Did you buy a poppy online? It may be one of hundreds of unauthorized products
CBC
Red poppies from the Royal Canadian Legion are a common sight at stores and on lapels across Canada leading up to Remembrance Day.
Also common this time of year? Poppy products sold online that are not authorized by the legion.
It is a growing problem for the organization, which has registered the trademark of the poppy image.
"It is extremely frustrating," said Nujma Bond, a national spokesperson for the legion. "It happens every year at about this time where we get a lot of fraudulent websites and people coming up with various poppy-related products."
Those products range from brooches to clothing, even cookies and doughnuts, says Bond.
This year, she says the legion has seen almost triple the number of unauthorized products compared to 2021.
"We've got close to 1,600 violations and those are the ones that we know of," said Bond, adding she's not sure what's behind the spike.
The legion's website notes that the organization has trademarked the image of the poppy to "safeguard" it as a symbol of remembrance.
According to the site, the remembrance poppy cannot be used "on consumer items such as products, apparel, art, or commemorative items or their packaging," without authorization.
Bond said while some retailers may have good intentions and want to donate part of their proceeds to the legion, that's not always the case.
"I feel as if it is an insult to those who have served, who are serving and have died for our country," said Mike Turner. He served in the military for eight years and now helps organize the poppy campaign at a Royal Canadian Legion branch in Toronto.
"If that item is being sold for personal gain or personal profit, then it's not going back to supporting the veterans or supporting the troops or supporting the people who may from time to time need some support."
Turner said while not all veterans need help, some are dealing with PTSD, while others may not have a home or enough food to eat.
"What is lost is the funds that have the ability to change some of these people's lives"
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