Royal Canadian Legions struggling under pandemic restrictions
Branches in Niagara have dipped into reserve funds to pay rent while staying closed
It might already be too late for some branches of the Royal Canadian Legion.
After months of closed doors with no end in sight, many are trying to cope with tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue while continuing to face ongoing expenses.
And St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens fears that without provincial government assistance, some branches will no longer be in business by the time they’re permitted to reopen.
Neil O’Farrell, president of Branch 24 in downtown St. Catharines, said his hall has been closed since a St. Patrick’s Day event ended on March 14.
The hall typically draws between $250,000 to $300,000 a year to cover the cost of rent and utilities as well as fund the programs it offers. After more than two months with no income, O’Farrell said “you can take 20 per cent right off the top.”
“We’re still paying rent,” he said, adding that although their landlord has applied for rent subsidies, “we haven’t seen anything yet.”
The legion branch has set aside savings, but that money won’t last much longer.
“We’ve been dipping into what we had for a rainy day. It must be a rainy day,” he said.
O’Farrell said he doesn’t know how much longer they’ll be able to hold out.
“It’s going to be hard to say. And even when we’re allowed to open, I don’t know who’s going to come. There’s going to be some resistance.”
Even then he said social distancing requirements will greatly diminish the income the legion branch would otherwise expect to make from the events it holds.
“There are going to be some real challenges. We’re talking about riding it out if we can. I don’t know. We’ll see,” O’Farrell added. “I don’t know where it’s going to go. Nobody knows. It’s trying to drive a ship without a rudder.”
Even if branch 24 survives, O’Farrell says other branches might not.
“The legion is going to be a much smaller place, I think, whenever we get out of this.”
Legion’s District B Commander Diane Condon, who represents 58 branches throughout southern Ontario, including 14 in Niagara, said most of them have lost $20,000 to $30,000 due to the pandemic.
“They work hard and get ahead and then something like this comes along. While some of them have reserves, some of them don’t,” she said.
She too suspects that some will be forced to close their doors permanently.
“To try to make the losses up on reopening when we fully expect some restrictions, it’s going to be very difficult for them,” Condon said. “I fully expect they will give it their all. They will suffer. There’s no doubt about it. But I think they will sustain themselves and get on with life, but it’s not going to be easy.”
She said there have been efforts to help, such as funding from the national office with promises of additional assistance. But with so many branches out there, that funding will not go far.
“If we had a branch that was particularly needed that we knew wouldn’t survive, we put the money there,” she said.
The legions have also had reduced hydro rates, but when they’re paying $2,000 to $2,500 a month, she said the assistance “wasn’t a lot.”
“They can use some help for sure,”
Condon said.
Stevens was at Queen’s Park Tuesday, lobbying for assistance for Royal Canadian Legion branches throughout the province.
“Legions are the hub of communities. … I think this government has to start looking at some real solutions for legions now,” she said. “We don’t want to see them close their doors.”