Aldergrove Legion branch #265 has room for rent.

Adjacent to the lounge is a 2,000 square-foot hall typically used for club meetings, ceremonies, and larger celebrations at the legion.

COVID-19 had put regular legion activities on hold while the number of people actually using the facility dropped significantly because of event postponements.

Doug Tanner, a member leading a committee to bring in more funding, plainly explained that the local branch is simply trying to stay alive.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to go under, but we鈥檙e running out of money,鈥� Tanner said.

Cash raised through poppy sales is specially allotted for Veterans while funding doled out by the Royal Canadian Legion throughout the past year-and-a-half was for operations only.

鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 know but we always offer up our space free for charities. And we鈥檙e handing out 20 to 30 thousand dollars each year helping organizations, but lately we鈥檝e had to say no,鈥� he explained.

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Tanner initially thought the hall could be used as space for a local daycare. He even had a professional and licensed person ready and willing to rent the space, but, as it stands now, the legion鈥檚 zone does now allow for daycare use.

鈥淲e can get it rezoned, but Township council told us that would take a year to a year-and-a-half to do. That would be too late. Why so much red tape? I don鈥檛 get why they aren鈥檛 able to make that process faster to help save the legion,鈥� Tanner said.

Equipped with a kitchenette, refrigeration, tables, chairs, washrooms, and hardwood flooring, the committee has opened up the hall to anyone who would like to use it.

The space even has it鈥檚 open entrance, meaning no one would have to go through the kitchen, lounge or office, to get to it.

鈥淲e have to rent it out to somebody, there鈥檚 no other choice,鈥� Tanner assured.

Committee member Wayne Mortimore said that ideally the renter would use the space five-days-a-week.

鈥淲hether is a sports group or a club, we鈥檙e open to anything,鈥� Mortimore said. 鈥淚f anyone wants that space 24/7, were open to that too.鈥�

The committee acknowledged that some fundraisers like trivia nights and meat draws are back at the lounge, but without a renter, funds raised won鈥檛 be enough to keep the century-old branch going.

Anyone interested in renting out the space at 26607 Fraser Highway can call Mortimore at 604-530-4563 or email wmort@shaw.ca