Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

The Osoyoos Credit Union (now known as the OCU) is moving closer to its goal of opening its  new Oliver branch on Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) land in mid-August.

The new branch, which is undergoing a phased renovation, represents not only an opportunity to offer direct engagement and the provision of financial services to both the OIB and the community at large but collaboration with community non-profit organizations as well. This includes working closely with Desert Sun and the Boys and Girls Club (BGC). 

The new branch is located at the old OIB band office next to the Petro Canada station on McKinney Road

Greg Sol, CEO of OCU, said they are hoping to get the whole upper floor renovated but currently are working on the right side of the building. “We’re doing some upgrades on that and then the exterior in another phase and eventually we would like to see some additional offices, expanding it to give a bit of space to the whole upper floor.”

“Eventually as we expand the upper floor we’re looking for a little more robust plan of how we utilize the space better and that’s when we will look at the community kitchen and what not,” he said, adding this is one of the services that has been discussed.

The project is similar to what the OCU did in Rock Creek where it collaborated with non-profits to create a shared space.

The idea in Oliver, he said, is a collaboration with Desert Sun and the BGC where the teens could have key fobs to access offices in the building when OCU staff is not there. “We’re only planning on using an office or two and they’ll see how much demand there is in terms of what they need.”

“It’s an opportunity where they can come and do all the good work they do in the community, it just gives them another location,” Sol said.

The idea came about after the Rock Creek project with the OCU board asking where they could do something similar. A conversation between Sol and OIB Chief Clarence Louie then set this project in motion. “So this was really the first opportunity to partner with the OIB and do some good things,” he said.

“Community is incredibly important to us at OCU and being able to both work with and offer direct services to the Osoyoos Indian Band is something we’re happy to now provide,” said Sol. “The main focus was to set up this branch to have financial services they actually had a need for.” Mike Campol, Chief Operating Officer of the OIB, shared in the excitement as well: “It has been a pleasure working on this project with Greg and his team. Having a credit union on the reserve with a track record of giving back to the community makes a lot of sense for the Osoyoos Indian Band. We look forward to a long and meaningful relationship.”

Noting this is the OCU’s 76th year in the community, Sol underscored the OCU’s community connection. “We’re very committed to community, and this is a way we can go beyond finance and really employ our community at a deeper level.”   The new branch will have financial advisory services and a dedicated ATM. Hours of operation are currently slated to be Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the ATM will be available 24/7.