Steven Latreille had to dodge gunfire during the Bosnian War.
Like his father, he served in the Canadian Army. But now his Royal Canadian Legion post has a battle of another kind ahead — a battle to stay open.
“For me I was devastated,” he said. “This is like my second home.”
The roots of the legion’s problem stretch back to 2013, when the province stripped it of not-for-profit status.
Under the previous arrangement, the post would have to cover an annual tax bill of about $3,000. Now it has to figure out how to pay off a total bill of $30,000.
“The provincial government has to recognize their status as a non-profit,” said Sterling Downey, a city councillor who is also a Legion member in Verdun.
“That’s the issue.”
A spokesperson for the Commission municipale du Quebec told Global News that the agency is reviewing the post’s status, but timing looks crucial.
The city is set to foreclose on the post’s land and building Nov. 4.