Royal Canadian Legion Branch #54 President Dean Langton presents a poppy to Deputy Mayor Grant Berg Friday at City Hall. Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

Remembrance Day

Poppy sales officially underway

Oct 31, 2025 | 4:14 PM

Poppy sales kicked off in Grande Prairie on Friday, October 31, with a ceremony at City Hall.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch #54 President Dean Langton pinned a poppy on the lapel of Deputy Mayor Grant Berg (picture above, video below).

Langton says the poppy is not a symbol of war, but one of peace and remembrance.

“It’s our way and everyone’s way of remembering everyone who has fallen in foreign wars to keep their memory alive going forward, and we hope we never have another world war as we have before.”

Langton says that all the money collected locally stays with the local Legion branch and helps veterans and their families, serving the military and the RCMP.

“Everything goes into helping them through their tough times, whether it’s PTSD, Veterans Affairs issues, whatever.”

“They’re having tough times making bills meet; this is what we do. They need medical equipment, this is what we do. This is what it’s slated for.”

He adds there is a certain way a poppy is to be worn.

“You wear it over your heart, whether it’s on the lapel or above your heart itself, and that’s just how we do it.”

Langton says there will be poppy boxes set up at close to 170 Grande Prairie businesses. There are twenty volunteers working to get the boxes distributed.

He also says the Legion’s Remembrance Day ceremony will take place at the Bonnetts Energy Centre again this year

“Thank you to the City of Grande Prairie for their donation of the venue and everything else.”

“The Storm will be helping us move all our gear over there on (November 10) and back to the Legion (on) the afternoon of (November 11).”

Langton is asking anyone coming to the ceremony on November 11 to please be seated by 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will start at 10:40 with two minutes of silence at 11 a.m.

The Legion is also looking for submissions of Remembrance Day-themed poems, essays and posters from school kids.