Members of the Canadian Legion Branch No. 255 in Windsor could decide what steps to take next at Thursday's annual general meeting.
Membership at the legion on Wyandotte St. E has dropped precipitously from 800 to around 400 now. To top it off, the legion faces financial difficulties, including a debt of around $40,000.
Past President Dennis Holmes says the members have a couple of options: sell the building which was appraised a few years ago at $660,000, amalgamate with either another legion branch or a service club, or close the doors.
Unfortunately, he says there hasn't been a lot of interest in amalgamation. "Amalgamate, not only with a legion, but with a few other groups like the Knights of Columbus," says Holmes. "At that time it didn't seem that they wanted to amalgamate with us." He also says many members weren't enthusiastic about the idea because of the age difference between the groups of members and because of the location of the other branches.
"Right now, I've got about 40 people that play cards just about every other day here," he says. "It's sad."
At an emergency meeting last weekend, Holmes says members opted to seek assistance again from Legion Ontario Command.