Another year of positive results for Caisse

Dividends are up once more for Caisse Desjardins Kahnawake members, meaning more money in the accounts of its over 6,000 members.

A total of $721,787 is to be distributed following the Caisse’s Annual General Meeting last week; $45,000 of that will go towards the Community Development Fund, and the rest - $676,787 - will be divided among Caisse members.

That represents an increase of almost $50,000 when compared to last year’s figure, itself an increase of more than $65,000 compared to the year before that.

The Caisse also saw a total of $13.8 million in operating surplus earnings, an increase of just over four percent compared to 2024, as well as a 3.7 percent increase in business volume to $835.9 million when compared to 2024.

“I think the trust that the community has put in our financial institution is what helps us to grow, and the confidence that they have in our ability to serve them well,” said Mandie Montour, the Caisse’s general manager.

“It will be 39 years in October. So, I just want to thank everybody for their continued support.”

Montour explained that members of the cooperative voted on the recommended distribution plan put forward by the Board of Directors, which was approved at the in-person meeting on April 22.

“It’s all based on factors that are taken into consideration: what the legal requirements are and the maximum limits we are allowed to share amongst the membership. It’s all determined based on our profits and how much we have to give back to our reserves,” said Montour, adding that those profits are calculated from interest rates.

Michael Delisle was appointed to the Board of Directors by acclamation, as the number of nominations received was fewer than the number of open seats, Montour said.

It will now be up to the board members themselves to find two other people to fill the seats, using a “group profile.”

“The Board of Directors set the group profile based on skills of members that we’re looking for in general representation,” said Montour.

In 2026, for example, the board was looking for members that had experience working in cooperatives and with business management. In the past, it has looked for other skills, like education and information technology, she said.

They also try to balance out the ages and genders of members - in 2026, that meant looking for one female and two male members, two aged 35-49 and one 50-64.

“It doesn’t mean that other candidates would not be eligible, but that was just to balance out the current board that we have,” said Montour.

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