Is Waterloo legion changing with the times?

There was a time when the local legion was the busiest place in town.

Charged with a heavy responsibility, there has always been an understanding among its members and affiliates that a legion’s primary mandate is to serve those who fought to protect the freedoms that we as Canadians enjoy today.

With the veteran population steadily decreasing and fewer modern vets engaging in the culture, legions are struggling to preserve their mandate, which has prompted change.

The Record was contacted recently by community members concerned about the Royal Canadian Legion branch 77, Shefford/waterloo, which is currently paying an employee $1,200 per month to manage the facility.

“Some people don’t agree,” said Legion President Daniel St. Germain, “but in Ontario, it’s very popular.”

“The district knows about it,” assured St. Germain.

“The person worked 57 hours last week. That’s not volunteer work anymore,” St. Germain said.

When asked to identify the employee, St. Germain replied, “It’s my wife. It just happened like that.”

St. Germain told The Record that as his wife’s workload increased, other members of the executive proposed that she be paid. He recused himself from the vote. “She’s my right arm,” commented St. Germain. “There are just a couple of people who don’t like what we’re doing. They don’t understand,” he said, explaining that at a certain point the workload requires that someone be paid.

“It’s a private club, it’s really nobody’s business,” St. Germain said, taking issue with his wife, Jocelyne’s $1,200 salary being made public.

“The only person that can’t be paid is me,” St. Germain said, referring to the Legion charter.

“Maybe they don’t like it, but it’s not wrong.”

When asked if paying his wife, a Ladies Auxiliary member, had an impact on volunteers, St. Germain said they weren’t doing much.

“Volunteering from our membership is not there,” he said, explaining that more support was necessary to sustain the events hosted at the legion.

“I just want people to understand, it’s not the way it used to be,” St. Germain said.

“We sacrifice our lives to keep the legion open, what’s the thanks we get?” St. Germain said.

“If we go, you might as well put the key in the door,” he cautioned.

Waterloo Legion member Dave Edwards said he has no problem with the way the legion is being run.

“She is just doing a fantastic job,” Edwards said. “It’s being run as well as it ever has, maybe even better.”

Edwards pointed out that having a paid employee at the legion was nothing new.

“We’ve always had a bartender,” he said.

Edwards suggested the people complaining about the president’s wife receiving a salary are likely the same people that don’t show up to legion meetings.

“There are five trustees. If something were wrong with the way it were being done, I think they would have stopped it,” commented Edwards.

He added that when the decision was made last year, anyone opposed to the idea could have put a stop to it.

“We needed it,” he went on. “No one wanted to put in the effort.”

Edwards said that if the Waterloo Legion had continued operating the way it had before, they would have gone the way of Granby and Knowlton.“we wouldn’t have been able to pay our bills,” he said, adding that Waterloo has the support of the community with between 250-300 people attending the legion’s summer barbecues.

The Record contacted other legions in the Townships to see how they are dealing with declining membership, none of which have resorted to hiring an employee to do work normally undertaken by volunteers.

“I’ve never heard of it,” said Richmond Legion President Dev Knowles, adding that her branch has enough trouble keeping up with taxes and building maintenance.

There’s an executive in place for a reason, Knowles said.