305 Queens Ave. There are existing alternatives to the major banks. Across Canada there are approximately 1,000 credit unions and 1,500 caisses populaires serving more than eight million Canadians. Credit unions are financial cooperatives jointly owned and democratically controlled by their customers. In addition, credit unions offer the same complete range of banking services as the major banks, very often with smaller service charges.
Many credit unions focus on local community investment, rather than corporate bankrolling.