Membership

Membership payments were reactivated on July 15. Please note that your payment should have taken place on your regular scheduled date after this reactivation date (i.e. July 15, July 22, July 31, August 1, etc.). This may differ for a select few of our members as we have moved to a new software system. For instance, if you have children, in the new system these accounts would be set up together as a family package which would have changed your payment date to match the primary holder of that account. If there is a better payment date for your family, please let us know. Child memberships will also be reinstated on July 15.

As a local charity we are happy to provide financial assistance to help you access your YMCA centres. It is our goal to reduce financial barriers to accessing resources for your health and wellbeing (including membership, camps, swim lessons and child care).

Unfortunately, we are unable to backdate financial assistance and allocate it to payments that have already been withdrawn. However, should you qualify, we will apply the approved discount immediately to your account so that your future membership fees will be reduced. We know how difficult this pandemic has been, and we will do whatever we can to support you. We hope that these reduced future payments will help moving forward.

In order to cancel your membership, you must give notice of cancellation prior to your next payment date. We will not be providing refunds for membership cancellations as we have eliminated the cancellation fee. However, you do have access to the fitness centre until your next payment date.

We are happy to put your membership on hold, which would allow you to get your full value for money once you are ready to come back.

If financial circumstances are a barrier for you and your family, we do also provide financial assistance for anyone unable to afford the full cost of membership. This is thanks to generous charitable donors in our community.

Thank you for your understanding. Your Y was significantly impacted by COVID-19 and we are working to support our members the best we can while also ensuring the long-term health of our charitable organization so we can continue to be here for you and our community in the future.

The sudden closure and loss of revenue along with the new operating restrictions in place are resulting in many extra expenses for our organization, including increased staffing costs.

With our revenue decreasing and our costs increasing, we are not in a position to reduce our fees. We are doing everything in our power to continue the excellent fiscal stewardship of your YMCA and not pass these extra costs along to you.

As well, our market research indicates that our fees continue to be in the right ballpark for health and fitness centres in our area, even with some programs and services remaining on hold temporarily (including our pools).

As a charity and thanks to our generous donors, we provide financial assistance for anyone unable to afford the full cost of membership.

As a child member, your son/daughter can access the pool at any time (once it reopens on August 10), along with drop-in style recreation programs which are free with membership! COVID-19 restrictions have limited children's ability to engage in physical activity and play with their friends. Our focus is to get kids active and interactive at the Y this summer. Our Active Kids Rec Sessions can be used in place of Zoned In! And we hope to be able to offer Zoned In and Child Minding in the future. We are currently assessing space and safety protocols for these programs. Visit our summer programs page for more details on programs offered this summer. We will be providing more information on the reopening of our pools soon.

The YMCA offers a financial assistance program to ensure all members — especially those most impacted by the pandemic — are able to stay with the Y. Please email membership@ymcaokanagan.ca and include your full name, membership number, phone number and that you are inquiring about financial assistance. A member services representative will call you to discuss your circumstance in confidence and provide you with temporary or long-term assistance to keep you active at the Y.

If you don’t feel comfortable returning to the YMCA, or have health concerns that require you to continue self-isolating, we will gladly extend your membership hold. Please email membership@ymcaokanagan.ca to request a membership hold, including your full name, membership number, phone number and reason for hold. We recommend holding for one month at a time, up to a total of 4 months upon the reopening of your YMCA/H2O centre.

For holds related to COVID-19, we recommend one month at a time up to a maximum of 4 months. If you have a reason for needing a hold beyond this, we ask that you reach out to one of our member services team members and they will do their best to support you with your request. This is an unusual time, and we want to do the best we can to support you.

To cancel your membership, you must give notice of cancellation prior to your next payment date. We have eliminated the membership cancellation fee and will not be providing refunds for membership dues that have already come out. However, you do have access to the fitness centre until your next payment date.

We are also happy to put your membership on hold, which would allow you to get your full value for money once you are ready to come back.

If financial circumstances are a barrier for you and your family, we do also provide financial assistance for anyone unable to afford the full cost of membership. This is thanks to generous charitable donors in our community.

Thank you for your understanding. Your Y was significantly impacted by COVID-19 and we are doing our best to support our members while also ensuring the long-term health of our charitable organization so we can continue to be here for you and our community in the future.