Fee structure survey, new Covid rules & more Rob's Blog

Dear Friends of the YMCA:

Working with public health units and our other provincial and national partners, we now have the details of the government’s new rules for re-opening and I would like to share with you how these will affect your Y experience.

1. Capacity limits have been removed. This means that we can accommodate more individuals in each of our spaces. There will be more lockers and showers for your use. We will also be able to have more people in our fitness class. As needed, we may have to move some classes to the gym. Please watch the schedules for changes.
2. Distancing requirements have been removed, however, we ask that you continue to respect everyone’s personal space, understanding that we all may have different levels of comfort with those around us.
3. Masks are still required as you walk around the building but are not required when working out.
4. Your health self-scanning at the front desk is required so be sure to leave yourself a bit of extra time before classes to check in with our front desk staff before continuing into the building.

We will have final details about how the capacity limits will affect our pools and swim lessons as early as Monday, which we will share at that time.

I am delighted that everyone’s hard work in following the health protocols is starting to pay off. It is only because of the requirement for double vaccinations at our facility that we are able see a loosening of rules. Thank you for working with us on this!

As we see signs of normalcy returning, we want to check in with you on our membership fee structure. You know your needs and the needs of your family best, so we hope you will take the time to fill out a survey to tell us the type of membership that would work for you. The survey will be launched next week and will be available on our website.

In other news, Peace Week will be here soon! At this time of year, YMCAs across the country recognize individuals who do great work to advance the values of peace and community. Nomination forms will be available next week on our website. Stay tuned also for free fitness classes that will be open to the public during that week, keeping in mind that everyone entering our facility must show proof of full vaccination.

And finally, now that the federal cabinet has been announced and childcare negotiations are resuming, YMCAs across Canada have joined with other childcare providers to continue advocating for the need for a childcare agreement in Ontario. Childcare is essential -- for families, the economy and our collective prosperity. A federal-provincial child care agreement will give parents more choice by expanding access to licenced child care in more communities. I hope you will support us by watching for our posts on social media and sharing the message.

With that, I wish you and yours a happy weekend. We will be back in touch next week with more information on the above.

Rob Adams
CEO, YMCA of Eastern Ontario