A funding of $ 10,709 from the Government of Canada to support the Royal Canadian Legion’s Fort Frances Branch was announced by Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski yesterday.
The announcement was made on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
“COVID-19 has made it difficult for non-profits and especially legions to continue many of their traditional fund-raising activities,” Powlowski said. “The local programming provided by the legions contribute so much to our communities and I am happy to see their importance is being recognized with these supports from our government.”
This funding will assist the Legion with their operational costs so they can continue providing important support for Veterans in the region, according to a press release.
Last year in November 2020, the Government of Canada provided a sum of $14 million to the Royal Canadian Legion’s Dominion Command to allow for the rapid distribution of financial aid to individual branches across the country.
The Dominion Command, according to the press release, was responsible for determining which branches would receive funding.
The first round of funding to the Canadian Legions was announced in December to communities in northwestern Ontario. Besides Fort Frances, funding of $11,406 was given to the Thunder Bay Slovak Branch, $11,406 was given to the Kakabeka branch and $11,406 was given to the Atikokan branch.
This funding is part of the Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund which is part of the federal Government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan to protect jobs, provide emergency support and keep businesses afloat through the pandemic.
According to a press release, organizations such as the legions play a critical role in the well-being of veterans, their families and the community.
“Receiving these funds gives them access to the support they need to replace charitable and other revenue lost because of the pandemic and will enable them to continue their work with veterans and their families during a time when it is needed most,” the press release states.
