A Bradford West Gwillimbury council candidate is in hot water with the Royal Canadian Legion after using the poppy symbol on his campaign signs.
Nickolas Harper, who's running for the Ward 6 seat in the Oct. 24 municipal election, says he was shocked when he received an email from legion officials on Tuesday requesting he remove the symbol from his signs.
Harper comes from a military background, having served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 11 years. He did two tours in Afghanistan, with his second being with Operation Medusa in 2006, a Canadian-led offensive, not seen since the Korean War.
"Someone has made a complaint in the small town of Bradford that a soldier, a veteran, wants to raise awareness for veterans," he said.
According to the Royal Canadian Legion website: "The legion ensures that the Remembrance Poppy is not used to commercialize, politicize or dishonour those who served or to misrepresent the Poppy Campaign and the donations it raises." It also states that the poppy cannot be used without authorization on lawn signs or door decorations that have been produced for distribution.
Harper says he wasn't aware of the policy and is working on having the poppy covered by stickers on his 16 large signs on which they are present. The majority of his signs are smaller and do not feature the flower.
"I am going to comply. I spent $150 this morning to make a sticker to cover it," he said. "I understand their point and their trademark; my intention was not for political gain, but to bring awareness to veterans and their issues. ... We live in your backyard, we are here."
Harper maintains he did not breach any municipal election guidelines.
According to the Bradford West Gwillimbury election information website, candidates are not allowed to use the town logo on any of their campaign material, but there are no rules listed about the use of poppies.
Harper says he's not sure who made the formal complaint about his signs, but says he's not letting it get him down.
"I think this is a highlight for me to actually stand up and thank them for bringing that to my attention, thank them for allowing this to be heightened for veterans' issues," he said.
Harper is an advocate for veterans and says he enjoys the camaraderie at the local 521 Legion Branch, and recently decided to become a member, "to be an advocate for veterans of our time, to ensure the legacies and memories continue on through organizations like the Royal Canadian Legion."
When contacted for comment, Bradford legion president Tammy Paglia said she was made aware of the signs and let Harper know about the trademark policy.
"The legion is non-partisan when it comes to politics and we do not support or encourage disregard for the legion policy in any way," Paglia said. "Our mission is to support our veterans, and knowing what many of our veterans have been through in their military careers, we will support Nickolas the veteran however we can while remaining in compliance with the legion's bylaws and governance."
He believes it may be time for the Royal Canadian Legion to update its policies regarding signs, however, in an effort to help recognize veterans and their service.
"I know it goes against some of their trademark laws, but maybe it's time for it to change," he said. "We built highways for (veterans) — Highway of Heroes. We make a national day of mourning for a soldier who dies, so why not be able to celebrate a veteran that's served?"
Harper says he's in the process of getting his stickers made and will be out in the next few days to have the poppy symbols covered up.
