Some legions struggling to pay the bills as membership declines

For generations, the legion has been a community gathering spot for veterans and their families, but after years of declining membership and mounting bills, some are struggling to stay afloat.

For generations, the legion has been a community gathering spot for veterans and their families, but some legion branches now say declining membership and mounting bills are creating mounting stress.

Ottawa's Centretown Legion, known as Montgomery Branch 351, offers its members a range of services from Euchre tournaments to tax clinics, and education on fraud and identity theft. But a broken elevator and an estimated $100,000 repair bill mean some of its most loyal members can no longer enter the mulit-storey facility.

The branch's president, Dennis Sirman, says many of the branch's members are veterans in their 80s and 90s. 

Sirman says the branch has basically emptied its savings to pay for the repairs, but it is still short. That's why a crowdfunding campaign has been launched.

Without a functioning elevator, many private groups that bring in revenue are hesitant to book space. The branch says it can cover its bills and still has around 300 members, but that there is stress every month when the bills are due.

"We had some momentum going and were actually several months in the black and then the elevator failed," he said.

The Montgomery branch is not alone in its financial stress or in its efforts to reach further into the community to help raise money.