The last chapter for the Walker Family YMCA

It’s déjà vu for citizens of St. Catharines. A joint statement has been released announcing that after good faith negotiations, Atria Development (owner of the former Walker Family YMCA facility) and the City, have decided that the future of the site will not include the existing recreation facility which will instead be redeveloped into housing.  

Although the media release provided no dates or projections, it is widely anticipated the next step for the former YMCA facility is demolition.

It’s the second failure in as many attempts by the developer and the City to find mutually agreeable terms that would have allowed the facility to continue offering services to the St. Catharines community.  As reported by The Pointer, in the fall of 2023, Council had summarily rejected a proposal from Atria and unanimously voted to walk away from any further talks, thereby driving what most assumed would be the final nail in the coffin of the YMCA facility.   

Regardless of that bad news, citizen advocacy to save the site continued unabated in the background. In March, city council reconsidered its position and voted in support of re-entering discussions with the developer. The move rekindled hopes of the two parties coming to an agreement that would see the City buy or lease the site. Last week's joint statement brings to a conclusion the round of talks and seems to make it certain that the state of the art facility is destined for the rubble pile.

Phil Baranoski and Uwe Natho are representatives of Save the St. Catharines YMCA, a group of concerned citizens and former members of the YMCA who have refused to give up the fight to save the facility. The pair joined forces and the group formed almost immediately after the closure was unexpectedly announced in March 2021.  

Phil Baranoski and Uwe Natho with Save the St. Catharines YMCA.

(Ed Smith/The Pointer Files)

As recently as October 8th the pair had sent an email to the members of the group, numbering well over 100 people, updating them on the discussions and negotiations for the previous three months. Although not invited to partake in the discussions, members of the group, having played pivotal roles in re-igniting the talks, worked hard to gather the crumbs of information that were  publicly available and have distributed throughout the city to keep people informed.

When asked by The Pointer for comment on this most recent announcement, Natho expressed his belief that much of the blame for this situation rests with the YMCA and City Hall. He points out that the documented record reflects that the City was aware of the situation well before the YMCA went public with its decision to close its doors. The current CAO David Oakes had a seat on the YMCA board and documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Request reveal that then mayor Walter Sendzik was also in discussions well ahead of time with the Chair of the YMCA board. Natho feels that an intervention in the form of a partnership in those early stages could have saved the City's premier community centre, leaving community members to wonder why senior leadership did nothing in this regard. 

“An open honest dialogue could have made things happen in May/June 2021 that would have achieved a desirable conclusion for the citizens of St, Catharines,” Natho says.   

Natho is adamant that the annual deficit of $1.2 million that reportedly was a major factor in the decision to sell the facility, could have easily been overcome if the YMCA and the City had only worked together.  He wants to know what happened to the $10.6 million that the facility was sold for. It’s money he says was raised through private donations within the community. He underlines his feeling that the YMCA’s conduct from June 2020 to May 2022 was “appalling”, outlining what he considers  “a total disregard for the service to the community and the fact that the building was built with donations from citizens of St. Catharines”.

The Walker Family YMCA was one of the few recreational spaces of its kind in St. Catharines.

(YMCA)

The Save the YMCA group is questioning whether or not the sale of the Walker Family YMCA was in compliance with provincial regulations that prescribe the process to be followed in a situation like this.  

They point to Section 118 of the Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act which states:

“A sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the property of a corporation other than in the ordinary course of its activities requires the authorization of the members.”

The Act goes on to define the requirement for the corporation to hold a special meeting of the members to discuss the disposition of the asset, and for the members to approve the sale by a special resolution.

Before closing its doors, the YMCA had approximately 6,000 regular facility members, many who paid a premium of $100 for a lifetime membership fee that was held in the building trust fund. Members of the Save the YMCA group say they were not contacted to discuss selling the facility, nor are they aware that any such meeting ever happened.

“The decision for the YMCA to sell the facility on 25 YMCA Drive was approved by voting members in accordance with the YMCA of Niagara Bylaws and in alignment with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act,” Christian Wulff, CEO of YMCA of Niagara, said. “This has been an emotional journey for the St. Catharines community and we remain steadfast in our commitment to enhancing YMCA programs and services to support St. Catharines and the entire Niagara Region to thrive into the future.”

The loss of the Walker Family YMCA has left St. Catharines with one indoor, year round recreation facility, for a population of 140,000.  Neighbouring Port Colborne has one facility for a population of 20,000, while Hamilton has 18 to service 540,000. The cost to build a similar facility in Pelham was more than $36 million in 2018, it does not seem a stretch to suggest St. Catharines could be looking at $40 million to $50 million if they do decide to address the issue.

In last week's joint statement, Atria Development expressed their confidence that their new housing development will bring lasting benefits to St. Catharines and will align with the City’s housing goals, while contributing to “growth and vitality for many years to come.”

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