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This article was published 25/4/2015 (1975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Don Cruickshank had no intention of being at the centre of a firestorm — but he ended up there anyway.

The Access Credit Union member wanted to inform fellow Winkler residents about the support the Assiniboine Credit Union has given to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community over the years. So, he posted a message on his Facebook page in advance of Wednesday night’s vote on the proposed merger between Access and Assiniboine, a marriage that would have created the largest financial co-operative in Manitoba.

His intention wasn’t to lead a charge, but he did hope the merger would be voted down.

It was. Access members voted 63.5 per cent in favour of the merger, short of the two-thirds majority needed to give it the green light.

"My intent was to have information out there so that people in Winkler could make an informed decision. ‘Hey guys, here’s the info. I just found this out. You probably didn’t know it and maybe it makes a difference to you. It does to me.’ I posted it and it exploded," he said.

"Credit unions are supposed to reflect the values of their members. They do that by giving back to the community. Assiniboine has a little bit of a different value system than I do. For my credit union to support my values, then my values need to be aligned with theirs."

Cruickshank’s actions blindsided Larry Davey. The CEO of Access, the sixth-largest credit union in the province, said he was shocked to hear about Cruickshank’s anti-gay posting because the meeting featured an open discussion and such issues were never brought up.

"It was a little bit surprising," he said.

A resident of Winkler for the past three years, Davey said he hasn’t come across people with those views since he moved from Winnipeg.

"I certainly can’t side with the individual. I think it’s thrown off our board and our staff a little bit," he said. "I think it’s important to realize that we’re in 17 communities across southern Manitoba and to have the credit union represented by one individual in one community is difficult."

Assiniboine Credit Union members voted 95 per cent in favour of the merger. It’s still possible for the merger to surface again if one or more Access members asks for a special meeting to deal with it. Such a meeting must be held within 30 days of the request.

Davey said he’s optimistic that will happen.

"There have been a number of members who were disappointed by the outcome. Some didn’t come out to vote. Unfortunately, we were competing against a Jets game that night," he said.

Margaret Day, chairwoman of Assiniboine, expressed disappointment that Access members voted against the merger, but she wasn’t going to apologize for any support it has provided to the LGBT community over the years.

"We had such excitement between the two credit unions about the merger resulting in a very strong credit union for our communities, better services to our members and lots of opportunities for our staff," she said. "We felt by coming together we would be able to broaden our community building. We still look forward to that, hopefully."

Day said Assiniboine is proud to be a diverse and inclusive organization in everything it does, ranging from sponsorship to hiring policies.

"It makes sense to support those communities. They represent a part of our membership. Diversity is one of the positive things about our community. We don’t apologize for that," she said.

Jonathan Niemczak, president of Pride Winnipeg, a non-profit organization focused on bringing awareness to the LGBT community, said intolerant views tend to be more prevalent in rural areas than in Winnipeg. Still, Cruickshank’s actions puzzled him.

"I find it very odd. I don’t know why you would dictate a business decision over something like this. If you’re going to start tearing down companies that support the LGBT community, you’re going to have to become self-sufficient. It’s becoming the norm," he said.

Numerous studies have shown the growing strength of "pink" dollars. Niemczak said LGBT people tend to be highly educated, have more disposable income, travel more and spend more when they travel than heterosexuals.

"In terms of an investment, it makes sense to go after that market," he said. "Today, when LGBT individuals see companies that support them, they develop immediate brand loyalty. Assiniboine Credit Union has been a huge supporter of the LGBT community, I’m sure they have a large customer base that is LGBT."

Cruickshank said the reaction to his Facebook post was swift. "There are those who agree (Assiniboine’s values) don’t line up with their values. Some of them would have voted differently (had they known). Then there are people who disagree with my thoughts and they let me know. That’s OK," he said.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca