What if some of Canada’s most trusted institutions helped lead the response to the housing crisis?
As the Royal Canadian Legion approaches its 100th anniversary this year, one branch in Bala, Ontario is using the milestone not to look back but to fundamentally rethink its future.
The Bala Legion Heritage Manor is a proposed mixed-use redevelopment that transforms an underutilized Legion property into a new, modern home for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 424, topped by four storeys of rental housing. The project brings together housing, community space, and long-term financial sustainability on a single, walkable site in the heart of Bala.
Designed by WZMH Architects and its research and development lab Sparkbird, the project is an application of ELEVATE — a forward-thinking concept that transforms underutilized sites into mixed-use community hubs integrating housing, innovation, and sustainability. In Bala, the concept has been adapted to reimagine a Legion property as a development that addresses Canada’s housing crisis while preserving the Legion’s civic role.
At street level, the new Legion is conceived as a welcoming civic anchor along Maple Avenue, with a transparent, glazed façade and a grand entrance displaying ceremonial and honorary items. Inside, a central bar and restaurant reinforce the Legion’s role as a place of fellowship, while a flexible ceremonial hall supports events, meetings, and community gatherings, ensuring continuity with the Legion’s historic mission in a contemporary setting.Above, 128 rental apartments provide much-needed housing in Muskoka. Designed as generous suites with balconies, abundant natural light, and connections to the surrounding landscape, the residences demonstrate how modest mid-rise density can be delivered sensitively in small communities.
For Dennis Mills, President of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 424 and former Member of the House of Commons of Canada, the project reflects a belief that institutions with deep community roots have a responsibility to evolve.With strong member support, active government engagement, and CMHC review underway, the Bala Legion Heritage Manor is being positioned not just as a local solution, but as a repeatable national model — one that could help Legions and other community organizations across Canada remain viable while contributing directly to housing supply.
