Kensington Legion

Veteran Memorial Banners Program


Calgary has been and continues to be a wonderful place to live, raise a family and achieve economic prosperity. The Memorial Banner Program is an exciting opportunity to celebrate, educate, and acknowledge the sacrifices that our service personnel, both past and present, have made so that we can live in peace and enjoy the freedoms we have today.

This project is a two part program. “Veterans Banners” will be strategically placed on authorized city light poles in the Kensington village and secondly a “Virtual Banner Website” will be created that allows the showing of each banner and tells the story of each veteran. Banners will typically be displayed each year from 1 October through Remembrance Day.

The program is an initiative of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 264, Kensington Business Improvement Area (BIA), and supported by the City of Calgary. In addition, without the assistance of various corporate and individual sponsorships and donations this program would not be possible. This initiative is truly a community effort.

"Lest We forget"

We hope that by the displaying the names and faces of our veterans and telling their stories that our community will be able to connect with the everyday people who made the extraordinary decision to serve their country. The specific objectives of the program are:

  • to engage the Community in honouring local veterans in a colourful and vibrant way;

  • to help promote remembrance in our Community;

  • to help educate students and citizens on the faces and stories of the service of our Veterans

  • To help ensure recognition and remembrance in our future generations.

Kensington Legion Veteran Memorial Banners Program

Beginning October 1st, through Remembrance Day, the City of Calgary will honour our fallen Veterans with a Memorial Banners program in the Kensington village

Criteria for Honoured Veterans:

1. Military (RCMP) Veteran as defined by Veterans Affairs Canada,
2. Canadian Citizen or having served in battle allied with Canadian troops,
3. Deceased,
4. Killed in Action, Wounded in Action, Honourably Released; and
5. Have a connection with Calgary (Born/ raised/ served/ retired/ died/ and/or family is here)

To sponsor a Veteran, he/she/they/them must meet the aforementioned criteria. The sponsor must

1. Pay a $250 sponsorship fee (the fee covers the cost of production, installation and removal)
2. Complete the Memorial Banner Sponsor Form
3. Provide a suitable close-up picture of the Veteran (you must extend permission for the Legion’s use of the photo)

Banner Program Details

  • Any veteran, can be portrayed on the banners.  A veteran is any person who is currently serving or who has honourably served in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Commonwealth or its wartime allies, or as a regular member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or as a Peace Officer in a Special Duty area or on a Special Duty Operation, or who has served in the Merchant Navy or Ferry Command during wartime.  The person must have some connection to the Calgary area (born, grew up here, or lived here, or is related to a current resident of this area). Note:  if the veteran is still living they must provide consent.

  • Any individual, family, organization, or company may sponsor a banner. Your name will appear on the banner (not logos) as a sponsor. Each Banner will cost $250.00 and will be displayed for a 3 year term. Payment can be made by credit, debit or cash.

  • The veteran banners will be sponsored by individuals, families, organizations or companies but the ownership of the banner will remain with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 264.  Their management and Committee – the Veterans Banner Committee will be responsible for producing the banner, ensuring banners are put in place in the lead-up to each Remembrance Day, taken down, and placed in storage.

  • Please provide a high resolution photo (300 dpi or greater) of the veteran in uniform that can be enlarged to fit on a banner. The following guidelines apply.  Digital images are preferred, however, physical photos are allowed and they will be scanned in high-resolution to be used for the banner.

  • All the banners will have the same uniform design.  The only changes will be to the name, service / branch and photo.

  • There are 34 lamp post locations along Kensington Rd and 10th St NW. That would be two separate banners on each one (68).

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No. Only the name, his/her/they/them service/branch and photo will appear on the banner.

  • Regretfully not.  Individual banner locations will change from year to year. Given the number of banners and complexity of placing banners up each year and taking them down and the need for speed when doing so it is not practical to cater to individual wishes.

  • Banners will be displayed yearly typically from 1 October through Remembrance Day and taken down as soon as practical after November 11th.

  • The Banners will be removed from the various light poles, cleaned, and stored as organized by the Veterans Banner Committee.

  • Individual banners would be displayed for a 3 year term so long as they remain in good condition and subject to the City continuing to allow the display of veteran banners.

  • The Banners are made from very durable material which should minimize weather damage.  Indeed, in other locations they have endured very well.  Calgary, however, has unique weather conditions, i.e. wind, such that if damaged the Veterans Banner Committee may not be able to replace them.  The sponsor, however, would be given first right to do so.