YMCA to reopen in September

The YMCA of Eastern Ontario has announced a re-opening date of Sept. 1, 2021. Membership fees, which have been frozen throughout the closure will also resume on that date. Information on programming, schedules and registration will be available in August.

“At this time, we are evaluating and charting what our re-opening will look like,” explained Rob Adams, CEO, YMCA of Eastern Ontario. “Re-opening an operation like the YMCA is a complex undertaking. As always, safety protocols must be our primary concern and our facilities and systems have to be re-approved by public health units. In addition, staff call-backs, re-hiring and retraining is also something that needs to be carried out.”

In addition to considerations about readying facilities, the YMCA is a charity and, as such, must demonstrate fiscal responsibility, the organization said in a media release.

“We can only open when it makes financial sense to do so, as we cannot risk re-opening with fewer returning members than facilities like ours must have to operate. Summers are traditionally slower months, and projections indicate that our membership return rate would not be sufficient until the fall,” Adams said. “As a charity, it is particularly important that we are mindful of our fiscal responsibility. Our re-opening date on September 1 will help to ensure the long-term viability of our programs in service to our communities.”

To help plan the re-opening, the Y is asking its members to complete a survey to give feedback on such topics as programs of interest, preferred hours of access and our current online classes. The organization said the feedback will help them plan to more effectively to meet member preferences. The deadline to participate in the survey is Tuesday, Jul. 20, 2021.

“During the closure, we have been busy operating childcare, running summer camps in three municipalities and have been providing Y services at the Prescott pool and Brockville waterfront, but we are really excited about welcoming back our members, volunteers and staff,” Adams said. “It will be great to see more people in our buildings once more.”

The YMCA will be providing updates on re-opening on the news page of its website and via its social media accounts. For questions about membership, people can contact:

• Brockville: [email protected]
• Kingston: [email protected]