Possible merger of eastern regional YMCAs won’t affect services

Outside of the Belleville YMCA building at 433 Victoria Avenue. Photo courtesy of YMCA of Central East Ontario website.

By Cody Starr

BELLEVILLE – Eastern regional YMCAs are talking of a possible merger but it will only involve staff and resources, according to the CEO of the Kingston YMCA Mary Kloosterman. 

No facilities will close and services will remain the same. Those involved are the Ys of  of Peterborough, Kingston, Brockville and Central East Ontario (the combination of the Belleville and Quinte West Ys).

Kloosterman said most people who work for the small Y branches do more than one task.

“It’s really hard to find someone who is good at marketing and communications,” Kloosterman says as an example.

The merger of the Ys will combine staff at all locations under one unified umbrella, allowing them to each focus on one role. This is one of the key reasons why this merger is being considered, according to Kloosterman. She also says,“the Y in Belleville is a very old building. Perhaps we should be replacing it.”

It’s much easier to accomplish things like that when you have a larger association with more people and resources, she adds.

The idea of merging several separate Ys is not a new idea.

“A great example is the YMCA of Simcoe Muskoka which amalgamated Collingwood, Midland, Barrie, Orillia, and since then they’ve added, Inisfill, Gravenhurst and another one. They took a bunch of very small Ys, brought them together and they’ve been much larger than the sum of all their parts. They’ve been able to really grow and thrive.”

This is a national effort according to Kloosterman. Talks are being held all across the country as Ys realize they have a much better chance of not just being successful but growing and thriving if they combine their resources.