The province announced Friday that the Saskatchewan Veterans Service Club Support Program will fund part of the work that legions and the Saskatchewan Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans (ANAVETS) facilities do in their communities.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross, joined by folks from the Royal Canadian Legion and local MLAs, announced that 77 projects will be supported in the province through the program in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
Moe said the program is very significant for veteran clubs to augment and enhance the work of the legions and ANAVETS facilities.
“It’s really an honour and an opportunity for the government to provide the funding through this program,” he said. “What this funding really does is support the initiatives that our veterans and the ANAVETS are already participating in in their respective community.”
There have been 312 projects that have been funded through this program since its expansion. Moe credits Ross for advocating for the program.
“We realized that our legions and our ANAVETS facilities really were in dire need of retrofitting and re-ensuring that they had accessibility and safety,” Ross said. “So, to be able to do that, and as their non-profits, their ability to fundraise was limited.”
Ross said they sat down and went through the whole program to see how the facilities can be maintained and remain stable within communities. That is how the province came up with the Saskatchewan Veterans Service Club Support Program.
“The legions and ANAVETS facilities make applications, we go through with them across the whole province, and then they are able to access the funds and do the much-needed upgrades that they require,” Ross said.
ANAVETS local president Don Purington said accessing funding through this program has helped their facility with upgrades such as new flooring and hall equipment. The Moose Jaw Legion Branch #59 has also benefited from the Saskatchewan Veterans Service Club Support Program.
“Our brand received $71,800 since we applied for our first grant,” said Marcia Lane, Moose Jaw Legion finance officer. “(We) purchased new chairs for our lounge, we did a whole kitchenette upgrade so that we’re able to serve our veterans meals and have different events in our lounge. We got a new bingo machine so we can have bingos on Monday nights. If it wasn’t for these grants, we would never have been able to afford to do any of these things.”
More information about the program is available through the Royal Canadian Legion. Saskatchewan Command.
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