Increase in minimum wage and membership fees

Dear Member of the YMCA of Eastern Ontario:

Thank you for your continued loyalty to your YMCA. We are grateful for the opportunity to support you in your journey toward improved health and we applaud your commitment to pursue an active lifestyle. Your membership in the Y also provides the foundation that enables everyone here in our region the opportunity to reach their full potential. Every Y membership gives back to our community!

I am writing to highlight the provincial government’s next increase to minimum wage, which took place on October 1, 2023. This increase saw a welcome bump in minimum wage from $15.50 to $16.55.

With this increase in mind, the Y will be increasing membership fees by an average of seven per cent, effective January 1, 2024. This will go fully to help offset some of the costs associated with the provincial wage hike.

We understand that wide-ranging inflationary increases continue to strain household budgets. As a charity, we are also feeling this strain, however, we have been working diligently to keep membership fees affordable. Because of our careful approach, we are able to absorb the remaining balance of the costs associated with the wage increase and to address wage compression among our staff. This means that employees who were earning slightly more than minimum wage also saw an adjustment to their wages. Further, we are absorbing the inflationary increases to our operating costs. The last fee increase to sustain operating costs was four years ago.

What does the increase mean for you?

To give you an idea of what seven per cent means, an individual adult membership of $60 will increase by about $0.14 per day or $4.20 per month – in the ballpark of the price of a coffee. These numbers are not exact as we work to align fees across the region. Some of you may notice a slight decrease in fees while others will notice a slight increase.

During the coming year, we will be working on new membership options using the input some of you provided in a survey we ran on this topic last year. We expect to introduce the new structure in 2025. I will keep you updated on our progress as we progress.

Thank you again for being a part of your Y. Your membership helps us to continue to offer the programs and services you have come to love and demonstrates your support of our mission to build a stronger community.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you at your Y!

Sincerely,

 

CEO, YMCA of Eastern Ontari