On Tuesday (June 1st) the Government announced the Royal Canadian Legion BC/Yukon Command will receive one point five million dollars so branches can continue to provide essential services to veterans and their families, and community services across the province.
Val MacGregor, President of the BC/Yukon Command of the Royal Canadian Legion, said they are very grateful to Premier Horgan and the Government for this infusion of funds.
“It was quite unexpected actually and very welcomed. It’s the lifeline our branches have been waiting for and hoping for. It’s what’s going to keep them sustainable over the next few months until they can get back helping their communities and re-open, we are very grateful for it.”
In a release, the BC/Yukon Command of the Royal Canadian Legion stated “Like many in the food and beverage industry, Royal Canadian Legion Branches in BC have been navigating this challenging economic crisis. The updated public order for Food and liquor Serving Premises released on April 21, 2021, directly affected Legions, but they did not receive access to the Government aid provided to the “industry” through the Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant because of their non-profit status.”
MacGregor explained how the $1.5 million will be distributed.
“There will be an application process and it’s going to be distributed based on need. So those that are in the highest level of urgency at the present time will get a little bit more than some of the others but it will be divided as evenly as we possibly can divide it across all of our branches.”
MacGregor added it will be available as early as next week as they are working on putting the application together, making it as simplistic as possible so branches can tell them what they need.