Banking returns to South Mountain
by Brandon Mayer
It may not be the same as full service banking, but South Mountain has regained a valuable service with full ABM access for Scotiabank customers, and a cash supply for customers of other banks. The new Scotiabank machine was installed at the beginning of the month inside the lobby of the South Mountain Post Office. It was functional after about a week.
The machine is capable of accepting deposits from Scotiabank customers, and can also dispense cash in different bill denominations. However, a note on the machine indicates that it is only able to dispense $20 bills at the present time. As is usual for ABMs, the machine can dispense money for non-Scotiabank customers, but will charge a convenience fee.
Scotiabank served South Mountain for over 100 years until the corporation decided to close the local branch due to a lack of business, which was attributed to the increased popularity of online banking. The closest banks for customers located in South Mountain are now those in Kemptville, approximately 15 minutes away. There is a Scotiabank branch in Kemptville, and also one in Chesterville, the latter being about 5 minutes further away from South Mountain customers.
Following the branch closure in 2020, Scotiabank donated the South Mountain building to House of Lazarus, and the latter organization used the space as a food bank until a kitchen fire shut it down in the spring of 2023. Scotiabank had left the existing ABM at the front entrance of the building during its use as a food bank, meaning that customers could continue to access all banking services except for those requiring the assistance of a teller. However, access to the ABM was cut off for safety reasons following the fire.
The ABM within the Canada Post location has the same functionality as the one formerly located at the front of Scotiabank’s original building. The post office lobby is always unlocked, meaning that the ABM is accessible 24 hours a day.
The House of Lazarus, meanwhile, has plans of its own. A new facility is being built beside its existing headquarters, which will house many services including a new food bank that will replace the temporary location set up on Clark Road in Mountain. The not-for-profit agency will not return to South Mountain. Instead, the building at 10619 Main Street was put up for sale, and may soon be turned into a veterinary clinic – another show of progress for South Mountain. More about the veterinary clinic possibility can be found inside this issue of the Times.