![[connectFirst Credit Union branch in Vulcan, Alberta; Image provided by connectFirst].](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Vulcan.jpg?quality=65&strip=all)
The last two years have been far from easy, and if you’ve looked at the news or your gas bill lately, the future may not look like smooth sailing, either.
According to a January 2022 survey by the Angus Reid Institute, 49 per cent of Alberta residents say they are worse off now than they were last year. Combined with home prices that are at record highs — and predicted to increase this year — it can be hard for Albertans to map out the future.
READ MORE: Rate hike won’t take ‘too much steam’ out of Canada’s housing market, experts say
But one Alberta institution wants to help. “As a credit union, we’ve been trying to step up and do more for our members and more for the communities we serve. Being here sometimes when others aren’t,” says Wellington Holbrook, CEO of connectFirst Credit Union.
In partnership with connectFirst Credit Union, we look at the ways they are helping Albertans with banking services and mortgage options.
That’s exactly the kind of help Stephane Legault and Shawna Pliva McGill were looking for when they sought to buy a homestead for their blended family of eight last summer.
![[Stephane, Shawna and their family; Image provided by connectFirst]](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/MicrosoftTeams-image-9-1.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=800)
Since both Legault and Pliva McGill are professionals in the television industry, the pandemic has been up and down for them. Both actors saw the industry slow down in March 2020.
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Soon, however, productions were relocating to Alberta due to restrictions in the U.S. and B.C. Things got busy, with Pliva McGill working as an actress, associate producer, and a transportation and construction coordinator on set. Meanwhile, Legault, who is also a stunt actor, saw his construction business picking up steam.
Then they learned that the property they were renting near Calgary was being sold. They took the opportunity to buy a homestead.
The couple dreamed of having a ranch where their combined family of six children, who also act in TV and film, could grow up around animals, especially horses. But they also knew that the nature of their work might mean more hurdles to jump through when applying for a mortgage.
“On paper, there’s nothing consistent. So bigger banks were not really interested in talking to us at all. No matter how much money we were able to put forward,” Pliva McGill says.
The couple were looking for options. Someone who could look beyond the paperwork and see a hardworking family looking to settle into their dream home.
It was Kelcie Walkom at the Vulcan, Alta., branch of connectFirst Credit Union who made it happen.
“She always felt like a friend that’s trying to help us,” Legault says. “She always looked at a different approach.”
Legault and Pliva McGill say that the employee helped them look holistically at their family’s income. The result allowed them to secure a simple mortgage, which is connectFirst’s option with a low locked-in rate. The credit union also offers a head-start mortgage that gives the first few months of payments back, a flex mortgage with the option to pay off the loan faster and a cash-back mortgage.
They’re just one Alberta family who have found mortgage help through connectFirst. According to Wellington Holbrook, the connectFirst CEO, it’s that local connection and autonomous decision-making that allows credit unions to do more for their members.
![[Wellington Holbrook; Image provided by connectFirst]](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Wellington-January-Print_Ready-44.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=1200)
“We want to create a movement of hope here in Alberta, because it has been difficult for many years,” Holbrook says. “One of the ways anyone can participate in that is when you are dealing with a credit union. We’re reinvesting with your neighbours and the community you are living in.”
In August 2021, the Legault–Pliva McGill family moved onto 10 acres west of High River, Alta. The newly named Duley Ranch has two horses, two dogs and a view of the mountains.
“I think it’s awesome for kids to grow up around animals. Mostly having the responsibility to look after them teaches them little things,” Legault says. Next up? He’s excited to bring on chickens and a small herd of cattle.
READ MORE: Average home price in Canada hit a record $816,720 in February
To learn more about credit unions and the mortgage options they offer, visit connectFirst.
