Members of the Kamloops YMCA-YWCA have unanimously voted in favour of a merger with the YMCAs of Greater Vancouver and Northern BC to form the YMCA of British Columbia.
In fact, Kamloops Y CEO Colin Reid tells NL News that members of all three Y’s were unanimously in favour of the merger.
“I think what it means really is that the idea resonated with people, that the reasons that we were doing it are good reasons and that at the end of the day, we’ll have a stronger Y,” Reid said.
“It is quite an accomplishment in these times but lots of support for the concept of trying to make these three Y’s one and making them stronger together.”
Reid tells NL News the merger is still awaiting approval from the Canada Revenue Agency, which is expected by the fall.
“The one thing that we all want to protect is the charitable status of the Y,” he added. “While it might be perceived that it is a formality, it really is a vital step in the approval process. I suspect there will be a little bit of a back and forth before a decision is made.”
Speaking at the May 3 City Council meeting, Reid said he was not expecting there to be many changes for users of the Kamloops Y, if the merger is approved.
“We’re hoping it doesn’t mean a lot that one day there will be walking in under the name that is governed by the Kamloops YMCA-YWCA and tomorrow they’re walking in and enjoying the same experience, enjoying the same friendships, the same relationships, the same quality of activity under the name of Y BC,” he said.
“The names of our buildings, the names of branches, the names of our programs are not going to change.”
In Kamloops, there are two YMCA-YWCA locations – downtown on Battle Street, and The John Tod Centre Y on Wood Street on the North Shore.
“We know that we need every employee, every volunteer, every leader to help keep what we do in Kamloops going and also to chase our aspirations of what we want to do in the future,” Reid said.
“All employees will merge into this unified Y, recognizing when you join three organizations together, there are three different structures and eventually over time, those structures have to be melded together.”