One Parkland community is losing a credit union branch, while a nearby municipality is having theirs expanded.
Catalyst Credit Union is closing its Pine River branch-- which was only open eight hours a week-- as of December. But Ethelbert will be getting renovations at its branch, including the installation of a 24-hour ATM.
CEO Ron Hedley says it's never a good story to close something down in a small community, but in the long-run they feel it will serve the interests of Pine River and Catalyst Credit Union.
"It's always sad news when you're taking away a service in a small town, and we're very sensitive to that... You know, we've evaluated it for a long time and we just think it's something that we need to do at this time."
There will be no job loss as a result of the Pine River branch closing. Hedley says the employee at Pine River has accepted a position at the Ethelbert branch.