Roxboro legion gutted by fire, destroying prized antiques and cache of fundraising poppies
Members of the Royal Canadian Legion in Roxboro are doing what they can to rebuild after a fire tore through the building earlier this week, effectively destroying precious antiques, as well as fundraising plans.
The legion branch has been a Roxboro fixture since 1957. Now it's trying to determine what to do next.
Since Tuesday’s fire, former branch president Martin Bruyere has spent his time rummaging through the rubble for artifacts of war.
“This is a WWI Lee-Enfield 303,” he said, gesturing to a charred rifle. “It's hard to say, but it's probably irretrievable.”
Found in the rubble, and mostly undamaged, a portrait of General Georges Vanier -- a gift to the branch from his wife.
“There are things we haven't found yet, like the propeller of an airplane,” said branch president John Floud. “It's got to be in there somewhere, but we don't know where.”
They did eventually find the propeller – which belonged to a Spitfire fighter plane.
The fire alarm went off at 4 a.m. Friday.
“I opened the first door, and realized when I got in there was sweat on the windows inside,” said Floud.
The legion believes a shorted air exchanger on the ground floor caused it. Now, they're trying to figure out where to go during the clean-up.
“We have many of our community buildings, for example, that we give out to non-profit organizations. We've already started since yesterday to look at some of the opportunities to house them,” said Roxboro Mayor Jim Beis.
The timing couldn’t be worse, with Remembrance Day around the corner. There were five thousand poppies on the second floor which, depending on the year, could have been used to raise between $10,000 to $40,000.
“Which is how we make money to help support the veterans,” said Floud. “Bingos at Ste. Anne's Hospital, and local community services such as cadets.”
It seems they won’t be useful now, he said, since they ‘smell too much of smoke.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
BREAKING Hosting Vancouver's FIFA World Cup games could cost half a billion dollars
Hosting seven games in Vancouver during the 2026 FIFA World Cup could cost more than half a billion dollars, according to an updated estimate provided Tuesday.
Moe 'will respond' to CRA, insists Saskatchewan has 'paid in full' amid carbon tax audit
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government 'will respond' to the Canada Revenue Agency when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.