WINDSOR, ONT. -- The YMCA of Southwestern Ontario is revealing its plan for select health and fitness sites to soon begin opening with a phased approach.
The reopening of indoor gyms is not allowed until Stage 3 of the provincial government’s restart plan.
Some areas of southwestern Ontario, such as Chatham-Kent and London have advanced to Stage 3, but Windsor-Essex remains in Stage 2.
YMCA officials say Chatham-Kent and London will soon begin opening. With day camps currently operating at many of the sites, they plan on strictly adhering to public health guidelines that limit the number of individuals in and out of spaces, and they are beginning the phased health and fitness openings starting Aug. 21.
In the meantime, the Y is planning on providing free outdoor classes at select sites across the region and free indoor workout access at select locations through a sign-up process.
Until sites are officially open, membership fees remain on hold.
More details regarding specific site openings and dates will be provided on their new website ymcaswo.ca, via social media, and through email.
In tandem with reopening of our sites, the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario is the first Canadian YMCA to launch a website using the Open Y platform.
More than 70 YMCA’s in the United States currently use this platform which allowed YMCA of SWO to leverage many of the Open Y features including a friendly user experience, planning feature enhancements, and integrations with existing databases.
"It is now more important than ever to be connected and informed in a virtual way,” said Andrew Lockie, CEO of YMCA of Southwestern Ontario. “In developing our new website, we worked with a Canadian web design and development agency, ImageX, that was able to harness the web environment to support and extend the aspirations and operational goals of the YMCA.”
