By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Red Deer Legion working to revoke imposter’s membership

Mar 27, 2018 | 1:01 PM

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Red Deer is having a hard time moving on from a member recently convicted of impersonating a US veteran.

Last week in Red Deer Provincial Court, Peter Toth pleaded guilty to unlawfully wearing military decorations and unlawfully possessing a military identity card or other similar documents. The 59-year-old was sentenced to 18 months’ probation and 200 hours of community service.

The charges came after Toth attended Remembrance Day ceremonies at three Red Deer schools last fall while posing as a veteran of the US Marines.

Bev Hanes, President at Legion Branch #35, says Toth is still a Legion member at this time because the process of revoking his membership is an onerous one.

“I expected to be able to just write a letter, but I’m not able to do that,” she says after seeking advice from Legion headquarters in Ottawa. “We have to go through a fairly involved complaint process and that doesn’t sound correct, but that’s the answer I got.”

don't be fooled

Fake gold jewelry scam going around Red Deer, RCMP warn

3h ago

effective immediately

Lacombe County latest to implement fire restrictions

3h ago

Individuals aged 55 and over

Central Alberta Older Adult Employment Strategy Assessment Project full report released

20h ago

Hanes says the Legion does not condone what Toth did and calls his actions disrespectful.

“In Canada, the Privacy Act is a real obstacle hampering our ability to easily verify facts about military service, and to be honest, 99 per cent of the time it’s really not necessary,” she says, noting most Legion members aren’t actual veterans and that Toth could have become a member without doing what he did.

“When Mr. Toth was here, he was always cheerful, he pitched in when we needed things done. So it’s very unsettling to find out what he has done and what he’s being held accountable for.”

Going forward, Hanes says the Legion will be reaching out to Stolen Valour, the organization which notified police of Toth’s wrongdoings, to assist in verifying those who claim to be US vets.

Hanes says Stolen Valour has proven they are able to obtain information in that area better than even the Legion’s head offices can.

Hanes and a number of others from the Red Deer Legion will be attending the RCL’s 47th Dominion Convention this August, and expect the issue of revoking memberships, as well as Toth’s story, to be topics of discussion.

As for who the Legion sends to schools for future ceremonies, Hanes says there are unfortunately dwindling numbers of veterans able to attend.

“We certainly apologize again to the schools that he went out to. We will ask them to be a little bit more proactive in finding veterans, perhaps relatives of students, which would mean more to them,” she says. “It may just be something we won’t be able to do in the future.”