MONTREAL -- It appears that the YMCA in Notre-Dame-de-Grace (NDG) will be saved for now after the City of Montreal decided to buy the land adjacent to the building for $10 million.
The sale will help the organization that has been struggling financially for years, but many questions remain about the 80-year-old building's future.
With declining membership, the Y was struggling well before the COVID-19 pandemic and many wondered if the crisis would be the final nail in its coffin.
When other Ys opened in the summer, NDG's doors remained shut.
"Since the COVID, we didn't know about what was going on," said Y member Daniel Villeneuve.
The city will build social housing and a park on the land it purchased, and one of the conditions of the sale is that it keeps the building and its activities open.
The question remains: for how long?
"It's a mystery," said Y member Joan Simand. "It's YMCA Quebec. There are many Ys that are in deficit, so certainly the hunch is that a lot of the money will go to cover the costs for all the Ys that have been losing money."
Quebec YMCAs have lost $20 million because of the pandemic, and the land sale was presented as a way to help them survive it.
The NDG Y needs $7 million just in repairs, and members hope it will get its fair share for a building that has been central to the community for decades.
"For every generation, I think it's a real focal point," said Simand. "It's got a really rich and long history, so I think it is really important."
The YMCA has said it is committed to staying in the community.
