As wildfires are sweeping through northern Saskatchewan, a few credit unions that are approaching a merger soon are sending out a $150,000 donation to help out those affected. Conexus, Cornerstone, and Synergy Credit Unions are sending that money to the Canadian Red Cross in an effort to help keep them supporting Saskatchewan residents.
Celina Philpot, the CEO of Conexus Credit Union, talks about why they wanted to show that support.
"At Conexus, in support with our two other credit unions, Cornerstone and Synergy, really were moved to take action to support people of the North, understanding the tremendous impact that these wildfires are having on individuals, their homes, and the level of stress that they must be going through. So we felt the need to do something to demonstrate our commitment to our communities, and that's what credit unions do."
The fire has also impacted Conexus, as Philpot says their credit union in Laronge had to be evacuated along with many of their members.
"Our location for Conexus in La Ronge is right in the heart of where these wildfires are happening, so it has impacted our branch there, and we have closed that location in order to support the community with their evacuation, and so the employees have left the location, all of our members have evacuated La Ronge and the surrounding area, so our branch is closed down for right now."
As many of those evacuees will be without their regular banking services, Philpot encourages them to give Conexus a call so they can make sure they don't run into any issues while evacuated.
"We have policies and procedures, rather, to support people in times of difficulty, so we encourage our members to call us directly, and we will work with them to find a resolution to any kind of financial issues they might be going through right now. So we are prepared to support our members through times of difficulty, so we're ready to support them; they just have to reach out and give us a call."
Conexus encourages its members to donate individually as well, especially as the federal government is offering to double any non-corporate donations that are made for the northern wildfires.
Conexus, Cornerstone, and Synergy Credit Unions continue their voting for the merger, which ends on June 13th. For anyone who is affected by the wildfires and cannot vote at their location, Philpot says they still have the option of voting through a digital app, online on the Credit Union's website, or by going into any other branch in Saskatchewan.