The Soldier Settlement Board was established in Canada in 1917 to assist returned servicemen in setting up farms.
The Board would give assistance to any man who had served abroad with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, to any former Canadian serviceman who had not left Canada but was in receipt of a service pension, to any member of the Imperial, Dominion or Allied forces who had lived in Canada before the war, or to any member of the Imperial or Dominion forces who had served outside their own country and who had since emigrated to Canada.
The last category was required to first work on a Canadian farm for a time to prove that they had the capability to farm on their own, to have sufficient working capital to establish themselves, and to make a down payment of 20 per cent for land, stock, implements and buildings.
Loans on land to be purchased could be made up to a total of $7,500, including: Loans on land already owned by the applicant could be made up to a total of $5,000, including: Alberta and Saskatchewan were the most popular provinces for settlement, followed by Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario.
All settlers helped by the Soldier Settlement Board were regularly visited by field supervisors to check on their progress and give advice.