Canadians have fastened the poppy pin to their lapels with great pride and solemnity since the red velvety flower was brought to Canada as a symbol of remembrance back in 1921.

Over the years, the Royal Canadian Legion has developed a tried and true method of distributing the pins to people from sea-to-sea-to-sea: Politely ask passersby in every community across the country to take a poppy in exchange for a small donation.

Indeed, the roughly $16.5 million raised annually by the poppy campaign is a testament to the generosity of Canadians and a widespread respect for our troops.

Every year, however, reports surface of veterans and youth volunteers being shooed away from storefronts by disgruntled shopkeepers. The administrative officer and Remembrance co-ordinator for the Legion, Steven Clark, said this year is no exception. Before the 2008 campaign was even officially underway, at least two nationwide retailers expressed concerns about having pins on the premises.

"Unfortunately it happens from time to time," Clark said, though he would not name the companies. Most retailers however, are willing to work out the "misunderstanding" after a quick phone call from the Legion.

But protest from even one small business owner in a remote community can have devastating effects on the veterans living nearby. All poppy money collected by a Legion branch stays within that local community and pays for medical equipment, home services, and long-term care facilities for ex-service people in need of financial assistance.

Thankfully, the vast majority of companies welcome the donation boxes, Clark said.

In recent years, the distribution of poppies has been steadily climbing. In 2006, Canadians picked up 18.9 million pins and another 19.1 million in 2007.

The average donation for a poppy is a loonie, though any amount is acceptable, Clark said.

Cathy Kerr is one of thousands of campaign volunteers at hundreds of Legion branches across the country. She decided to work the night shift at her regular job for three weeks to co-ordinate poppy distribution in Charlottetown.

"We ordered ten thousand this year, and we're down to our last couple of boxes," Kerr told CTV Atlantic.

In the past, the Legion has been criticized for distributing poorly made poppies. The most common complaint is pins that too often fall off. The Legion once distributed 100,000 test versions of the poppy equipped with a protective sheath to keep the pin in place, but the prototype was rejected after most users reported they preferred the traditional variety.

The poppy is designed to maximize its fundraising potential, Clark said, adding that an increase of just a few cents to the manufacturing of a poppy would cut into the proceeds.

"We are particularly proud they are made here in Canada and not in China or elsewhere offshore," Clark said.

With a report from CTV Atlantic's Dan Viau

Poppy protocol:

There are few things the Legion wants Canadians to keep in mind this Veterans' Week:

• The poppy should be worn as close to the heart as possible or on the left lapel of the outermost garment.
• The poppy should only be worn during the Remembrance period, starting the on last Friday of October and ending at midnight on Nov. 11, or at other veteran-related special events.
• The poppy should never be defaced in any way including replacing its pin.
• An old poppy should never be reused. Appropriate disposal of the poppy is left to the discretion of each individual.
• Any poppies found lying on the ground would be best placed lying at the foot of a war monument or in a local cemetery.

Little known facts:

• Until 1996, poppies were handmade by veterans in Vetcraft workshops in Montreal and Toronto. The work provided a small source of income for disabled ex-service persons.
• While the traditional lapel poppy is the most popular, car models, large table varieties and metal pins are also available at most Legion branches.
• The centre of the poppy was originally black but was changed to green more than twenty years ago to represent the green fields of France. In 2002, it was changed back to black to reflect the actual colours of the poppies that grew in Flanders, Belgium.
• The poppy is an international "symbol of collective reminiscence."
• Poppies have been associated with those killed in combat since the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th century, more than 110 years before being adopted in Canada.
• Prior to the First World War, few poppies grew in Flanders. Trench warfare enriched the soil with lime from rubble, allowing "popaver rhoes" to thrive. When the war ended, the lime was quickly absorbed and poppies began to disappear again.
• In 1915, Guelph, Ont. native John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian Forces Artillery, wrote about the poppy explosion in his famous poem In Flanders Fields.
• An American woman inspired by McCrae's poem wore the flower year round and exported the idea to Madame Guérin of France who sold the handmade poppies to raise money for poor children. Guérin later convinced friends in Canada to adopt the symbol as well.