‘A sign of the times’: Fort Garry Legion closing its doors at the end of November

A Royal Canadian Legion branch in Winnipeg is closing its doors after nearly 80 years. CTV’s Joseph Bernacki has more.

After opening its doors in 1947, Royal Canadian Legion Branch #90 has reached the end of the line in the Fort Garry neighbourhood.

“We close our doors November the 30th; we turn off the lights for the last time,” said Garry Reid, a vice-president at the legion branch.

Reid said it’s sad to see the branch soon close its doors after originally opening at 1125 Pembina Highway with the help of volunteer builders.

Their original branch was demolished in 2022 as structural damage found members in need of a new home. That new home was a bit further north at 762 Pembina Highway, which opened later that year.

“We thought if we built a bright, shiny, welcoming branch like Field of Dreams - build it, they will come,” Reid said.

Housed in a former Pizza Hut, the legion made significant upgrades to the space. The original shuffleboards that were once housed in the first branch also made the trip.

Despite the transformation of the space, expectations fell short.

“They didn’t come in numbers we felt,” Reid said. “Sadly, we haven’t made any money since we moved here.”

It wasn’t always this way.

“At one time, there were over 1500 paid-up members of the legion,” Reid said. “That is generally down right now, to the point that we have less than 300 members.”

Brian Cutts, 78, has been a member of this branch for more than five decades.

“I had my first beer when I turned of age with my dad at the legion,” Cutts said. “I joined around when I was 23.”

Cutts said he enjoyed being a member of the branch as a way to stay active in the community. He’s hosted regular trivia nights for a number of years now and has maintained the annual poppy drive at the branch for three decades.

Reid said this legion merged with another after members voted unanimously to join Royal Canadian Legion Branch #252 in South Osborne.

Still, Reid said he wished the branch could have stayed open following the closures of many legions across the country.

“I thought this would be the flagship of legions of the future, and it turned out that wasn’t the case,” Reid said.

“I guess it’s just a sign of the times.”