If you think there are fewer poppies in Halifax this year, you’re right | City | Halifax, Nova Scotia
TheIf you’ve been struggling to get a poppy this November, you’re not alone. After buying a lot of ice caps and doing a fair amount of grocery shopping over the past few weeks, I’ve only come across one poppy donation box around town – call the Barrington Street Tim Hortons for poppies and for the Iced Capp. With Memorial Day right around the corner, this seemed odd, but I didn’t question it too much.
Having recently moved here, I thought maybe the poppy pool was smaller in Halifax than I was used to. But bringing it up to my co-workers at The Coast deepened the suspicion that there are usually more people carrying poppies in Halifax. A quick Google search confirmed that there are significantly fewer poppies floating around this year, not just here, but across the country.
The Royal Canadian Legion, which is behind the annual Poppy Campaign, lists many businesses on its site who received poppy donation boxes: BMO, Best Buy Canada, Costco and Tim Hortons, to name a few. However, it announced in October that it would take a more environmentally friendly approach to this year’s campaign. confirming to the media that 27,000 poppies were distributed across the country compared to 34,000 last year.
Some of the poppies this year are made from biodegradable materials such as paper, moss and bamboo. If you’ve got your hands on one of these newly designed red flowers, they also come with the ability to be scanned from your smartphone through the 2022 Poppy Stories initiative. Visiting history poppy.ca you can scan your poppy and read a unique story about a Canadian who fought for our country.
While the new initiative is an interesting way to learn more about our history, it does not address the 21% decline in physical poppy distribution. This is where Legion’s third initiative comes into play: Digital Poppies.
Canadians can hop on their computers and smartphones and download a digital poppy at www.mypoppy.ca that they can share across social media platforms. The online version offers the user the opportunity to donate and support veterans, and the site encourages people to use this digital version to compliment their physical poppies. However, if the reduction in the number of traditional poppies is preventing people from meeting them in real life, the call for action seems futile.
Nujma Bond, Legion’s communications manager, told the media that the reason behind this change is an effort to reach more people. “The various initiatives are a way to engage more Canadians of all generations, to engage young people in the act of commemoration,” he said. “We hope that as we modernize the way we remember and the materials we use to remember, it will also continue the tradition of commemoration in Canada.”
This isn’t Legion’s first attempt to modernize the campaign. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she introduced 1,000 boxes with the help of HSBC Bank that allowed people to donate by tapping either their bank cards or mobile phones. The same amount of these boxes was distributed this year as well.
The Legion has not confirmed that the poppy planting is directly related to these new initiatives, but the push of digital poppies alongside the planting of physical ones as a way to “modernize the way we remember” raises some concerns.
Canadians have worn poppies on their jackets since 1921 as a way to honor veterans who have served. In a world that is constantly adapting to new technology and trends, the meaning of Poppy Day and Remembrance has, for the most part, remained intact.
The Legion’s subtle shift towards digitizing the campaign leaves us wondering if a move, even a small one, into the superficial world of social media will diminish the authenticity and meaning of Poppy Day and Remembrance.
Have you noticed fewer poppies this year? How do you feel about the Royal Legion’s modernization of Remembrance Day traditions? Share your thoughts in the comments.