Blairmore latest Alberta community to lose bank branch — a trend seen across Canada

Valerie Robinson has been a CIBC customer for almost 30 years. Now, that’s coming to an end.

She lives and does her banking in the Crownest Pass town of Blairmore, Alta..

The bank notified the community of 1,500 in September that the local branch will close on Feb. 5. The nearest other CIBC branch is about 40 kilometres away in Pincher Creek.

Unhappy about being asked to begin a long-distance relationship with her bank, Robinson complained to a local staff member.

“The representative actually didn't really feel that she could do anything,” said Robinson.

“She just said, ‘Well, those decisions are made somewhere else, and I can just write down your complaint.’”

CIBC will remove its ATM in Blairmore too.

Robinson is worried about locals’ reduced access to cash: the currency of the small transactions that fund the life of the town.

“All of our fundraising, like with the service groups, curling, sports activities for kids — you're not going to have a kid going around with a debit machine to sell their raffle tickets, you know.”

There are other banks in town: Scotiabank, RBC and ATB.

But Robinson says switching her account somewhere else feels like a gamble.

“This could be a snowball effect,” she told CBC News.

“Banks in all small communities, they feel that they can save money by moving out. And so which bank do I move to? You know, it's like rolling the dice. Are they going to be the next ones to close?”

Dozens of other residents in the area shared their complaints and concerns online about CIBC’s decision to leave town.