Branches and corporate offices to be closed September 30, 2021
Toronto, ON (August 31, 2021) – On September 30, Meridian employees will join fellow citizens to mark the country’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This new federal statutory holiday will be observed annually to honour the survivors of Canada’s residential school system, their families, and communities.
To acknowledge and mark this important day of reflection, Meridian’s corporate offices and branches will be closed. Our Contact Centre will remain open to ensure Member and customer needs are addressed.
“Being aware of the history, cultural differences, beliefs, values and traditions of Indigenous Peoples in Canada is a critical step in the path to true reconciliation,” said Wade Stayzer, Chief People and Culture Officer, Meridian. “For Meridian, it also includes continuous work to end unconscious bias and to remove any barriers to equitable access for Indigenous Peoples in our workplace and for all our services.”
In leading up to this day of observation, Meridian has planned learning opportunities during the month of September to provide employees with an introduction to understanding Indigenous perspectives in Canada.
In addition, Meridian is the proud “Two Row Sponsor” of Niagara’s Annual Celebration of Nations being held September 10-12, 2021 to help support and promote Indigenous arts programming. Niagara’s annual Indigenous arts gathering celebrates creativity, diversity and resilience, and this year, will be offering live-streaming programming to broad-based audiences providing an opportunity to deepen their experience and learning about Indigenous cultures.
“This first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation represents a gateway opportunity for Canada’s journey of reconciliation,” said Wade. “Meridian believes it is important to observe and participate because education and awareness can affect change.”
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About Meridian
With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario’s largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of 375,000 Members. Meridian has $27.2 billion in assets under management (as at June 30, 2021) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian cardholders also have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ABMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE® Network and the Allpoint Network in the US. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or visit us on Facebook
Media contact:
Teresa Pagnutti, Public Relations, Meridian
Teresa.pagnutti@meridiancu.ca
416-275-3816 (m)