Royal Canadian Legion Branch 245 has been in Dorval for more than fifty years, but just like the neighbouring Dorval Municipal Golf Course, its days are numbered.
Both the golf course and the Legion sit on land leased from the airport authority, Aeroports de Montreal. Plans to expand Trudeau Airport mean the Legion has to find a new home.
The airport authority has already agreed to provide the legion with a new site just east of Sources Blvd., which it will lease for a dollar a year for the next 40 years. But putting a building on the land is another issue.
While the airport authority has promised the legion $300,000 for a new building, that building will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more.
“It's very expensive to build these days and what we're going to rely on is a lot of people or contractors who are going to volunteer their services,” said Stephen Clempson, the vice-president of the branch.
The branch is more than just a social club, it's also a big part of the community, working with the Scouts, Girl Guides, local football teams and gives out bursaries for education for families in Dorval.
The branch has about 190 members who pay about $40 a year in dues, but it’s now in full fundraising mode. So far it has raised about $1,500 - a long way to the $200,000 it needs for a new building and for a maintenance budget.
“It keeps us going say with taxes and other little bills that we have to pay around. But it's not enough, it's not going to be enough to sustain us,” said Barbara Cunningham-Stokes, president of the branch.
