Islanders angered by closure of bank

The afternoon of June 26 was a time for grieving for the residents of Campobello, as they watched the doors to the only banking facility on the island closed for good. The Campobello branch of the Charlotte County Credit Union (CCCU), which has served the community since 2001, locked its doors and turned its back on its members, according to the residents of Campobello.

Island residents gathered in the parking lot of the Campobello Co-op complex, which housed the credit union, for a rally to show their displeasure with the CCCU for their choice to close the facility. Young and old alike marched, chanting, "CCCU, shame on you," while carrying signs with messages written on them. Some of the signs read, "Does anyone care about us?" "Where does this leave our seniors?" and "How can we survive without a bank?"

Rally participants requested the management from St. Stephen to come out to talk with the crowd and answer some questions. No one was seen inside.

Gerry Hicks, chairperson of the Campobello Heath and Wellness Committee, inspired those attending with a speech, encouraging the people of Campobello to take control of their future. Hicks stated, "The choice is ours C either accept defeat and we have what we have, or we decide we want the kind of life we deserve and the quality and level of service we are entitled to. We need to commit to do what we need to do as a community to fulfill our own needs. The committee has been working very hard on your behalf for banking, for a ferry and for governance, and we are going to continue to do so. Until we have the ability to control our own tax dollars, this is going to be up to us to negotiate C not for St. Stephen or Fredericton or Ottawa."

A petition was circulated around the crowd to have it determined that Campobello's status is one of an isolated community and that residents are entitled to a certain degree of services. The petition asked that the Northern Resident Deduction be amended to include Campobello, by adding the words: "any person who cannot access their homeland without traveling through another country." It stated that the residents of Campobello suffer many financial hardships because of lack of access to their home county and that the government needs to do something to help alleviate these hardships.

Hicks reminded people that after the recent proposals to eliminate the ferries at Belle Isle and Gagetown, communities rallied and immediately responded that the proposals were not acceptable, and they saw the proposals changed. He encouraged Campobello residents to do the same.

Hicks stressed, "The ferry issue is not about transportation, and the bank is not about money. It's about the preservation and the viability of a community. It's about people and the quality of life, and that is everybody's issue regardless. There is still lots of work needed to be done, but the people need to come together as a community. If people split in their beliefs, it is classic divide and conquer. But a thousand people as one voice are going to be heard loud and clear. There are a lot of people who want to do well by this community, to see it prosper, to see it thrive to reach its potential, to see a future for this generation, and we can only do that by coming together, having a unified agenda, determining our priorities, gaining control of our tax dollars and the commitment from the community to have our own say. We have to tell them how it's going to be run, and not simply be dictated to as a community." This brought up a round of cheers from the growing crowd that had gathered.

One thing that many islanders wanted to be known was that the employees of the CCCU on Campobello, all local residents, had the support of the islanders. They are disappointed, though, in the management in St. Stephen and with Credit Union Central. The local employees have now lost their jobs, which were some of the few year-round jobs on Campobello.