Agreement reached to keep Sault Ste. Marie YMCA open past May 15
Facing imminent closure, a last-minute agreement has been reached to keep the YMCA in Sault Ste. Marie open.
“The YMCA has reached an agreement for a local charitable foundation to acquire its building at 235 McNabb St. in order to assist the YMCA in improving its cash flow and helping to sustain operations,” the city said in a news release Tuesday.
“The local charitable foundation has expressed a desire to remain anonymous at this time. The due diligence period for the agreement is taking place over the next 60 days and the previously announced closure date of May 15 is postponed until further notice.”
Plans are in place to resume, programming through the summer, including childcare operations, the city said.
City staff have been working with multiple community partners, including the local charitable foundation and the YMCA, through a working group focused on determining short and long-term plans for the Y.
The framework for the agreement contains a plan for continued operations of the YMCA over the next several years.
“However, for it to be finalized, commitments are needed from multiple stakeholders and the public,” the release said.
The YMCA announced last month that it was selling its building and ceasing operations May 15, citing the slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and increased operating costs. The loss of daycare services was of particular concern, along with the loss of Y programming.
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker welcomed the news that a way to keep the facility operating had been found.
“We have been working around the clock with our partners to develop and implement a plan to secure the future of the YMCA in Sault Ste. Marie,” Shoemaker said in the release.
“I know the tight timeline following the YMCA’s original announcement that operations would cease caused significant anxiety for community members, and I wanted to ensure we communicated an update to the public about the situation as soon as possible. We will continue to do so moving forward.”
o Download our app to get local alerts on your device
o Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
There will be a report on the May 13 city council agenda with details about the latest developments.
More information will be available when the agenda for the meeting is released on May 9.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
Fewer immigrants could have economic impacts as Canadians age: RBC
High levels of immigration are helping blunt the economic impact of Canada's aging population even though it's worsened challenges with housing affordability, a report by RBC says.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.
How to save on food and drinks at your next sports game or concert
When Dianne Debarros and Tom Stitzel headed to a Toronto Blue Jays game last month, the couple figured dining at the Rogers Centre would not be cheap.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.