Access Credit Union closes 6 branches, including Emerson by October

Access Credit Union will shutter six branches, including one in Emerson, by Oct. 21, citing falling in-person visits.

The branch closures are part of the credit union’s wider consolidation plan to centralize in larger communities and shift towards virtual banking.

“Any Access branch across Manitoba can serve our members and we carefully considered distances between rural communities where members are travelling for other errands. More members are choosing digital ways to bank, and this shift positions us to focus on delivering greater convenience and flexibility in the future,” Access Credit Union CEO and President Myrna Wiebe said in a Feb. 19 news release.

The Emerson branch will be consolidated with its Altona counterpart. Moosehorn will join Ashern. Plum Coulee will shift to Winkler. Sanford will join the credit union’s new Kenaston Boulevard location, set to open this summer. Two Winnipeg locations also combined.

Emerson-Franklin Reeve David Carlson was surprised to hear the town’s last remaining bank office will close. Other banks have already shuttered, with Scotiabank closing its Emerson branch in 2024.

“It’s kind of sad that this is a way things are going in that industry,” he said.

Carlson fears it will leave seniors and young people with few options in accessing banking. Not all seniors are used to online banking due to the steep learning curve and preference for in-person help, he said. The 15 to 25 minute drive to Altona or Dominion City also represents a barrier for youth who don’t have licences or seniors with mobility issues.

“They (seniors) do their banking in-person, and that’s a service they’ve counted on pretty much for their whole lives. And now it’s going to either be a drive or family helping or I guess maybe some training on online banking,” Carlson said.

He tried to plead the community’s case to the credit union but was told the branch closure won’t be revisited. Despite the credit union’s administration offering reassurance that the Dominion City branch will remain open, Carlson isn’t sure how long that will last.

Access previously closed branches in Birds Hill, Gretna, Lowe Farm, Miami and Lundar in 2025, citing falling traffic numbers.

Emerson resident Carson Hoy banks with the credit union and has embraced tracking his investments online.

“I like my debit card, and it’s used just about everywhere I go. I have adapted very nicely to online banking. There’s seldom a dime in my pockets,” the 74-year-old said, noting he didn’t go to the Emerson branch more than three times a year.

While he’s grown accustomed to virtual service and being cashless, Hoy pointed out the town will miss the bank machine for those who need cash. Prior to closing, Scotiabank had an ATM, but now only a privately-run ATM with high fees inside the Emerson Bigway grocery store remains.

“For us, that doesn’t matter, but I know that for a lot of younger people that are maybe more payday to payday that it could be a bit of a hardship,” Hoy said.

Originally from Northern Ontario, he’s watched banks leave communities that are more than 100 kilometres apart, called the closures “disappointing to see.”

“Online banking is taking over, and I think we have to recognize that,” Hoy said.