The Moose Jaw YMCA’s board of directors was unwilling to answer some questions during a public meeting because of the confidential discussions held around the shut-down process, says the board chair.
Before the board made the decision to shut down the entire organization, it had to undertake a thorough look at financials, explained board chair Christine Boyczuk. It had to talk to the Regina YMCA first to determine if it would take over any programs from Moose Jaw.
Directors faced a short deadline to get things done. They hired Diana Deakin-Thomas as interim CEO in April to focus on preliminary work of shutting down the organization, Boyczuk continued. This prevented the board from telling members or employees about what was happening.
Members and employees were officially told about the shutdown of the YMCA in Moose Jaw on May 28, during a meeting at the Cosmo Senior Centre. More than 200 people expressed their disappointment during the meeting and what the future held for some of the organization’s programs and services, especially child care.
About 40 employees at the two YMCA locations will lose their jobs.
The board had planned to meet with staff — the day before the public meeting — to tell them directly about what was happening, but a leak of confidential documents to social media interrupted that plan, said Boyczuk.
“So that was where it really hurt the staff,” she remarked.
Members and staff knew there was “consideration” of the Fairford Street building being sold, but were unaware of the Athabasca Street location also being put up for sale, Boyczuk explained. Since the lease was up on the buildings, the board had to determine what to do next and how long it could keep the organization solvent.
There were also “a lot of moving parts” in this process, such as employees had to be told before the business could be sold; employees couldn’t be told until members were informed; and buildings couldn’t be put up for sale.
“Right now we’re losing $50,000 a month, is what we have to come up with, so that’s $600,000 a year,” Boyczuk continued. “People do not provide grants for operating expenses. They provide grants for capital.”
Boyczuk estimated that it would cost $3.2 million to refurbish the Fairford Street location.
The board made the decision to close down the organization at its March meeting, she continued. Once that happened, directors stopped reaching out to community organizations and donors looking for support.
Talks about amalgamation between the Moose Jaw and Regina organizations began several years ago, although there was much resistance to that proposal, Boyczuk explained. However, she is thrilled that Regina stepped in to take over the child-care services and praised the Regina YMCA CEO for his efforts.
The child-care services are operated at five different locations in the community and employ 40 people. Those 250 spaces will remain at those places.
“We hope to keep as many services as we can and we’re sorry this had to happen,” Boyczuk said, adding she feels bad for shutting down an organization that is 114 years old.
