Sales stay steady

Despite poppy sales being down this year in some parts of the country, Thunder Bay has seen a steady distribution of the red iconic Remembrance Day flower, said a local poppy campaign manager.

Sharon Scott, with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 5, said she’s expecting to sell at least half of the 60,000 poppies she ordered for the city’s North side.

"There’s a great support for the veterans that we have in town," she said. "I think we have great support in the city and I’m sure it will continue."

Scott said new businesses have requested poppy boxes and that about150 of them have been distributed this year. The campaign is expected to raise at least $18,600, which was last year’s total. The money raised from the campaign goes directly to support veterans and legions.

The money does help, but the financial benefit of the campaign is only one of the annual campaign’s man goals. The poppy is also about raising awareness and remembering.

While there may be a dip in sales in places like Calgary, Scott said she hopes Thunder Bay will continue to remember.

"As long as I’m here I’ll keep doing what I can," she said.