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NEWS AND EVENTS
Official Recognition from Five Provinces
18 February -- To mark the centennial of the Last Post Fund in 2009, Members of the Legislative Assembly of five provinces have issued Statements recognizing the commitment and support of our organization for Canadian and Allied Veterans. They are: British Columbia, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec. A well-deserved official recognition!
11 February -- Two road panels in Carbonear, along the Newfoundland Veterans Memorial Highway (Route 75), each display a sign that reads “Last Post Fund Serving Veterans Since 1909”. This was initiated by the Newfoundland-Labrador Last Post Branch to mark the centennial of the organization. The two signs were generously donated by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, a nice gesture that will surely contribute to keep alive the memory of our Veterans.
Five Long Service Medals for the Newfoundland Branch
5 February -- On January 28, the Honourable John C. Crosbie, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Honorary Patron of the LPF Newfoundland—Labrador Branch, presented five Long Service Medals during a ceremony at Government House in St. John’s, assisted by Gerald Leahy, President of the Branch. The conferees are: Lieutenant (ret’d) Donald Newell (13 years of service), Lieutenant (ret’d) Ruby Dewling (19 years), Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Harvey Bishop (32 years), Ms. Maxine King, Manager of the Branch (16 years) and Lieutenant-Commander (ret’d) Anthony Ayre (32 years). The presentation was followed by a reception hosted by the Lieutenant Governor and Mrs. Crosbie, and was attended by some 50 family and friends of the recipients.
Left to right: Don Newell, Ruby Dewling, Mrs. Crosbie and the Hon. John Crosbie,
Harvey Bishop, Maxine King and Tony Ayre.
Members of Police Forces at the National Field of Honour
1 February -- Until recently, Canadian or Allied Veterans, to be eligible for the Field of Honor Pointe-Claire, must have been serving during the Second World War or the Korean conflict, they must have participated in peacekeeping missions of the United Nations or have been awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration after 12 years of military service.
For many years, several members of police forces have served and valiantly continue to serve our country, alongside our military, in peacekeeping missions around the world. In order to express our gratitude for their involvement, the LPF Québec Branch has established new eligibility rules for these men and women who wish to be interred at the National Field of Honour. Therefore, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other Canadian police forces who served in UN peacekeeping missions or in special operations areas have now access to the Field of Honour as their final resting place, as have done more than 15,000 Canadian and Allied Veterans.
Three Last Post Fund Members in the Olympic Torch Relay
Left to right: Messrs. Roland Lortie and Dominique Jamet, and Ms. Evelyn Kelly
11 January -- In December 2009, braving the snow and the cold, three members of the Last Post Fund had the outstanding honour to carry the 2010 Olympic Torch. Joining with 12,000 other Canadians, they were part of a 100-day, 45,000-kilometre journey to be concluded in Vancouver with the opening ceremony of the 21st Olympic Winter Games.
Early morning on 2 December, LCol (ret’d) Roland Lortie from the Québec Branch could be seen carrying the precious flame near Alma in Québec. In the evening of 10 December, the Executive Director of the Last Post Fund, LCol (ret’d) Dominique Jamet, had his turn as a torchbearer on beautiful Mount-Royal in Montreal. Finally, on 21 December, LCol (ret'd) Evelyn Kelly, member of the Ontario Branch and Vice-President West of the Last Post Fund (also Aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario), ran her own stretch of the Relay bearing the flame in Welland, Ontario.
Said Kelly: “The faces of the people lining the route said it all; some were tearing up with pride, some wanted to touch the torch and some were simply joyous to be able to see the torch go by… I held it high for all to see as we were all part of this very surreal moment. I am deeply honoured and so proud to be among such a rare and august group of Canadians.”
B.C. Premier to Proclaim Last Post Fund Day
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia has proclaimed November 5, 2009 as Last Post Fund Day, in honour of 100 years of ensuring that Canadian and Allied Veterans in Canada are guaranteed a dignified burial and grave marker.
“The Last Post Fund recognizes that those who served in Canada’s military deserve to be honoured and remembered with respect now and by future generations,” said Premier Gordon Campbell. “These veterans made an incredible contribution to our shared freedoms. It’s important that their final resting spots are provided and marked in a way that honours such a contribution. The Last Post Fund provides dignity and remembrance that is beyond value.”
“For a century, the Last Post Fund has worked to honour those who served their country and the cause of freedom around the world,” added Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg. “I was pleased to work with Operation Remembrance and the Last Post Fund in 2006 to identify and mark the graves of 36 Veterans at Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery, which has continued to identify and mark Veterans’ graves across B.C. with the support of the Last Post Fund.”
Office of the Premier of BC, November 3, 2009, left to right: Col. (ret’d) Don McClellan, CD, Honorary Member of the Last Post Fund BC Branch, Ron Rowdon, CD, Branch Manager, the Hon. Gordon Campbell, Col. (ret’d) Sam Dunbar, CD, BC Branch President, Howardeena Kembel-McGrory, counsellor and MGen (ret’d) E. Fitch, CD, BC Branch Vice-President.
The annual ceremony commemorating Remembrance Day at the Last Post Fund National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Québec will be held on 11 November 2009 at 10:30 a.m. The following is an outline of the ceremony:
10:30 Marching of the Guard of Honour
10:40 O Canada, our national anthem, played by the Band
10:42 Address by the Last Post Fund representative, Bgen Richard Genin
10:48 Prayers
11:00 Last Post played by the Bugler
11:01 One Gun salute
11:02 Minute of silence in memory of deceased Canadian and Allied Veterans
11:03 One Gun salute
11:04 Reveille played by the Bugler
11:05 Laying of the wreaths
Closing words by BGen Genin
O Canada played by the Band
An Honorary President for the Last Post Fund
21 October 2009 -- Mr. Arthur H.D. Hair III has recently been appointed to the newly created position of Honorary President of the Last Post Fund. As such, he will represent the organization and its National President, in an official capacity, at various functions and activities. For example, he will be laying wreaths at commemoration ceremonies, attending and participating in formal presentations and briefs to Ministers of the Crown and Parliamentary committees, and participating in the development of Last Post Fund policies.
Arthur “Chip” Hair III is the grandson of the Last Post Fund founder, Arthur Hair (1873-1947) who devoted 38 years of his life to the cause of veterans in need.
Chip Hair was born in Montreal in 1948. That same year, his family moved to Ottawa where he attended school and university. During his late teens and early twenties he served in the Canadian Army Reserve with the RCASC. In 1968 he joined the management team of the Toronto Dominion Bank. He then went on to hold various marketing positions in Ottawa and Toronto, returning to Ottawa in 1973 to work for the Federal Government.
Mr. Hair has recently retired after serving some 35 years with Natural Resources Canada as a cartographic specialist and project officer. During the early 1990s he spent three years writing technical documentation for the Optical Physics Division of Canada’s National Research Council in Ottawa.
Since his early childhood, Chip Hair has been attending and participating in the annual commemorative ceremonies at the Last Post Fund National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Québec. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Last Post Fund Québec Branch from 1984 to 1997. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Wreaths Across Canada, a newly-created organization based in Ottawa.
The Ontario Branch to Host Dedication Ceremony at the Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham
On 21 October 2009, at 1:30 p.m. the Last Post Fund's Ontario Branch will officially dedicate headstones for veterans who previously lay in unmarked graves at the Maple Leaf Cemetery in Chatham, Ontario.
As the official Patron of the Ontario Branch, the Honourable David C. Onley, O.Ont., Lieutenant Governor of Ontario will officiate at the ceremony.
The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
The service will be comprised of addresses by the Lieutenant Governor and the President of the Ontario Branch, as well as the dedication of 47 newly placed veterans' headstones. The Royal Canadian Legion as well as local school children, the Member of Parliament and the Member of the Provincial Parliament for the area will play an important role in the ceremony. The public is welcome to attend this event. It is recommended to arrive between 1:00 and 1:20 p.m.
The Soldier's Field at the Maple Leaf Cemetery is located at 97 Maple Leaf Road in Chatham.
The Last Post Fund, a national organization devoted to veterans, is celebrating its centennial in 2009. For the past 100 years, its mission has been to ensure that no Canadian and Allied veteran is deprived of a dignified funeral, burial and headstone for lack of financial resources.
For the past century, the Last Post Fund has provided funerals, burials and grave marking for over 145,000 veterans from Canada, but also from England, Australia, Belgium, France, Greece, Poland and other Allied countries. In collaboration with Veterans Affairs Canada, the Last Post Fund helps not only veterans but also their families all over Canada through its provincial branches.
Canadian Rangers to Receive Veterans' Grave Markers
By Sgt. Peter Moon
20 October 2009 -- The unmarked graves of three Canadian Rangers in remote communities in northern Ontario now have military grave markers, thanks to the Last Post Fund. They are the first Canadian Rangers to receive them under a grave stone program that now recognizes the military service of Canadian Rangers after they die.
The grave markers were dedicated in special ceremonies attended by the Rangers’ families, the chiefs of their First Nations, students and community members, and Canadian Rangers and Junior Canadian Rangers. All three markers bear the image of a flying eagle.
“There was nothing on my brother’s grave, just flowers,” said Madeleine Nakogee of Fort Albany, a Cree community on James Bay, as she stood next to the newly erected marker for Ranger Michael Hookimaw, her brother. “There was a wooden plaque we made for him when he died but it rotted away. So this stone is nice. We are all very proud of it. It’s a nice feeling to see him recognized like this.”
The Last Post Fund delivers funeral and burial programs for Veterans Affairs Canada. It recently amended its special grave marker program, which provides grave markers for a veteran’s grave if it has not had a permanent marker for five years or more, to include not only veterans of the South African War, First and Second World Wars, and the Korean Conflict but former members of the Canadian Forces who have passed basic training and been honourably discharged.
“This shows once again that we continue to honour our veterans,” said Major Guy Ingram, commanding officer of 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. “The Last Post Fund has decided to help honour the Canadian Rangers and we’ve embarked on a mission to ensure that every Canadian Ranger and First or Second World War veteran or Korean Conflict veteran in the Far North of Ontario is properly identified in their gravesite by a military headstone.”
In addition to the ceremony in Fort Albany a second ceremony was held in Sandy Lake, where two markers were dedicated. A unique feature of the ceremony, which was conducted by a military chaplain, was the involvement of Ranger Peter Fiddler, a local elder, who smudged the head stones in a traditional Ojibway ceremony.
Canadian Ranger Peter Fiddler, an elder, uses an eagle feather to smudge the new military grave marker for Ranger Delilah Meekis of Sandy Lake First Nation. The marker, provided by the Last Post Fund, was the first to be dedicated in northern Ontario after Canadian Rangers became eligible for the Last Post Fund’s Special Grave Marker program, which provides grave markers for veterans who have been buried for five years or more in an unmarked grave. Photo credit: Sgt. Peter Moon, Canadian Rangers.
Capt. Robert Bouchard, a military chaplain, salutes during a service to dedicate a military grave marker for Canadian Ranger Michael Hookimaw, who was buried for many years in an unmarked grave in Fort Albany First Nation in northern Ontario. Photo credit: Sgt. Peter Moon, Canadian Rangers.
Standing next to a newly dedicated military grave marker for Canadian Ranger Michael Hookimaw are, from left, Fort Albany First Nation Chief Andrew Solomon; Jane Hookimaw, Rgr. Hookimaw's wife; and Major Guy Ingram, commanding officer of the Canadian Ranger Patrol Group. The stone has the image of a flying eagle, a proud reminder of the Ranger’s native heritage. Photo credit: Sgt. Peter Moon, Canadian Rangers.
Commemorative Ceremony in Prince Edward Island
16 October 2009 – The Last Post Fund (LPF) today organized a ceremony at Veteran’s Memorial Gardens in Kensington, PEI to remember those who served our country. The Honourable Barbara Hagerman, Lieutenant Governor of PEI and Provincial Honorary Patron of the LPF, joined Mike Vaillancourt, President of the PEI/NB Branch of the Last Post Fund, in a tree planting ceremony and the official unveiling of a LPF monument in commemoration of 100 years of service to Veterans and their families from Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.
County Line Courier (PEI) - 21 October 2009
Last Post Fund Applauds Veterans Ombudsman’s Report “Serve with Honour—Depart with Dignity”
Montreal, 24 September 2009 -- “The Veterans’ Ombudsman has once again capably demonstrated the importance and utility of his position, in fulfillment of his mandate, with the recent release of his report on the federal government’s Funeral and Burial Program.
The Ombudsman’s thorough, and now public report, raises a number of issues that concern the honour and respect that is owed to our Veterans, their families, and survivors. “I especially commend the Ombudsman, Colonel (retired) Pat Strogran, for bringing a greater public awareness to the Last Post Fund during the centennial anniversary of its founding”, stated LGen (retired) Lou Cuppens, National President of the Last Post Fund.
“From our founding, created by a most notable act of charity, to the present, the Last Post Fund continues to honour all Veterans and their loved ones. The Ombudsman raises a number of issues and recommendations for consideration by the government. Many of these have been advocated by veterans groups across Canada for several years”, says Cuppens.
“Since the Last Post Fund administers the Funeral and Burial Program on behalf of the Federal Government, it is inappropriate for the Last Post Fund to make comment on the recommendations that have been made. I remain most confident that Veterans Affairs Canada will consider all of the issues and recommendations made by the Ombudsman and that they will take actions as appropriate in a timely fashion”, Cuppens commented.
“For years, veterans groups have recommended the creation of a veterans’ Ombudsman, and this report is but one example of the wisdom in establishing such a position”, concluded LGen Cuppens. The Ombudsman made public his report at the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa on 23 September 2009.
Click here for the Veterans Ombudsman Administrative Review
In Memoriam: Commodore Bruce S.C. Oland
Members and staff of the Last Post Fund are mourning. Commodore Bruce Oland, a founding father of the Nova Scotia Branch, passed away on August 7 after a brief illness. He was 91 years old.
The Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia was to present the Last Post Fund Award of Merit to Commodore Oland on August 27, in recognition of his commitment and allegiance to the Last Post Fund and of his many years of dedication and outstanding support of veterans and their families. The ceremony will still take place in the Nova Scotia Province House, in Halifax, as a member of the Oland family will accept the posthumous award on behalf of the Commodore. Members and staff of the Last Post Fund wish to extend their deepest sympathies to his family.
For a complete biography of Commodore Oland, follow this link:
http://jobspress.com/announcements/obituaries/oland-commodore
Legislative Changes to Extend Benefits for Allied Veterans
On June 1, 2009, the Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, introduced changes to the War Veterans Allowance Act, extending benefits to low-income Allied Veterans and their family members.
An Allied Veteran is a Veteran who served with the forces of any nation allied with Canada during the First World War, the Second World War or the Korean War.
“We have made major improvements to programs, services and benefits for Veterans and their families since 2006,” said Minister Thompson. “With this new legislation, we are building on that commitment – by giving Allied Veterans more choice, more options, and more hope of living out their lives with respect, comfort, dignity and honour.”
Under the legislation, low-income Allied Veterans of the Second World War who have lived in Canada for at least 10 years, and continue to do so, will have access to War Veterans Allowance and associated assistance and health benefits. Eligibility has also been extended to include those who fought for Allied forces in the Korean War. Family members may also receive benefits.
To qualify for these benefits, these low-income Allied Veterans must:
- Have served with Allied forces in the Second World War or Korean War; AND
- Have lived in Canada for at least 10 years; OR
- Have lived in Canada prior to enlisting; AND
- Live in Canada now.
Programs under this amended legislation include, among others, the Funeral and Burial Program administered by the Last Post Fund which provides a financial assistance to ensure a dignified funeral and burial for veterans.
Like all Veterans Affairs Canada programs, eligibility is based on a variety of factors, including location and duration of military service, income and the nature and extent of health conditions.
Implementation is expected in January 2010. Once it is finalized, eligible Allied Veterans and family members may receive payment for benefits back to October 14, 2008.
To apply, Allied Veterans are asked to call 1-866-522-2122. It is recommended that they have their service record information on hand. An application will be mailed as soon as possible. More information is available online at www.vac-acc.gc.ca
The Last Post Fund Centennial in Nova Scotia
As part of the Last Post Fund’s centennial year, the Nova Scotia Branch has erected a sign on Highway 102, between Halifax and Truro. This commemorative sign will remain in place for a whole year.
The National Field of Honour, a National Historic Site
On 21 June 2009, the National Field of Honour located in Pointe-Claire, Québec was officially designated as a National Historic Site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Left to right: Guest of Honour Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, representing the Government of Canada; Colonel (ret'd) Marcel Belleau, President of the Last Post Fund Québec Branch; and Lieutenant Colonel (ret'd) Lou Cuppens, the Last Post Fund National President, at the unveiling of the plaque designating the National Field of Honour as a National Historic Site. Photo: Jean-François Dubois.
A Columbarium
Donated to the City of Calgary
On 23 May 2009, the Honourable Norman L. Kwong CM AOE, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and Honorary Patron of the Alberta Branch, donated a 108-niche Columbarium to the City of Calgary in honour of the Late Reverend Canon Arthur Wilcox, former National President of the Last Post Fund and all Veterans in Alberta. The ceremony took place at Queen's Park Cemetery in Calgary, Alberta.
From left to right, Deputy Mayor of the City of Calgary, Alderman Ric McIver; the Reverend Eric Haffenden; Her Honour, Mrs Mary Kwong; His Honour, The Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Norman L. Kwong CM AOE; Brigadier General William Buckham MMM CD, Past President, Alberta Branch, Last Post Fund.
The link below is a selection of pictures that were taken at the Alberta Branch of the Last Post Fund Centennial celebration held at Queen's Park Cemetery on 22 May 2009. (Photos: Jim Corbett)
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/view/4524519923-1245940463-20897/
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Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation
Since serving in uniform, many of Canada's veterans have continued to provide outstanding service to their country, their communities, and their fellow veterans. To formally recognize those contributions, the Governor General authorized the creation of the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation.
The Commendation is awarded annually to those exceptional veterans who have contributed in an exemplary manner to the care and well-being of veterans; and/or to the remembrance of the contributions, sacrifices and achievements of veterans.
The following volunteer directors of the Last Post Fund have received the Minister of Veterans Affairs Commendation:
2009 Recipients:
Colonel (ret'd) Pierre Richard, Québec Branch
2008 Recipients:
Lieutenant (ret'd) Donald Newell, Past National President
Honorary Colonel (ret'd) Ken C. Garbutt, President of the Saskatchewan-Manitoba Branch
Lieutenant General (ret'd) Lou Cuppens, CMM CD, National President
2007 Recipient:
Mr. Levite Paradis
2005 Recipients:
Brigadier General (ret'd) J. Richard Genin, CMM CD
Colonel (ret'd) Leslie Deanne, CD
Lieutenant Colonel (ret'd) Laurence Harrison, CD
2004 Recipients:
Colonel
(ret'd) G. R. J. (Gil) Bellavance, CD
Norman
R. Van Tassel
Author Discovers Unmarked Veterans’ Graves in Lourdes, Newfoundland
Arrangements made for headstones
29 October 2008 – After conducting research into the lives of veterans of the First World War who lived on the Port au Port peninsula (Nfld), Lourdes author Bill O’Gorman made a startling discovery.
“Since I’m doing a book on the veterans … I went looking for them in the graveyards. Through the parish records, I knew they were there, but there was no headstones for them,” said O’Gorman. “The statement ‘Lest we Forget’ has very little meaning when you discover this.”
O’Gorman then contacted the provincial branch of the Last Post Fund to see what could be done to rectify the situation.
The Last Post Fund is a non-profit corporation that is supported by Veterans Affairs and private donors. “We provide financial assistance for the funeral and burial of war veterans, and we also provide the headstones,” said Maxine King, Newfoundland and Labrador branch member.
King said the [Last Post] Fund also has a program called the Special Marker Program, which places headstones on the unmarked graves of veterans. It was through this program that the corporation was able to place headstones on the graves of the veterans buried on the Port au Port peninsula.
She noted O’Gorman was a great help in getting the required information about each veteran to them, so the grey granite headstones – measuring about 76 centimetres wide, 91 cm high, and 38 cm deep – could be installed.
O’Gorman said there would be a commemorative ceremony at the Lourdes Church Cemetery Saturday [November 1st] at 2 p.m. to honour the veterans.
Representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion, Veterans Affairs, Lourdes Cadet Corps, and various politicians and dignitaries have been invited to the ceremony and reception. O’Gorman said the public is also encouraged to attend.
(Published in The Telegram, St. John’s, Nfld)
Following pictures are from Bill O'Gorman.
The Last Post Fund Continues to Urge Veterans Affairs Canada to Extend Funeral and Burial Benefits to Modern-Day Veterans.
March 2008 -- It is the position of the Last Post Fund that there should be no difference between Canada’s war veterans and the Canadian Forces veterans in the application of the veterans’ Funeral and Burial Program. We consider that all estate-tested veterans who die without the financial means should be eligible for a dignified funeral under the veterans Funeral and Burial Program. It is estimated that approximately 1,400 Canadian Forces veterans would likely qualify each year for funeral and burial financial assistance under a means-testing criteria.
The Last Post Fund is asking the Minister of Veterans Affairs that all estate-tested modern day / CF veterans be considered for the veterans' Funeral and Burial Program.
The following Last Post Fund resolution was conveyed to the Minister of Veterans Affairs:
Whereas, prior to 2005, most Canadian Forces veterans, in financial need were not eligible for the veterans’ Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas the Letters Patent of the Last Post Fund and Veterans Affairs Canada Funeral and Burial Regulations do not permit the rendering of financial assistance to help the estates of all Canadian Forces veterans with funeral and burial costs, and
Whereas the Last Post Fund has previously conveyed to the Minister of
Veterans Affairs a resolution that proposes that all Canadian Forces
veterans, who are in financial need, be made eligible for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion and other veterans organizations have
also previously conveyed to the Minister of Veterans Affairs resolutions
strongly urging the Minister to make all Canadian Forces veterans eligible
for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas the Veterans Affairs/Canadian Forces Advisory Council recommended
in their report, on the Modern Day Veterans of March 2004, that all
Canadian Forces veterans be made eligible for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas all veterans associations strongly endorsed and supported all
of the Veterans Affairs/Canadian Forces Advisory Council’s recommendations,
and
Whereas the Minister of Veterans Affairs in March 2004 strongly supported
the recommendations of the Advisory Council, but failed to include,
in his “press release”, the recommendation that would make all Canadian
Forces veterans eligible for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program,
and
Whereas the Last Post Fund congratulates the Government of Canada, Parliament,
and all others who were instrumental in the promulgation of a new Veterans
Charter and for approving Bill C-45 and such instruments that will follow,
and encourages the Government to pursue these instruments with all speed,
and
Whereas the Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2005 did not include, in
the proposed New Veterans Charter, the recommendation that would make
Canadian Forces veterans eligible for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas Bill C-45, the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-Establishment
and Compensation Act, that focuses on wellness; promotes independence
and dignity; and provides a comprehensive range of modern programs and
services that can be accessed by Canadian Forces members, veterans and
their families, does not make all Canadian Forces veterans who may find
themselves in financial need eligible for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas the Last Post Fund has, since March 2004, continued to urge
Veterans Affairs officials to address the eligibility of Canadian Forces
veterans for the veterans’
Funeral and Burial Program, and
Whereas it can be demonstrated that Canadian Forces veterans who lack
sufficient funds, are being denied a dignified funeral and burial
because most remain ineligible for the veterans’ Funeral and Burial
Program,
The Last Post Fund strongly urges the Minister to take necessary action
immediately to make all Canadian Forces veterans who are in financial
need, at time of death, eligible for the veterans’ Funeral and Burial
Program.
LEST WE FORGET
The Canadian Iceberg Vodka Corporation's "Remembering our Heroes" Fundraising Campaign
February 2008 -- The Canadian Iceberg Vodka Corporation has raised $70,117.50 in a cross-Canada consumer campaign dedicated to raising funds to donate to the Last Post Fund, to benefit Canadian troops and to support military families. A cheque of $35, 059.78 was presented on February 16, 2008 in Toronto by David Hood, Senior Vice President, Canadian Iceberg Vodka Corporation, to Lieutenant-General (ret'd) Lou Cuppens, Last Post Fund National President. A similar amount was also presented to General Rick Hillier, Chief of Defence Staff, for the Military Families Fund.
Coined the “Remembering our Heroes” campaign, the Canadian Iceberg Vodka Corporation pledged to donate $0.50 per bottle sold to the Last Post Fund (past heroes) and to the Military Families Fund (current heroes). The campaign was launched on October 12, 2007 and concluded on November 11, 2007. Over 3,300 government retail and privately-owned stores participated in the promotion nationally, with all Sales and Marketing elements developed and implemented by the Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits agency. Diamond Estates is the national agent representing Iceberg Vodka in all markets excluding Newfoundland.
The Corporation’s generous initiative will assist the Last Post Fund in its various endeavours to provide funeral and burial assistance to Canada’s veterans and to recognize their service rendered to Canada in times of conflict and peace.
