‘Aging Membership, Aging Buildings:’ Some Legion Branches Struggle to Keep Doors Open

‘Aging Membership, Aging Buildings:’ Some Legion Branches Struggle to Keep Doors Open
Darlene Harrison, president of the Verdun legion, branch #004, poses at the room where the legion members now meet in Montreal, on Nov. 2, 2024. The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes
The Canadian Press
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The Royal Canadian Legion branch in Montreal’s Verdun borough meets once a week in a community centre space it rents by the hour, less than 500 metres from the elegant brick building it sold over a decade ago when maintenance costs got too high.

After years of rising rents, a forced move and general instability, its members are happy to have somewhere to meet. But president Darlene Harrison says one question keeps coming back: “When are we going to have our own home again?”