Last month, most city councillors voted in favour of a plan to save the local YMCA — a proposal that includes up to $505,000 in taxpayer money.
As part of the plan, a yet-to-be-named charitable foundation will purchase the McNabb Street building for $2 million. Along with its cash injection — which will be used for repairs and to help secure further funding from another source — the city has promised to guarantee the Y's 10-year lease with the soon-to-be new owner.
It's not a done deal yet, as some of the finer details still need to be ironed out.
Although many locals rallied hard to save the YMCA, not everyone in town is happy that the city has agreed to open its wallet. More than half the people who responded to a recent SooToday poll (59 per cent) said the city should "absolutely not" contribute any money to the Y. (You can still vote HERE).
During a recent interview in our SooToday studio, we asked Mayor Matthew Shoemaker why he voted in favour of the plan.
“If we see benefit to the Y continuing to exist, this was the only path forward," he said. "It was this or nothing.”
He said the “uncertainty” of the daycare situation was a major factor.
“It was a real concrete impact on the community if the Y’s summer camps and daycares were allowed to go under, and it wasn’t a risk really we were willing to take — especially when the investment was to match dollars, and was for $500,000 to keep it open for 10 years," he said. "I mean that’s, what, 50 grand a year? When you look at it through that lens, it is clearly the best of options that was before us.”
You can watch the mayor's full interview HERE.