CIBC and the Three Stooges

For those of us that shared the evening of Nov. 23 in the Vauxhall Legion Hall, I’m sure that we were all enlightened and left with a warm fuzzy feeling.

We had Larry from Calgary, Curly from Lethbridge, and Big Moe from Toronto.

We all listened to the Messenger tell us that we were all “valued customers” of the Vauxhall CIBC.

We listened to how it was simply a business decision, that after 63 years it now makes no economic sense to keep the Vauxhall branch open. There was no mention of the fact that the Vauxhall branch more than held its own for most of the previous 63 years.

The impression that I left with was that we would all transfer our affairs to the good people at the CIBC in Taber and that life would carry on just fine.

I recognize that the message was coming from head office, Toronto or wherever, and that the three delegates delivering the message really didn’t want to enlighten us, but they all pulled the short straws.

Personally, I attended as a show of support for the many years that our Vauxhall staff has served us very well.

As a banking institution, I have long felt that CIBC had long since relinquished its role as a community leader. That our communities in our small towns, had long since lost our luster and the glitz, glamour, and support would be better suited in the larger urban centres.

It may be true that 75 per cent of all transactions now take place online. I am unsure if that 75 per cent number holds true for rural Alberta. I know that we, at F. Miller Excavation Ltd., will cherish the personal relationships, and friendly assistance that we witnessed continuously at our Vauxhall CIBC.

For us, moving our banking affairs down the road 20 miles, has very little attraction.

It would seem, that as an institution, Bank of Nova Scotia has exhibited a show of rural support that may not go unnoticed.

                                         Regards,

                                                      BOB MILLE

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