With recent Remembrance Day ceremonies passed, a deeper look into the behind-the-scenes troubles of the Banners4Veterans involvement with Tay Township and the Royal Canadian Legion was due.
To call it a misunderstanding is best, as it does not qualify as a dispute, quarrel, point of contention, or any other aggravating factor. One can hardly say such harsh words over a program established with such noble intent as to memorialize our veterans for the betterment of our communities.
The story started in July 2021 with retired Canadian Armed Forces pensioner and Waubaushene resident Christine van Zandbergen, who set forward an initiative to affix memorial banners to Tay Township municipal fixtures like hydro poles and light fixtures, displaying faces and names of Tay Township veterans for residents from September through November.
MidlandToday spoke with van Zandbergen shortly after the announcement of her initiative, as can be read in the August 2021 article, ‘Military retiree looking to start Tay memorial banner project this fall’.
The cost per banner was $165, while van Zandbergen and her husband carried the costs of all other materials. Heralded as a success, she rebranded to Banners4Veterans in March of 2022 and registered as a federal not-for-profit organization.
However, the misunderstanding began in April. “Believing the authorization to use Legion images was granted to myself on behalf of the program,” wrote van Zandbergen, “I changed the lower portion of the banner from the full Legion logo with Poppy and branch numbers to the Banners4Veterans logo, the word Tay and the poppy.”
The poppy became the national symbol for remembrance in 1921, and has been a trademarked item by the Royal Canadian Legion since 1948 to protect that symbol. Authorization to use the Poppy trademark can only be granted through express permission by the Dominion Command Poppy and Remembrance Committee of the RCL.
While van Zandbergen claimed the design change was made to accurately show the three supportive groups in the program, the non-authorized assumption continued. Backend costs rose for the 2022 initiative as a larger commemoration was planned, but again van Zandbergen and her husband carried the amount which she stated was “just shy of $19,000.”
In August 2022, the three Tay Legions pulled out of the project; their reason was that the 2021 affair was small while the expanded request was too much of a workload for their volunteers.
van ZandBergen wrote: “This should have been the end of this story. The Legions had pulled their support for this veterans program and there were no hard feelings on my part.”
Despite the setback, Banners4Veterans received assistance from Tay Township and other volunteers to install the 2022 imagery on posts around the municipality; a complaint was lodged by a participant about not being contacted regarding the design change, but van ZandBergen reasoned that participants weren’t consulted to begin and as such shouldn’t have been informed.
Local Legion requests to see van Zandbergen’s poppy authorization came in November 2022, which she admitted she perceived she still had.
Hearing nothing back on her affirmative response, she continued the Banners4Veterans program until March 2023 when, as she was preparing to take upcoming banner orders, she was reported for copyright infringement and all orders were suspended.
Tay council met with municipal Legions throughout 2023 on the matter, with van Zandbergen invited but only able to attend a few outings. In October, a formal letter by the Royal Canadian Legion National Headquarters informed the municipality that Banners4Veterans had been asked to cease all use of the Poppy trademark.
A Legion representative asked for clarification on the township’s stance for the banner program because while Tay was supportive of its Legions, van Zandbergen had posted on social media that authorization to place banners by the township had been approved. Tay replied that no banners would be placed on municipal property without Legion permission, and that a relevant bylaw would be ignored for private properties just for this year’s time period.
Tay Township Mayor Ted Walker told MidlandToday through email exchange: “The intent of the program was well-received, and unfortunately issues arose which were of concern to our Legions and our participation was always based on Legion support.” He reiterated that the 2023 banners were placed on private property, visible in good locations throughout the township.
Regarding the Poppy trademark usage, Walker affirmed: “The Township will continue to support the desires of our three Legions in this matter.”
Nujima Bond, national spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Legion National Headquarters told MidlandToday through email that misunderstandings regarding the use of the poppy can happen, and that “various individuals or groups can always apply to use the poppy image”.
“For the banners that were created using the Legion logo or Poppy trademark,” wrote Bond, “we have suggested that those who bought them could request them back (from Banners4Veterans) to facilitate their display by local Legion Branches” who have the authorization for future banner programs.
Bond added that new banners would need to be created via local Legion branches, but already-produced banners can be displayed in the community, noting that the RCL “would be delighted” to see Legion branches displaying proper banners with the support of Tay.
“We also hope that memorial banner projects will continue to grow, helping Canadians honour those who have served and sacrificed for our country,” Bond noted.
For van Zandbergen, she told MidlandToday that the tale was part of a larger story focusing on the copyright infringement aspect, anecdotal Legion members unhappy with their representation and community members being displeased with banners being removed from Tay property. When asked, Walker and Bond committed to their support for the Royal Canadian Legion branches.
van Zandbergen noted that of the 70 participants to Banners4Veterans, only four banners had been removed prior to this September, and that just ‘Banners4Veterans’ would be displayed on the lower portion of the banners for 2024 and beyond. “This veterans program will continue to run as long as I have participant and community support.”
“I am fully committed to ensuring that all veterans who are being commemorated through a visual display community program in Tay Township are treated equally,” stated van Zandbergen.
Knowing that the community’s veterans are being served, it is up to community members to decide on whose side their hearts and wallets will rest.
