Royal Canadian Legion meets in Niagara Falls to honour those who served

From honouring the past to supporting veterans today, the Royal Canadian Legion is gathering in Niagara Falls this weekend with a purpose and a parade to kick off their weekend convention.

Bagpipes echoed through Niagara Falls today as the Royal Canadian Legion kicked off a district convention bringing together nearly 200 representatives from across the region. A one kilometre march ended at the cenotaph, where veterans, service members and marching bands gathered to honour those who served.

For many watching, the moment evoked powerful feelings.

“Like I was there — but I wasn’t there in the war,” said one attendee.

“I love this. The music, the people. They’re here to help us,” added another.

But this is more than a ceremonial parade. It comes at a defining moment for the Legion, which was founded in 1926.

“A hundred years, that’s a major accomplishment to last that long,” said Lloyd Cull, the District B commander for the Royal Canadian Legion.

The parade may be over but the work is far from finished. The branch is still buzzing as the district convention continues all weekend long.

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Behind closed doors, the focus shifts from ceremony to action. Leaders from dozens of branches are aligning on new policies and how best to support members in their communities.

Sharon McKeown, the Royal Canadian Legion’s 1st Dominion vice-president, said the goal is to keep members informed.

“Everything that’s going on, as well as updating them with respect to what’s new, what’s happening — so that they are informed and they can spread that amongst the memberships so the members know what’s going on with the Royal Canadian Legion,” McKeown said.

That support can be life-changing for veterans like Buxton Williams.

“It’s the one thing that I believe every veteran and non-veteran can look towards having when walking in through these doors,” said the Canadian Armed Forces veteran.

For District Commander Cull, one issue remains front and centre: helping veterans get off the streets and into safe housing.

“We keep on looking for them. And we do find them. And we get them into establishments where they can survive and be a lot better than what they are now,” Cull said.

From honouring sacrifice to fighting for support, the message from this weekend is clear: the Legion’s mission is far from over as it approaches 100 years of service.

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