Township concerned about closure of RBC in Ripley

Huron-Kinloss council is concerned about the closure of RBC Royal Bank in Ripley.

In committee-of-the-whole Wednesday night (Aug. 4), treasurer Jodi MacArthur said the township was notified July 26, that the Ripley branch would be consolidating with Kincardine, effective Feb. 4, 2022.

“As this announcement has a major impact on both the township’s administrative services and the services to the community, we have reached out to Royal Bank officials to try and learn more about the reasoning for the decision and the future of the property,” said MacArthur. “There will be a virtual community information session Aug. 18, from 7-8 p.m.”

She said the township’s current banking services agreement is in effect until July 31, 2022, which will give council and staff some time to evaluate the municipality’s needs and options if a local bank branch is no longer available.

Cheryl Brean, director of communications, southwestern Ontario, for RBC Royal Bank of Canada, said the decision to merge the Ripley and Kincardine branches, was made “after careful consideration of how we can best serve our clients in this area. We remain committed to working with all our clients to ensure they have banking solutions that work for them.”

Back in 1986-87, RBC attempted to close the Ripley branch, but that decision was reversed due to concerns from the community.