.
“We distribute about 120,000 poppies each year,” she noted.
Branch 21 also supplied Remembrance Day materials to the community organized events such as the service in Fort Langley, and to schools.
“I don’t know what happens next year with the poppy sales,” McEwan said.
She’s angry that command didn’t do more to help the branch survive. McEwan said command said it was trying to get the branch its food and beverage licensing through Fraser Health for its new site and that the branch was planning events.
One of her last duties was to deliver a cheque for $20,750 to the Langley Care Foundation (which supports the lodge) for the purchase of two ergonomic bathing chairs and five specialty scopes. It’s poppy fund money and can only be used to support veterans, such as the several living at Langley Lodge.
“Without the legion, we simply wouldn’t be able to get those,” said Lodge executive director Debra Hauptman. “It’s been really, really important.”
Since 2004, Branch 21 has given Langley Lodge $129,000.
“It’s bought a lot of equipment and it’s done a lot of good for people here [at the lodge],” said Patrick Matiowski, the director of fundraising with the Langley Care Foundation.
The branch’s ladies auxiliary, which folded in 2017, had donated another $5,000 to the lodge.
“We’re not the only organization that will notice the difference,” he said of the branch closure.
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• Former legion building torn down
The loss of the local legion comes after struggles in recent years. The branch was not able to bring in enough revenue to cover operations. Poppy funds cannot go for such costs.
Its Eastleigh Crescent legion building was sold in 2010.
The branch purchased a two storey building at 20570 56th Ave. but sold it in 2013. The decision to sell the building and take on the lease came from the Branch’s Management Committee and the Royal Canadian Legion’s BC/Yukon Command, in consultation with trustees who were appointed to help Branch 21 recover from its economic challenges.
After 20570 56th Ave. was sold, command had the branch enter a 10-year lease for the building which still must be paid despite the branch moving out.
McEwan is critical of Command for making Branch 21 go into spaces that could not be used to bring in revenue.
The branch next moved to 20681 56th Ave. in 2015, around which time the membership was about 300. It was a service branch, meaning no lounge, but it was open to provide services to veterans, and programs for the community such as scholarships.
The last site for Branch 21 was 20604 Logan Ave., where it moved last year.
Branch 21, which was formed in 1927, currently had about 100 paid members but the work was done by a handful of members, all in their 70s and 80s.
There remains about $60,000 in the poppy fund, McEwan said.
Dave Whittier, of B.C./Yukon Command, said the trustees will work with the branch to determine where that money goes. Branch assets such as table, chairs and kitchenwares are expected to be sold to help pay what the branch owes.
“This is an outcome that nobody wants,” he said of the closure.
The biggest factor was not being able to cover costs. Another was dwindling membership, something that many organizations and service clubs are facing, he said.
“We’ve got an aging population,” he noted.
The options for the local branch poppy funds include distributing the remaining charity funds locally or turning them over to a neighbouring branch, such as Cloverdale or Aldergrove, with the caveat that they be used in Langley.
The services provided by the branch will still be available at other branches or through Command, he noted.
“It is our intent to make sure that whatever happens, we still offer the poppies in the community,” Whittier added.
He said no other branches are expected to close.
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• Langley legion 2017 Remembrance Day services
The implications of the branch closure will be felt throughout the community. Langley Legion programs have included Veterans Transition Program, certified service dogs for PTSD, BCIT Legion Military Skills Conversion, support for George Derby Residential Care Centre and Langley Lodge, and school bursaries and athletics.
The branch had its school poster and literary contests, running for 50 years to help students understand Remembrance.
“We have three cadet corps that help us with poppy sales,” McEwan noted. “This year we donated $1,500 to each of them.”
