The federal government is boosting its commitment to veterans with a $200 million pledge over six years dedicated to health and wellness.
However, Legion Branch 43 President – Bruce Gabrielle isn’t confident Prince George veterans will see any benefit from this funding.
Even so, he says many local veterans use the Legion’s services for help with physical and mental health.
“At our Legion here in Prince George, we helped a young man several weeks ago that had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he had it big time, and I’m not an expert, but I would think that judging by what I saw, it could be a life-long thing in his case,” Gabrielle says.
The funding’s main focus is on clinics and facilities, while also opening offices around the country, after criticism from veterans over so many offices being closed.
However, the nearest office is slated for Kelowna.
Branch 43 President Bruce Gabrielle says ideally, the funding should go towards opening more offices around the country, like Northern BC.
“So people can go in there and talk directly to someone and people can keep tabs on them,” he says. “We had a great office in Prince George, we had some wonderful people and I know when a lot of people came through the Legion here, we could help them directly or refer them to the veterans office and make sure that they get all of the things they needed.”
The funding will go to a variety of causes, from a health research facility to a stress research clinic in Halifax.
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