Residents protest closure of RBC bank in West End

An upcoming closure of a West End RBC branch has residents upset, saying it will leave a hole in the community. Danton Unger reports.

A group of residents are protesting the impending closure of an RBC branch in the West End, saying its departure will leave a hole in the community.

Sheila Hazzard has been living in the Spence neighbourhood for 55 years. She’s been banking at the RBC on the corner of Sargent and Sherbrook for just as long.

But that could soon change.

“It’s just horrible when you think of it,” she said. “I don’t think they put a lot of thought into who was here and who wants to stay and bank here.”

A spokesperson for RBC told CTV News the branch is set to merge with its Ellice Avenue location near Polo Park.

“Our branch network continually evolves and changes as we seek to serve our clients where and how they wish to conduct their banking. And in some circumstances, this may involve combining branches, relocating certain branches, or opening new ones,” the spokesperson said in a written statement.

Its closure has left many residents in the area upset, prompting the protest Thursday.

“A lot of the businesses and the people who live here really need and use this bank,” said Cheryl Martens, an area resident who helped organize the protest.

She said the location is the last remaining bank in the neighbourhood which services a large population of newcomers, seniors and low-income residents.

It isn’t the only location set to close.

The RBC on Main Street and James Avenue is also shutting down this month.

Martens noted with the closures, residents will either need to bank downtown or take a 20-minute bus ride to the Ellice location.

“It becomes a tax on the poor, because now it’s a $7 bus round trip to be able to do your banking,” said Ralph Bryant, one of the residents who joined the protest.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, MLA for Union Station, said they have been banking at the Sargent location for years. They wrote a letter asking for the bank to stay open, but so far, they said they’ve received no response.

“We’re hoping that they continue to listen, meet with the community, listen to seniors in the neighbourhood, understand how devastating the closure of this location would be for folks living in this community,” Asagwara said.

“Make the right choice here. RBC needs to stay in the neighbourhood, stay in Union Station and continue to be a part of our community in a positive way.”

For Hazzard, she said if the branch does close, she will be switching banks after more than five decades as a client.

But she is hopeful it won’t come to that.

“No matter how late it is, I have hope until the hour has passed,” she said.

The RBC spokesperson told CTV News that following the closure, clients can choose whatever branch is most convenient to them. They said RBC is committed to working one-on-one with clients who need support during the transition.