News

Removal of small-town ATMs raises protest in Quebec

February 28, 2018

Several small towns in the Canadian province of Quebec are about to lose their community's only cash machine, and residents of those towns are unhappy about it.

At least a half-dozen towns will be affected by the decision of Lévis, Québec-based credit union cooperative Desjardins, according to a report by The Chronicle Herald.

Removals reportedly will begin as early as next week. The town of Notre-Dame-de-la Salette will lose its ATM in mid-August and is hoping to persuade Desjardins to reverse its decision.

Most of the local businesses in small towns are cash-based, said Mayor Denis Legare. And many of the community's older citizens are not used to paying by card, even where that is an option.

Further, Legare said, the loss of the ATM means that local merchants will have to drive some distance to another town to manage their cash needs.

"Cutting the cash flow and asking our merchants to drive 24 kilometres [15 miles] every night to do their nightly deposits is going to kill the municipality," he told the Chronicle Herald.

Desjardins Regional Vice President Marc Villeneuve said the company is seeking to reduce the size of its ATM fleet as digital banking channels become more popular.