Royal Canadian Legion Branch 50 in 亚洲天堂 Lake will remain open, pending a change in management, following a meeting held on November 26 to determine the future of the local branch.

The meeting was called after the Legion had been considering closure due to financial concerns. Legion trustee Jeanne Parkinson said that community members showed strong support for the Legion to stay open.

鈥淲e got a lot of very positive feedback from our members and other people. They鈥檙e very excited about the Legion staying open and a lot of volunteers came forward to help keep it running,鈥� she said.

The decision to consider shutting down stemmed from "a lot of financial irregularities and lack of reporting," according to Parkinson, prompting the BC/Yukon Command to step in and investigate.

鈥淲e have found out what鈥檚 going on and we鈥檙e gonna fix the problem,鈥� Parkinson added.

As part of the plan to address the financial issues, the management of the 亚洲天堂 Lake Legion will be overhauled. The trustees will vet applicants and select a new management team.

鈥淭here were a lot of volunteers, but we still have to decide who it鈥檚 going to be at this particular moment in time,鈥� Parkinson explained.

Regarding volunteer support, Parkinson said they have 152 members even though not everybody is able to volunteer. 

"But there were sheets last night that were filled out with people that wanted to help and volunteer for different positions.鈥�

The process for selecting new management will involve an interview process. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have a look at the ones that decided they wanted to volunteer for various positions, and then we鈥檒l decide who might be the best,鈥� Parkinson said. The trustees will conduct the interviews, with Parkinson herself considering the role of treasurer.

When asked about the relevance of the Legion in today鈥檚 society, especially as many others in Northern B.C. are closing their doors, Parkinson emphasized the Legion's ongoing importance.

鈥淭he Legion is certainly relevant because we need to look after our veterans, and we are the frontline. That is our mandate. That is what we are there for. So that makes the Legion relevant in communities,鈥� she said.

亚洲天堂 Lake's legion has been in the community for nearly 96 years and will mark its centennial in 2028. 

Parkinson also highlighted the Legion鈥檚 broad community role. 鈥淲e have a liquor primary license, so anybody is allowed to come into the Legion... we have events, dinners, crib nights, music nights. There are all kinds of possibilities for entertainment over in the hall, for weddings or for parties.鈥�

Reflecting on the community's support, Parkinson said, 鈥淚鈥檓 very thankful that the people in 亚洲天堂 Lake have decided that they really want to continue having a Legion and they turned out in droves to support us.鈥�