East London YMCA to shut its doors permanently in November

An east London, Ont., community and recreational centre has announced it will shut down operations permanently next month.

The Bob Hayward YMCA on Hamilton Road has made the "difficult decision to close the facility due to financial challenges made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic," it said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. 

The social media update said YMCA has struggled financially due to a decline in memberships, increased maintenance and utility costs and overall capital infrastructure demands.

"Careful analysis over a while led us to see that the branch was no longer fiscally sustainable and we took a lot of time and consideration but in the end, it became very clear that we needed to make this announcement," said Andrew Lockie, CEO of YMCA of southwestern Ontario. 

Lockie said membership was significantly declining even before the pandemic and it would've had to increase by three times what it is right now, which his team knew wasn't possible. Current membership is just below 800 members, he said. 

Existing memberships at the Bob branch will be transferred to the Centre branch on Waterloo Street. Their membership at the Centre branch will be free for the remainder of 2023, and they will have full access to all amenities, including the pool.

The Bob Hayward YMCA employs three full-time and 16 part-time employees.

A core part of the community

The branch hadn't been used nearly as much as it did in previous years because the community and the role of recreational infrastructure had evolved, said Lockie. 

"It was a wonderful community institution which has transitioned to a different phase of life and now that we have other facilities, people can access these programs the same way, only at a different location."

The area's councillor Hadleigh McAlister said the facility really meant a lot to the community and its closure has pulled on a lot of heartstrings. 

"It's been there 60 years and a couple generations have used it so it's really been a core part of the community. I've had a lot of people reach out to me about the memories they had there growing up and using the facility," McAlister said. 

Lockie said he doesn't anticipate any other Y branches to close because they're much newer so maintenance and capital upkeep look different, but his staff will continue to monitor any changes. 

The YMCA of Southwestern Ontario is working to find suitable roles and employment alternatives for Bob Hayward staff at other Y locations and will connect with them individually in the coming weeks. 

"Please know that this decision was not made lightly and is in no way a reflection of our dedicated staff and volunteers. We are and always will be very proud of the Bob Hayward Y and the impact it has had in our community for 60 years," the statement said. 

The location will close effective Nov. 24

Bob Hayward was a powerboat racer, who was originally from Embro, Ont. He was a three-time winner of the Harmsworth Cup and died at the age of 33 while racing on the Detroit River on Sept. 10, 1961. He was living in London at the time of his death.

Hayward was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2000.