Bluebirds Of Unhappiness Seniors Lodge Slams Bank Closure
Watch out, Bay Street. The Bluebirds are fighting back. Residents of Bluebird Lodge are signing a petition in hopes of keeping their nearby CIBC branch open. The bank announced Monday it is closing four Winnipeg branches (Polo Park, Tuxedo Park, 1797 Logan Ave. and 1020 Notre Dame Ave.) and consolidating its staff and services in a new Ellice Avenue and Empress Street super branch next summer. The news angered many of the 90 residents in the building a block south of the Logan branch. "It's crazy what they're doing," said Fay Regush, a Bluebird resident and angry CIBC customer. "You can't get around that part of Empress with all the traffic in the area." "They are moving it away from where nobody has a car to where you need a car to get to," said Judy McKelvey, a seniors' resource co-ordinator in the block who started the petition. ABANDONING INNER CITY Three of the branches are in MLA Pat Martin's riding (NDP-Winnipeg Centre) and he is furious, accusing the bank of abandoning the inner city. "Rather than spend $7.5 million building this new mega-bank, why don't they invest $1 million each into each of those (affected) bank branches and provide new and better service where they are?" Fourteen bank branches have closed in Martin's riding since 1997, and he is fed up. The five chartered banks are guaranteed exclusivity in exchange for providing basic financial services, but Martin said Ottawa should pull their charters for failing to honour the deal. "Let's pull their monopoly and teach them a lesson," he said, noting "the Big Five" rack up record profits each year. CIBC spokesman Rob McLeod said the new facility will offer all services under one roof in a popular area of the city. "We believe by locating in this place ... we are going to be able to grow our business faster than is the case currently with our four existing locations, where the business levels are essentially flat," he said from Toronto, noting clients have been notified of the May closures by letter and a public meeting is scheduled for Dec. 9. The actions are being monitored by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, a bank watchdog formed in 2001. "A bank can decide where it operates its businesses, the government does not regulate that," said FCAC spokeswoman Susan Murray. But the agency can rein in the bank in other ways. "The commissioner is watching the bank closures closely," Murray said from Ottawa. "He is concerned about access." The FCAC has recorded 539 closures across Canada since Feb. 2002 and 56 were initiated by CIBC -- three in Winnipeg this year. Martin fears "fringe banks" such as money marts and pawn shops, which charge high interest, will pick up the slack in his riding. But Bluebird residents hope a credit union comes to their rescue. Automatic teller machines won't cut it, added McKelvey, noting seniors won't use them. "There are lots of old people here who can't walk long distances," noted Claude Bisaillon, who had a stroke and is suffering from cancer. "Where are we going to go?" | 
