DOUG'S STORY

I grew up on the beach in Toronto (well, some call it the “upper beach”) — Woodbine and Kingston Road area. I lived there for 25 years, met my beautiful wife and moved with her to downtown Toronto, Front and Bay streets.

For four years, we lived in a beautiful condo right in the heart of the big city. We enjoyed a great nightlife, restaurants, theater and, of course, sporting events. When we decided it was time to start our family — a beautiful little girl — we quickly found that downtown Toronto was no place for a growing family. House prices, daycare, everyday conveniences are more suited for the single lifestyle.

I worked for one of the top five financial institutions and asked for a transfer to a rural setting, to a place where I could be part of a community and play an influential role. I was told I would have to join the list of employees with the same request. (The six-inch-thick list was the size of a Toronto phonebook and it appeared that my name would remain on it until my retirement!)

We moved to a beautiful bedroom community 64 kms outside of Toronto (Whitby). We moved in October and an arduous commute began immediately.

I needed an alternative: The GO train. No driving. I could sleep, read or just veg out. What an alternative — for $350 bucks a month I get to ride on the very unpredictable GO train and then take the crowded subway for another 30 minutes and $5 per day. Did I mention I worked at Bloor and Yonge? (Only the busiest subway station in Toronto.) Making connections was challenging, and missing the express train tacked on an additional 45 minutes to my commute.

After 12 years of bedroom-community life, my wife tells me our daughter is having her 12th birthday. What!? How could she be 12 years old?

I did the math: Three hours a day of commuting — my day started at 5:30 a.m. and I arrived home between 8:30 and 9 p.m. I didn’t see my kid grow up and presto! I have a 12-year-old daughter!

Things had to change...

I had spent no time with my family. I didn’t know them. I had no time during the week to take care of my personal business and chores around the house had to wait until the weekend.

I decided it was time to get to know my family. I decided to look for a new job. I wanted to work for a company that had a vision for balanced work-and-family life. I wanted to know this company had good values and would hold their employees accountable to those values.

I started my search online and soon came across a company that was located in the very wealthy province of Alberta. (One perk was no PST.) It was a provincial financial institution that offered the same financial solutions as the big five. The only difference: They were Albertans taking care of Albertans — ATB Financial. The ATB brand is “Where there’s a Way.” I had discovered a community-minded bank!

I needed to know more.

I sent my resume and soon heard back. The respect I felt from the human resources department was immediate. ATB Financial flew me to Edmonton to meet with hiring managers that were interested in my skills.

One month — a few telephone interviews and the usual reference checks — later, I was flying back to Edmonton with my family. I was headed to a community of 7,000 people called Peace River. Finally, I was going to be working in my own community. Commute time was three minutes and one stoplight from home to work.

Working for ATB Financial in Peace River turned out to be even better than I had expected. The branch staff consists of long-time individuals of the branch and of the community. I would meet people in the street I had never seen before and they would all have a big “Hi, how are you doing today?” greeting for me. I was shocked. These people had a smile and a happy greeting for me, and they did not want money from me.