The Waterloo branch of the Royal Canadian Legion says they’re so heavily indebted, they have no choice but to sell their building.
Like many legions across the country, membership is dwindling at Branch 530 as older veterans pass away and new member interest wanes.
According to Bob Berg, vice-president of the local branch, membership has dropped from a high of more than 1,400 to just 600 today.
Faced with almost $30,000 of debt, the organization says their only solution is to put the Regina Street building up for sale.
“It has finally sunk home,” says Berg. “[We have to] downsize to something that’s affordable.”
The group expects to make anywhere from $1.5 million to $4 million for the three-story brick building.
But moving forward, they say the challenge of recruiting new members will remain.
The group points out that you do not have to be a veteran, nor affiliated with one, to join.
And they’re continually evolving: “Veterans Affairs is now on Twitter, and Canada Remembers is on Facebook and the legion is so close to getting onto those things so that we can share more information about ourselves,” notes Grant Hallas, a 6-year member.
He says there’s more than just the building at stake.
“A lot of the stories that you get to hear in a legion are often never the stories that are told in a history books.”
The legion says it plans to put up the “for sale” sign in the New Year.
