There are decisions by Yorkton Council which are so obvious that the process of passing a motion is merely a formality.
Such was the case Monday when Council approved a request to place a monument to recognize, honour and remember all Veterans, Legion members, former Ladies Auxiliary members, the City of Yorkton and all those that were involved in building the Royal Canadian Legion building at 380 Broadway in 1961.
The request came from the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 77 Yorkton and was quickly approved.
This is one of those projects Council had to approve, and they did just that.
The local branch was requesting that the monument and time capsule which was originally placed at the location of their former hall on Broadway since 1986, and set to be opened again in 2026 recognizing the local branch’s 100th anniversary, be relocated to the boulevard on Darlington Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue. The branch also requested that a flagpole be erected at the same location.
The monument will include a plaque which will include the words; “in memory of all Veterans past and present auxiliary and all members of the Royal Canadian Legion Gn. Alexander Ross Branch #77, also the citizens of this area involved in building and maintaining this building at 380 Broadway Street West from 1961-2017 … This monument is dedicated to honor the men and women who have paid the ultimate price during the conflicts including: Bosnia, Afghanistan, NATO, United Nations Peace Keeping Missions, RCMP and other services that preserve our country’s freedom.”
The location is certainly ideal as Darcy McLeod, Director of Community Development, Parks & Recreation pointed out at the regular meeting of Yorkton Council Monday.
“A series of discussions took place regarding possible locations, which included: Western Financial Group City Centre Park; City Hall Park; the Veterans section of the City Cemetery, and near the Cenotaph on Darlington Street,” he said. “The unanimous decision was that the best community location would be on the Darlington Street median west of the cenotaph. This is already a designated place of remembrance and is a highly visible location.”
The monument is clearly a worthy one, one which will mark an important organization’s history in Yorkton well into the city’s future.
Adding to the easy decision to approve the request is that the local branch did not ask for the City to bare any of the costs associated with the project, estimated to be $40,000.
The Legion is contributing $10,000 towards the project and has submitted an application to Veterans Affairs for additional funding. Should the federal funds not be forthcoming the local organization will look to the community for support to fund the work.
