Collaboration MB
Operations
How we’ll operate together
A Uniquely Manitoban Credit Union
The merger of Assiniboine Credit Union, Caisse Financial Group and Westoba Credit Union will create a unique financial co-operative in Manitoba. It will be the first time a credit union will have such wide geographic reach, offering French language services, and serving both urban and rural members through a values-based approach to banking.
A Stronger Voice
As one of the largest financial co-operatives in Manitoba and moving into the top 10 largest credit unions in Canada, the merged entity will have a strengthened voice at the provincial and national levels. We will be in a better position to influence the strategic direction of the credit union system, suppliers, and strategic partners, which will ultimately benefit members.
Branch locations
The merged credit union is geographically unique and will have the widest distribution of branches of any financial co-operative in Manitoba.
Our Name
The merged organization will be the only purpose-driven financial co-operative in Manitoba to carry a French and English name –
Assiniboine Credit Union / Caisse Assiniboine1
which allows either the English version or the French version to be used. We feel this is an imperative long-term commitment to honour the unique role that Francophone communities and French language services played in the history of the credit union/caisse movement and continue to play in the province of Manitoba.
We want to assure you our discussions around name were not taken lightly, especially with the long and rich histories attached to Assiniboine Credit Union, Caisse Financial Group and Westoba Credit Union and the deep connections that employees, members, and community partners have to their names. The reasons to operate as Assiniboine Credit Union in predominately English-speaking locations and Caisse Assiniboine in Francophone markets include:
- Assiniboine is the same in English and French and the Assiniboine name and brand are well-known and respected within our communities. By adopting the name Assiniboine, we aim to extend the values that have guided Assiniboine Credit Union through the years in support of all members, employees, and communities.
- The Rivière Assiniboine River flows through Manitoba and for centuries has connected and supported the rural and urban communities we are looking to bring together through a proposed merger. By embracing the name “Assiniboine,” we honour the urban and rural foundations on which our credit unions/caisse were built and our ongoing commitment to serving the specific needs of these communities, ensuring they remain an integral part of our identity and future growth.
- Just as the Rivière Assiniboine River has changed course numerous times over past centuries, Assiniboine Credit Union / Caisse Assiniboine will evolve, innovate, grow, and progress in ways that ensure member, employee and community needs and wants can be met now and in the future.
- We believe that coming together under the Assiniboine name is important as it demonstrates our commitment to working as partners and as one strong credit union to better meet your financial needs now and into the future.
The Board of Directors
The new credit union will be governed by a 12-member board, which includes six members from Assiniboine and three each from Caisse and Westoba. Future elections will be held on an at-large basis providing a minimum of two directors who meet our definition of a “Francophone individual”2, and a minimum of two directors who meet our definition of a “rural individual”3.
Inaugural director terms will be staggered, with the first one-third of the terms expiring at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in spring 2026, the next one-third at the 2027 AGM and the final one-third at the 2028 AGM. The merged credit union recognizes the importance of ensuring its Board as a whole possesses the knowledge, skills, diversity of backgrounds and lived experiences to effectively steward and oversee the strategic direction of the organization.
Qualities of our first directors
The first directors of the merged organization have been carefully chosen based on their deep knowledge and understanding of financial co-operatives, their impressive skills and expertise which are needed for this unique merger, and their deep commitment to our shared values and their respective communities.
Meet Your Inaugural Board
Here is your Board of Directors for the merged credit union.
Jim Abernethy
Director
Jim Abernethy
Jim Abernethy, Vice-Chair of Westoba’s Board of Directors, is a cattle producer from Glenboro. With a diploma in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba, Jim previously chaired Westoba’s Board (2016–2021) and contributed to various boards, including Assiniboine Hills Conservation District, Glenboro Consumers Co-op, and a Provincial Advisory Board for Credit Union Central of Manitoba.
Jane Brown
Director
Jane Brown
Jane Brown, Audit and Risk Committee Chair with Westoba’s Board of Directors, also has past experience on the IT Oversight Committee. Jane is a Rivers, MB. native, spent 26 years at Behlen Industries, where she held diverse roles spanning accounting to IT. Jane’s retirement from her family business, HiWay Esso, has allowed her to serve on various boards, including Career Connections and Family Visions.
Stéphane Dorge
Director
Stéphane Dorge
Stéphane Dorge, Vice-Chair of the Caisse’s Board of Directors, brings extensive experience through his leadership position in governance services and as Corporate Secretary of the Réseau Compassion Network. A graduate in management and law from the University of Ottawa, he has held key positions in the public and legal sectors.
Patrick Fortier
Director
Patrick Fortier
Patrick Fortier is a member of Caisse’s Board of Directors and has served on many non-profit Boards. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and a BA in economics. A graduate of the Leadership Winnipeg program, Patrick is currently the Managing Director of the Internal Trade Secretariat. He lives in St. Boniface and is francophone and Métis.
Don Johal
Director
Don Johal
Don Johal is passionate about automobiles, commerce and people, which led to leadership roles in the vehicle rental industry — as a licensee/franchisee and as President of the Manitoba Car and Truck Rental Association. Don has served on ACU’s Governance & Ethics, and Human Resources Policy & Compensation Committees, and as Vice-Chair and Chair of Entegra Credit Union.
Jacqueline Keena
Director
Jacqueline Keena
Jacqueline Keena, a professional agrologist of Métis descent, is managing director of EMILI, a Manitoba-based non-profit, working to increase the adoption of intelligent technologies into agriculture. In 2023, she was appointed to the Premier’s Business and Jobs Council, where she chairs the AI, Technology and Jobs committee. Jacqueline has served as Chair of ACU’s Nominating Committee and on the Human Resources Policy & Compensation Committee, and is also past-chair of the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba.
Crystal Laborero
Director
Crystal Laborero
Crystal Laborero, a member of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, is ACU’s Board Chair. She is a Graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors and has served on each of ACU’s board committees and other committees within the credit union system. Her experience in banking includes opening the first on-reserve RBC branch in Manitoba, at Peguis First Nation. She is the owner of Laborero Consulting, a management and HR consulting firm that focuses on innovative projects that positively impact communities.
Jeff Leclerc
Director
Jeff Leclerc
Jeff Leclerc is a proud Franco-Manitoban who has dedicated his education and career to board governance. For the past two decades, he has held the position of University Secretary, the senior governance officer of the University of Manitoba. Jeff has served on the ACU Nominating Committee and has also held director roles on the boards of United Way Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba Pension Plan.
Priti Mehta-Shah
Director
Priti Mehta-Shah
Priti Mehta-Shah (FCPA,FCA,CBV, ICD.D) is a leading transaction advisor who has provided guidance to clients in Canada and around the world for the past 30 years. Priti’s expertise includes assisting clients with buy side and sell side transactions, mergers and acquisitions, management buyouts, and placing financing for the acquisition. She has served on ACU’s Audit & Risk and Nominating Committees and is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship for women.
Garnet McBurney
Director
Garnet McBurney
Garnet McBurney, Chair of Westoba’s Board of Directors, hails from a grain farm in southwestern Manitoba. With extensive experience in accounting since 1988, including serving as Controller for major Brandon-based companies, he now leads Venture Accounting Group Ltd. Garnet’s passion lies in nurturing new business start-ups and mentoring entrepreneurs.
Alain Molgat
Director
Alain Molgat
Alain Molgat is a CPA, CMA with 30+ years’ experience in auditing, financial management and business advisory services. Alain is a Franco-Manitoban and as President of Alain Molgat Consulting, provides management and consulting services primarily to Indigenous-owned enterprises. Since first elected, Alain has served on each of ACU’s Board Committees, most recently as Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee.
Darrel Nadeau
Director
Darrel Nadeau
Caisse board member Darrel Nadeau, originally from La Broquerie, has an extensive background in non-profit management. Currently VP of Visitor Experience at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, he brings valuable ESG knowledge due to current and past roles on boards such as Pride Winnipeg, Winnipeg Arts Council and the International Bureau for Children’s Rights.
Executive Leadership
Following a thorough selection process, all three boards unanimously recommended current Assiniboine President & CEO Kevin Sitka as President & CEO of the new organization. Caisse CEO Joël Rondeau and Westoba President & CEO Jim Rediger will continue in leadership roles to support the post-merger entity. The process to identify the right people for the remaining leadership team is underway and will continue after the vote.
Kevin Sitka
President and CEO
Kevin has served as Assiniboine Credit Union’s President & CEO since 2014. Prior to Assiniboine, Kevin held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Steinbach Credit Union where he demonstrated his deep understanding of the important role credit unions play in supporting the vitality and strength of rural and agricultural communities and organizations.
Kevin has represented the Canadian credit union system as a board member of the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) and served on the United Way Winnipeg Cabinet. He is currently serving on the board of Credit Union Central of Manitoba (CUCM) and is a member of the Large Credit Union Coalition (LCUC).
Deeply committed to values-based banking, urban, rural, agricultural and Francophone communities, and the continuance of French language services, Kevin brings a wealth of leadership and professional experience in the credit union system and financial services industry and is very well positioned to lead the new credit union into the future.
Footnote 1 – Assiniboine Credit Union Limited / Caisse Populaire Assiniboine Limitée
Footnote 2 – A “Francophone individual” means a person who is a resident of the province of Manitoba and whose first language is French or who has a special affinity for the French language and uses it on a regular basis in their daily life.
Footnote 3 – A “rural individual” is a resident of the Province of Manitoba and whose primary residence is located outside of the Winnipeg CMA (Census Metropolitan Area).
