Legion members from Prince Albert and further afield met with Minister Alana Ross and MLA Kevin Kasun in Prince Albert and discussed the grant funding that helps Legions make physical repairs to buildings. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

By Susan McNeil

Royal Canadian Legion

Grants are crucial to Legion future as organization nears century mark

May 23, 2025 | 6:00 PM

It has been almost 100 years since Prince Albert’s Royal Canadian Legion was chartered, and while the building it occupies is not that old, it has housed veterans and their supporters for decades.

Like all buildings, it requires maintenance and upgrades to stay usable, something that is being helped along by provincial government grants, such as $30,000 in 2024-25.

Prince Albert Carlton MLA and Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, Alana Ross, spoke at the local branch on Friday as the annual facility grant intake for next year began.

“The Legions are so important because we owe who we are today to our veterans. I mean, we had a lot of veterans who gave up their lives to make Canada the free and wonderful place that it is to live today, and the legions are here to help support veterans, the families of veterans and also to support communities,” Ross said.

In many smaller communities, the Legion is a crucial social gathering place for members.

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“They become hubs in many of our communities, and it is very, very, important that we maintain that in our province,” said Ross.

“Look at Frenchman’s Butte. That is the meeting place. There isn’t a store. There isn’t a restaurant, but everybody meets at the Legion. Their building almost looks brand new now.”

The Prince Albert Legion #2 used its $30,000 to help replace their leaky roof, which was so bad that a member used to come down every time it rained and stay overnight in the basement to empty the buckets under the leaks.

Along with the roof and some exterior work, provincial grant money has allowed the Legion to redo its bathrooms. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

Because the grant program started in 2019, the Legion has also repaired some sidewalks, renovated their upstairs bathrooms, upgraded their HVAC and replaced two windows.

They also painted the exterior, installed outdoor lighting and upgraded their parking lot. Next, they have their eyes on redoing the kitchen, which will help them with the weekly suppers they host and when the building is rented by other groups.

Legion members from Prince Albert took people on a tour of the building to show what their next plans are. (Susan McNeil/paNOW Staff)

Legion members said they do their best to have the building earn as much money as possible through rentals to other groups or organizations.

A kitchen, especially a commercial one that needs some new plumbing and gas lines, is very expensive.

Prince Albert’s Anavet Club has also received some money for its maintenance from the same program.

In this fiscal year, grants were given to 81 Legions, ANAVETS units and other veteran organizations and each year, $1.5 million is dispersed through the program.

Recipients are allowed to collect grants over several years so they can take on bigger projects like kitchens and roofs.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social