After a rocky few years through the pandemic, the YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka is considering how it can best move forward to serve the community.
Officials from the charity were at Monday’s council meeting to give a presentation on its recent efforts, struggles, and plans for the future. It was evident by the response from some city politicians that decisions made by the YMCA in recent years weigh heavy on their minds.
“The pandemic may have changed what some of our programs look like, or how we deliver them, but our aim to ensure everyone feels strong, safe and connected to our life-changing programs and services remains the same,” board chair Todd Young said at City Hall Monday.
Over the past few years, the YMCA has offered a variety of new programs, such as virtual and outdoor health and wellness programs, virtual immigration support services, mental health support for youth, and more, Young explained.
It has also created the Skid Watson YMCA Scholarship Fund, which has so far provided three local post-secondary students with roughly $1,500 each. Skid Watson was the driving force behind the development of the local YMCA.
In 2021, however, after significant revenue loss amid the pressures of COVID-19, officials made the controversial decision to sell the Skid Watson Family YMCA building on Peter Street. That move sparked a lot of outrage in the community among those who used the facility and those who donated to various fundraising campaigns.
Young said it was a financial decision. Over the pandemic, the organization saw a 43 per cent drop in operating revenue and a temporary staff reduction of roughly 90 per cent, he explained.
“Unfortunately, some of these new realities forced us, like so many other organizations, to make some very difficult decisions,” Young said. “Our financial position necessitated that these difficult decisions had to be made early in the pandemic, at a time when government support had not yet been fully realized.”
The YMCA had hoped to re-purpose the building as a youth housing hub, but ultimately made the call to sell the building.
“We were hopeful about the possibility of working with community partners to re-purpose that facility into a youth housing hub, but unfortunately we were not successful in gaining the necessary rezoning approvals to move forward with this project,” Young said.
Young said the building, which was then closed, cost roughly $50,000 per month to operate.
“Given the high costs associated with maintaining that building, we were not able to continue looking for other opportunities for the property, and made the very difficult decision to sell it,” he said.
“We understand completely the disappointment of the community not having a YMCA health and fitness branch here in Orillia,” said past board chair Lynn Strachan. “We also know that the community is well served by the Orillia Recreation Centre.”
She said that in 2022, the YMCA served over 1,200 community members and provided over 100 employment opportunities in the area. She also noted the YMCA recently launched its new strategic plan.
“The plan was a culmination of a year-long process that included community surveys, focus groups and discussions with almost 1,000 key stakeholders, including here in Orillia,” “One very important strategic focus for the next three years is connecting people to meaningful experiences where everyone belongs.”
The YMCA will be consulting community members to explore “what the YMCA could look like moving forward,” Strachan said.
“Orillia is first on the list to be engaged. We have a long-standing relationship with the city and we will look to this community to help us identify gaps and the role the YMCA can best play in meeting the needs going forward,” she said. “Four public community engagement sessions have been scheduled to begin on April 10. These sessions are open to everyone in Orillia and surrounding communities." (Click here to read more about the consultations.)
Members of the public interested in participating may contact [email protected], Strachan said.
Following the presentation, Coun. Tim Lauer said he did not remember the city receiving an application to rezone the former YMCA building for youth housing.
“From my recollection, it's my understanding that we didn't feel like there was the time to go through the rezoning process,” responded Strachan. “I do not believe that there was a formal rezoning application in front of you, just that we understand that's a lengthy process.”
Lauer took exception to the implication that the city was at fault for the building not being rezoned, noting the YMCA was seeking government grant funding within a tight time frame.
“What happened was the Y, in a last ditch effort, (tried) to tap into some … Rapid Housing Funding (and) wanted us to endorse grants,” he said. “There was actually no formal business plan presented or any evidence of partnerships or anything, really, when it came to us.”
“I really object to the Y trying to paint the city of Orillia as the culprit in this.”
Lauer also questioned why the YMCA’s building cost $50,000 per month to run, even as it was largely closed to the public.
“There was some rentals that were still happening in the building, and we did turn the heat off and … we didn't drain the pool,” said YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka CEO Jill Tettmann. “We still had the cost of the pool and then the cost of hydro electricity and all that went into maintaining the building, so that's why it was around $50,000 every month.”
Coun. Jay Fallis questioned whether youth housing and supportive housing is something the YMCA is looking to get into moving forward.
Tettmann said the YMCA is interested in getting into youth and supportive housing, though it will likely not take the lead role on any projects.
“We've also been given a grant from the County of Simcoe very recently in the last couple of weeks to look at housing 60 (Ukrainian immigrants) that have come to the area,” she said. “We're not the expert in housing, but we are a partner that can play a role and be a supportive connector with the community for that.”
Coun. Ralph Cipolla noted the community has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars during various campaigns, “if not a million,” and asked where all the money has gone.
“There has been donations from ... residents within the city for the last 30 years,” Tettmann said. “That money has gone into programs and services that we have offered over the years; it did go into the renovation and expansion of the Skid Watson YMCA 12 years ago.”
Cipolla also questioned why the YMCA is moving into housing, as opposed to sticking with offering health and fitness programs.
“I think we are in the business of social determinants of health. It's about including spaces, safe spaces and places for people to belong,” Tettmann responded. “Fitness and health is, yes, a part of it, (but) I think that I see it broader from a health and wellness perspective.”
Tettmann was also asked if the YMCA might ever have a physical structure in Orillia.
“Will we have a building again? I can't answer that question, but I do know that part of our series of focus groups right now is to understand what are the gaps in the community? What's missing?”
Mayor Don McIsaac said he thought the YMCA is on the right track, but he still had concerns.
“If this were a midterm, I wouldn't give you a very good grade right now, but I think you've taken the right steps by hiring a consultant (to) look at the gaps and we look forward to that report and anything we can do to help close those gaps,” he said.
