The "Honouring Our Veterans" banner program is running again this year in North Battleford. (Submitted photo/Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 70)

By Angela Brown

Remembering those who served

NB Legion accepting applications for ‘Honouring Our Veterans’ program

Mar 1, 2022 | 2:05 PM

People who wish to sponsor a banner to remember a loved one in the “Honouring Our Veterans” banner program in North Battleford are invited to begin submitting their applications now.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 70 president Marilyn Clark sent a letter to city council requesting permission to hang the banners in the downtown area again.

The Legion’s committee is accepting 50 applications this year, which would make an additional 25 double-sided banners to complement the 34 from 2021.

The Legion said banners for this year’s program will be selected on a first-come first-served basis. Application forms are available at the branch.

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“There is room to display 50 veterans only,” Clark said, adding applications will be accepted for the program from March 1 to August 31.

The cost to sponsor a banner is $250 each for a five-year participation.

The banners will be hung for one month, from mid-October to mid-November, along 100 Street, from 11 to 13 avenues.

The Legion’s only ask of the city is for permission to proceed with the project and for some assistance to hang the banners.

Council approved the request for the banner program and to have city operations hang and remove the banners on the light standards where designated.

Mayor David Gillan said the Legion Branch No. 70 will be responsible to obtain the necessary approvals and cover all costs related to hanging the banners.

The city is “more than happy to put the banners up. It’s a wonderful program,” City Parks and Recreation director Cheryl DeNeire said.

She noted there may need to be some discussion in the future on how much the banner program could increase, since it can take the city from 20 to 40 minutes to hang one banner, using the city’s one bucket truck.

“So long as we can do it to accommodate them, then we will be able to do so,” DeNeire said.

Coun. Kelli Hawtin suggested hanging the banners at the same time as the city Christmas decorations are installed on the light standards, to be more efficient.

“Maybe it’s not quite so time consuming when we think about 20 minutes a banner if we’re doing it at the same time as the Christmas decorations,” she said.

Coun. Greg Lightfoot proposed looking to see if any other organizations could help install the banners in the future, as an option if it becomes too time consuming for the city.

He added the veterans’ banners are “a great program.”

“I really support it. I would love to see as many banners as we can,” Lightfoot said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow