July 6, 2004

CIBC may be getting a class-action lawsuit for Christmas.

"That'll be our present," NDP MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) told a noon-hour protest outside the Logan Avenue and Keewatin Street branch yesterday.

"We're going to try to force CIBC to change its mind."

Holiday-themed

A group of 30 customers and area residents, mostly seniors, staged a noisy, holiday-themed demonstration outside the bank. Led by Les Slingsby as Santa, they wore red and green caps and sang "All I want for Christmas is my local bank."

As they stomped their feet to stay warm, the protesters waved cardboard signs proclaiming "Bank robbery in progress ... CIBC steals bank from community" and "G.I.C. -- Guilty of Ignoring Community concerns."

CIBC announced last month it would close four Winnipeg branches next year -- three in Martin's riding -- and build a mega-bank at the corner of Empress Avenue and Ellice Street. The move was immediately panned by residential, business and community clients who have lost 14 bank branches over the past five years.

The closures hit seniors particularly hard because many don't drive or use bank machines, said Judy McKelvey, a seniors' resource co-ordinator at nearby Bluebird Lodge.

McKelvey said the Inkster Community Coalition, a group formed to fight the bank closure, is seeking a legal opinion from the Public Interest Law Centre of Manitoba, an arm's-length organization that acts as a legal ombudsman.

Martin said lawyers will be asked to investigate whether the bank is violating its role to provide basic financial services in exchange for a monopoly and properly consulted with affected customers.

Bank spokesman Rob Mcleod said "the decision to close the branch has been made," but CIBC is sympathetic to residents' concerns and will take steps to lessen the loss.