20 Oct Grand Opening of John W. Lindsay YMCA

Posted at 15:00h in Community by

It was an honour, and a pleasure, to be invited to speak on behalf of the province and Premier Stephen McNeil at the grand opening of the John W. Lindsay YMCA; a monumental, state of the art facility!

I am so proud of our government who supported this project, and provided the construction of this building with $5 million; the federal government also supported with $5 million and the municipal government with $1.5 million.

However, the majority of money raised was by the many families and prominent Nova Scotian businesses owners — some who even used the old YMCA facility. This includes John W Lindsay and the Lindsay family; who have contributed much of their time and donations over the past decade. I thank the grassroots community fundraising campaign for raising the majority of project costs- $25 million!

This facility will not only serve as a sport and recreation centre, but a space for community gatherings. The building is also fully accessible — something that is extremely important and necessary for the downtown area.

The YMCA has something for everyone; all ages and all skill levels. There are three pools and a state-of-the-art gym.

The Child and Family Development Centre and the Community Meeting and Multipurpose Space are also sure to be a popular resource in the building.

The YMCA has designed a new membership structure to reflect the needs of the community, with individual, family, youth/student, and partner rates available. The YMCA also offers financial assistance to help all interested individuals participate.

As I mentioned in my speech this morning (you can watch the full speeches on the live stream below) — I have a personal connection to the North York YMCA in Toronto.

A big thank you to the YMCA staff for hosting us and to Lorrie Turnbull (Chief Operations Officer) for giving us a tour!

I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact the new YMCA facility has on our #HRM community.

Link to live-stream: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1311993365816875

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