Legion in Bradford West Gwillimbury ‘fortunate’ for so much local support, says branch president

A new law seeks to exempt Royal Canadian Legion halls in Ontario from property taxes.

The Ontario government announced earlier this month it plans to table legislation “shortly” that would ensure no legion in the province has to pay property taxes.

In Bradford West Gwillimbury, Branch 521 has already been exempt from all property taxes for a few years, said legion president Mike Giovanetti.

“You don’t want to pay the taxes if you don't have to. It’s just one less bill to pay,” he said, noting there is now more money in the legion’s general account to “pay bills day to day.”

According to a press release sent out by the Ontario government, there are “many” legion halls in Ontario, like BWG, already exempt from paying municipal property tax.

“The government’s commitment is that all property occupied by branches in the Ontario Command of the Royal Canadian Legion would be exempt from paying property tax starting in 2019,” stated the press release.

"I've been lucky enough to meet and talk with hundreds of veterans across our province. They are rightly proud of their service," said Ontario Tory Leader Doug Ford. "This is just one example of how our government will do all we can to give their dedication to upholding our values and our safety the respect it deserves.”

Although the Bradford legion is doing well, it could use more support from the provincial government, Giovanetti said.

“More support for veterans out there who need help, (and) when we’re in trouble, when we need repairs,” he said.

Applying for grants is time consuming, he said, and that is one reason why the Bradford legion always tries to fundraise for its projects locally, such as its Raise the Roof campaign to fix the legion’s roof.

“That all came from the community,” he said. “There are grants out there, but the Bradford legion tries to do it on our own first. That’s one of the things about Bradford — they care for their service groups.”

Giovanetti said the legion is also grateful to the Town of BWG, which often supports its initiatives and gave it a grant for the new Orville Hand Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron.

“We feel fortunate,” he said.

There are currently more than 1,400 branches of the Royal Canadian Legion in the country, with 270,000 members. There are 400 branches throughout Ontario with a membership of about 100,000 people, according to the press release.

- With files from Erika Engel