Princess Avenue location will serve approximately 2,400 Veterans
BRANDON, MB, Oct. 21, 2016 /CNW/ - Veterans, their families and local officials today joined Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Charleswood–St. James–Assiniboia–Headingley, on behalf of the Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, for the reopening of the Veterans Affairs Canada office in Brandon, Manitoba.
The office is located on the 1st floor of the Brandon Federal Building at 1039 Princess Avenue. The Brandon office will employ approximately nine staff who will serve approximately 2,400 Veterans in the area. Staff at the office will answer questions about VAC services and benefits; arrange pension medical examinations; and, assist Veterans to complete and submit applications and receipts. Case-managed Veterans will also be able to meet with their case manager.
During the summer months, Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr visited the Brandon office while it was still under construction. The Brandon office is the second of nine Veterans Affairs offices to be reopened across the country by May 2017.
Quotes
"I am extremely proud to be reopening doors that were previously closed to Veterans and their families here in Brandon. They have selflessly answered the call to serve our country, and now we are answering their call by enhancing financial benefits, restoring and enhancing access to critical services, expanding service in British Columbia and the territories, and hiring more frontline staff. This was part of our commitment to Canadians, and we stand by this promise."
The Honourable Kent Hehr, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
"It's my pleasure to be here in Brandon today to officially reopen the Veterans Affairs Canada office. This office is important to Veterans and their families, and providing access to the services Veterans and their families need, when and where they need them, is a priority for the Government of Canada."
Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Charleswood–St. James–Assiniboia–Headingley
Quick Facts
- Reopening the nine Veterans Affairs offices that closed is a top priority in the Minister of Veterans Affairs' mandate letter.
- The Corner Brook office reopened on July 5, 2016. Offices will also reopen in Charlottetown, PE; Sydney, NS; Windsor and Thunder Bay, ON; Saskatoon, SK; and, Prince George and Kelowna, BC. A tenth office will open in Surrey, BC.
- Veterans Affairs Canada is hiring 400 new employees to help ensure that Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces members, RCMP personnel, and their families are provided with the best possible services in their own communities. This includes new staff to ensure case managers have a caseload of an average of 25 Veterans.
Associated Links
- Office Openings (landing page/infographics)
- Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Mandate Letter
SOURCE Veterans Affairs Canada
Media Relations, Veterans Affairs Canada, 613-992-7468, [email protected]; Sarah McMaster, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs, 613-996-4649
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