Residents of Fraser Lake are looking to conduct electronic banking skill sessions to help those who are unfamiliar with online banking.
The initiative follows the news that the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) will shut its branch in Fraser Lake on Sept. 19.
LOOK BACK: CIBC to close its branch in Fraser Lake next year
Though most CIBC clients do their banking online or through mobile phones, many clients in Fraser Lake rely on the physical branch for their banking needs.
“We have a number of residents who are not familiar with electronic banking…We hope to assist with their skill development in this area,” Rod Holland, CAO of Fraser Lake told Lakes District News.
Autumn Services is interested in helping with that, though the logistical details were not yet known.
“We have a literacy coordinator who said they would do that when [CIBC] pulls out,” said Autumn Services coordinator Elaine Storey.
Many senior residents of Fraser Lake are upset that the bank is closing and are unsure how they’re going to pay their bills after September, Storey explained.
The specific level of electronic banking literacy needs in the village will be further assessed at a community meeting in April, she added.
With just over seven months left until CIBC leaves Fraser Lake, the village is looking into other banking options.
“We’ve approached Integris about putting in a bank machine,” Storey said. “Integris and another branch have put a proposal together wondering if they could come into the community.”
The only other ATM currently in the village is that of Toronto Dominion Bank, which is used infrequently in this region, Storey said.
The Fraser Lake CIBC branch will consolidate with the Vanderhoof branch.
CIBC has 12 branches from Quesnel to Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia.