Finance committee  We've been there for people who need to go to work—the essential care workers—and have been keeping Ys open in a really challenging business environment. It costs so much more to serve a third of the kids than it did. You have all the same overhead with the facilities and with th

Finance committee  We asked our YMCAs specifically about what they needed. Imagine Canada has its own economists and runs its numbers, which is why a subset of us, including the Boys and Girls Club and the United Way, talked about what national federations need in order to survive the pandemic. We

Finance committee  We could be fully accountable for any funds we receive. We'd continue to do that. In fact, I think one of the important questions that you didn't ask explicitly—maybe it's implied—is how we can ensure that funds of this nature aren't being spent just to prop up failing business m

Finance committee  Yes, or community supports.... I'll give a real-life example. Last year, we had a YMCA in western Canada—this is not about the pandemic, but it's an example—that was having problems with their operating model. We actually worked with the board to shut them down. We put our own

Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to testify during this unprecedented and trying time of crisis. The YMCA has been a part of communities for decades. We've been a place of connection and belonging in times of fortune and celebration, and