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Residents rally to keep Metcalfe bank branch open

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Local residents and customers of the Metcalfe branch of the Royal Bank of Canada rallied Monday to keep their bank open.

RBC plans to close the branch in mid-October. Residents, customers, and politicians gathered Monday afternoon across the street signing and delivering letters, asking to keep their local branch open.

“It’s insane, this bank has been open since 1905, and we need it—the community needs it,” Kathryn Campbell, who says she’s been a customer for 70 years, told CTV News Ottawa.

“For us, it’s just important to teach our kids about financial literacy, and having the bank right in our community makes that possible,” said customer Natalie Elliot. “We stop at the bank all the time when we’re going to the farmers’ market, the Metcalfe fair, the variety store for ice cream—we like to support the local bank, and the local businesses, and without it here, it’s going to make that challenging for us.”

RBC previously told CTV News Ottawa that clients have been notified that it will close its Royal Bank branch on Victoria Street on Oct. 14.

"RBC is consolidating the Metcalfe branch into our newly built branch at Bank and Findlay Creek," said a statement from RBC.

RBC says "a couple of factors" led to the decision to close the Metcalfe branch, including fewer clients coming into branches, more people choosing to do their banking online or at the ATM, clients tending to do their banking at more than one location, and more options available to meet with an advisor.

The RBC branch at Bank Street and Findlay Creek Drive opened in August 2020, and is located 15 km away from the branch in Metcalfe.

RBC says during the six-month transition period, it will work one-on-one with clients to identify the nearby branch that best suits their needs. In addition to the branch at Bank and Findlay Creek, RBC has branches in Embrun, Manotick and Winchester.

"RBC clients in the Metcalfe and broader Osgoode Township area will continue to be served by our network of nearby branches and ATMs, our team of mobile advisors and telephone and online banking channels," RBC said.

Osgoode ward Coun. George Darouze attended the rally and asked for the branch to remain open.

“It’s devastating for the community. It’s devastating from the perspective if every small rural community start closing their bank, and start closing businesses, it’s not good for them - it’s not good for the economy, the village vibe will go away.”

Darouze added that the bank serves many seniors who cannot drive to another branch. 

-With files from CTV’s Josh Pringle and Tyler Fleming

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