Dear editor,
The probable loss of a credit union branch in Sointula illustrates problems of bigness and assumptions about collectives.
A common cause of failure is the notion that collectives are better, exemplified by the claim that credit unions are not banks. That’s nonsense – they have owners, and profits are distributed or re-invested (which benefits owners later). They cannot survive by losing people’s deposits. They have the same costs of service and security.
The question for people in Sointula is whether or not a more nimble bank could open a branch there. It needn’t be fancy — for example, it could be done from a small table in the back of a store.
Keith Sketchley
Saanich BC