'Never over until it’s over': Town hall zeroes in on saving YMCA

A town hall dedicated to keeping the doors open at YMCA was attended by dozens inside the Machine Shop this morning.

Organized by administrators of the “Save our YMCA” Facebook group, the meeting comes just 11 days after residents learned the McNabb Street institution would be ceasing all of its recreational and daycare operations by May 15.

Desperate for solutions, members and supporters of the Y gathered on Saturday to not only explain what the facility has meant to them over the years, but to brainstorm short-term and long-term ideas that may help save it.

The Sault Y board of directors were invited to the town hall but they declined to participate.

However, the Sault YMCA did send a cryptic email to members on Friday afternoon with the subject line: "To our Y family."

"We extend our gratitude for your unwavering support of our YMCA!" the email read. "We ask you to stay tuned and stay with us. We need your support to make things happen! Thank you for standing by us."

The email offered no specific details, leaving many members with even more questions than before.

Prior to the open forum session of Saturday's meeting, city councillors Lisa Vezeau-Allen and Luke Dufour spoke on the issue publicly for the first time since last week’s bombshell announcement.

Vezeau-Allen urged attendees to find out if the Y is either selling off their assets to pay the debt while maintaining their corporation, or if they’re dissolving the corporation entirely.

She also wants supporters to spend less time pondering on the physical building itself, and instead focus attention on other areas that residents could have a say in.

“It doesn’t matter where you meet because that can be solved,” she said. “I think taking away the actual brick-and-mortar might be much more fruitful because none of us have any power or authority over what happens to that building. We’re not on the board of directors and we’re not part of the leadership team, so we’re not stakeholders in that.”

“But all of you as members are stakeholders, and I really advise you reach out to Y Canada and Y Ontario and look at what your stakeholders’ rights are,” she added.

The Ward 2 councillor mentioned that bringing in the right partners to revive the organization will be a key to success, suggesting representation from school boards, post-secondary institutions, senior groups and service clubs like Rotary and Kiwanis could be beneficial.

“If we don’t work together, nothing will be solved,” she said.

Councillor Dufour echoed Vezeau-Allen’s sentiments, and said he could get behind supporting city involvement with potential YMCA alterations in the future.

“That support is conditional on two things: a healthy government model and a sustainable business plan,” he said. “These are plans that are going to take some time to take shape. I think there is a path forward, it just remains to be seen exactly which path is going to be taken.”

As SooToday reported this week, the Y notified city officials in late February that it was no longer fiscally fit and might have to close.

Two months later, 169 jobs, 541 daycare spaces, and around 3,000 memberships now hang in the balance.

An update on the Y’s situation will be provided to city councillors on Monday.

Town hall facilitators Ali Dennie, Kirsten Duke and Teryn Bruni requested to present a summary of today’s ideas at next week’s council session, but they noted that may not be possible as delegations typically aren’t allowed when a report of the same subject is tabled.

Supporters of the 125-year-old institution took the opportunity on Saturday to get together in breakout sessions and come up with potential solutions they feel could manifest in five days, five weeks, and five months.

Some of those ideas included:

Five days:

• Call/email Y Ontario and Canada
• Details on costs, building repairs
• Mental health presentation at council
• Challenge community to attend council meeting
• School board representation on working group

Five weeks:

• Conduct a community fundraiser/drive
• Establish a trust to fund future community programs
• Pickleball tournament fundraiser

Five months:

• Establish corporate partnerships
• Co-op model/memberships
• Partner with healthcare
• Have physical therapy doctor in building

While the ideas were flowing, some struggled to table logical solutions as the public still doesn't have a full picture of what led to the impending closure.

“It’s hard to solve a problem when you don’t know what the problem is,” said one 25-year member of the Y. “We’re told it’s financial and legal, but I don’t understand why someone from the board couldn’t be here to provide an explanation of what the actual issues are. There are people here who are willing to pledge and raise money to solve the issues.”

Mike Delfre, a board member with the Sault Ste. Marie Museum, told Saturday’s crowd that unless organizations in the community work together, the Y won’t be the last local institution to close.

“Our community is in serious trouble,” he said. “The number of kids and families who will lose supports is much bigger than what people can understand. We’re all in the same boat, and there’s only one boat. Maybe if we all start rowing together in the same direction, we’ll get somewhere.”

Having attended the Y for decades, local couple Frank and Debbie Albidone shared some words of encouragement ahead of the uncertain times locals associated with the McNabb Street facility are practically guaranteed to face. 

“Health and fitness are key; the proof is here in our seniors,” Debbie said.

“It’s never over until it’s over,” Frank added.

Other speakers today included previously vocal advocates like Alice Martineau, a three-year member who voiced her concerns at Monday's rally, as well as Ann Ciaschini, a former long-time board member who spoke up at last week’s members meeting.

“The Y needs an ally; we need to fight for that,” Ciaschini said. “In Sault Ste. Marie, we stick together.”