Rideau Lakes council to send letter of request to reopen 5 days a week

LAURIE WEIR

Limited hours of operation at the RBC branch in Portland has caused some concern in Rideau Lakes Township as the branch is now closed on Wednesday and Friday. 

This former five-day-a-week branch has had reduced days of operation since the beginning of the year. 

Council sent a letter to RBC concerning the cutback of hours of operation. 

A recommendation came from the Feb. 5 Economic Development meeting which hit council’s agenda on April 2. 

A resolution was passed that council will ask RBC to reopen five days a week, instead of the current hours of operations. 

RBC has offered full-service transactions and appointments for financial advice on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with five-day-a-week options available at branches in Perth and Smiths Falls, noted Lucie Caron, Regional Director, communications specialist for north and east areas, in an email with this publication on April 2.

“We also offer the convenience of virtual and telephone financial advice appointments for opening accounts, financial reviews, investments, mortgage, and estate matters,” Caron noted. 

The ATM continues to be full accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a “convenient option for cash deposits and withdrawals, bill payments and more,” she said. “Our clients also have access to mobile and telephone banking – for their everyday banking needs.”

These new hours have been in effect since the beginning of the year.  

“Our decision to implement these new hours of operation in Portland was not taken lightly,” Caron said. “It was based on several key trends about how Canadians are doing their banking as well as data specific to this branch. We are proud to continue to serve the broader Rideau Lakes community at our Portland RBC Branch.” 

In a letter to the township from RBC, obtained by this publication, Ryan Smith, Regional Vice President, Eastern Ontario, said, “I understand this change may be difficult for some. I encourage any of our clients to reach out to Jonathan Moodie, our manager at the Portland Branch, or directly to their relationship manager. Jonathan can be contacted by email at jonathan.moodie@rbc.com or by phone at 613-283-7364.”

Smith added, “Please rest assured that we remain committed to working with our clients in the community.”