The Royal Canadian Legion in Lachine no longer has tax exemption, and as a result faces a $40,000 municipal tax bill.
The Legion has been open since the 1970s, and is home to veterans and various community groups. It had been granted tax exemption as a non-profit group but that status was revoked earlier this year.
President Denise Lapierre tells CTV the Legion might no longer exist if it has to pay those taxes. City of Montreal Executive Committee chair Pierre Desrochers says the city does not decide which organizations are tax exempt and that any who wish to be must apply. But Legion member William McCullough blames the city for directly opposing the Lachine chapter's renewal application last fall. He hopes Montreal mayor Denis Coderre will let the Legion survive as it does now with tax exemption so that it can continue to help the community.
Lachine Borough mayor Claude Dauphin has thrown his support behind the Legion in its bid to renew its tax exemption and believes it will be granted.
Should it lose the appeal, the Legion would have to wait five years before it can re-apply. Lapierre says that may be too long a wait if that means the Legion would have to pay taxes during that time.