YMCA closings: two stories
CTV reports on anger in Point St-Charles over the closure of the YMCA there, and La Presse says the mayor herself is asking the federal government, landlord of the Guy-Favreau YMCA, to intervene to prevent the closure of that branch. Neither story suggests there’s much chance the establishments will not close at the end of the year.
Em 14:13 on 2019-12-15 Permalink
Residents of PointE-St-Charles were surprised and angered to see the name of their neighbourhood constantly misspelled by journalists… 😉
Kate 14:37 on 2019-12-15 Permalink
I’m not a journalist, and my mom grew up in the Point, not in the Pointe. So I can’t quite bring myself to put that “e” on there.
Em 15:06 on 2019-12-15 Permalink
Wasn’t referring to you Kate, was noting the incorrect spelling in the article. Just goes to show how this hood is still lesser-known despite being one of the city’s oldest.
I get that the spelling with an “e” doesn’t seem intuitive. Plus as you mentioned, it’s shortened to “the Point” colloquially.
Kevin 21:02 on 2019-12-15 Permalink
Em
In English, it is Point Saint Charles. In French, it is Pointe-Sainte-Charles.
The neighbourhood’s official historical group uses both names depending on which language they are using.
Only the Montreal Toponymy department seeks to eradicate hundreds of years of English history from this city.
CE 21:19 on 2019-12-15 Permalink
There would be no “e” on Saint.
Kevin 21:48 on 2019-12-15 Permalink
My error. Pointe-Saint-Charles en français svp.
Tim 00:45 on 2019-12-16 Permalink
Just in case nobody read the article, it said that the Point location has run a deficit for 30 years. Wonder if that’s the same for Guy-Favreau…
Michael Black 04:51 on 2019-12-16 Permalink
Previous stories had the Guy-Favreau Y having high rent, whuch was the issue two years ago. That was fixed, but the latest wave has high renovation costs. Sothe Y seems to be cutting loose locations that need fixing.
Kate 08:46 on 2019-12-16 Permalink
Conceivably, the federal government could foot the bill for upgrades to the Guy-Favreau site. As for the Point, the city does provide pools and other sports and leisure facilities in other locations, so why shouldn’t it take over administration of the Point YMCA premises? It seems obvious to me that there are solutions here if people would act.
Meezly 10:16 on 2019-12-16 Permalink
I was thinking along similar lines. I’ve never worked for a charitable organization or non-profit, but if there is a national HQ and regional management and you’ve been running deficits for a key location for decades, wouldn’t an organization seek funding and donations to help address these issues? Probably easier said than done, but it makes you wonder if there has been mismanagement, etc. Such a loss, you don’t know how valuable something is until it’s gone.
Spi 11:35 on 2019-12-16 Permalink
From my understanding, the Y Quebec were in a pretty bad financial situation several years back and have finally gotten themselves back on solid financial footing. Although putting in several million dollars in renovations may be justifiable it might not be the most financially prudent thing to do.