YMCA Health & Fitness

Updated July 13, 2021:

Mask policy while inside our health & fitness centres:

• When indoors, all members, volunteers and staff must wear a mask (that covers/fits their chin, nose, and mouth) in our Health & Fitness centres at all times, including while working out.

Mask policy while participating in outdoor activities:

• When outdoors, members must wear a mask (that covers/fits their chin, nose, and mouth) when they are being screened, gathering their equipment, setting up, disinfecting their equipment, moving throughout the outdoor space, etc.
• Members may remove their mask once in their designated 10 x 10 foot square while they are exercising.

* We are reviewing provincial guidelines as well as local health region recommendations closely over the next couple of weeks and will update our mask policy in the future if we feel it is safe to do so.

Not at this time. We are maintaining a high level of vigilance and maintaining our masking requirements which currently exceed public health guidance. Safety measures include:

• continuing to have people book times in advance to maintain capacity restrictions
• screening each person before they enter
• requiring everyone to physically distance
• building adjustments including markers to indicate appropriate physical distancing space and in some cases indicate direction flow for walking traffic
• enhanced filtration and monitoring of air quality; buildings are supplied with high volume ventilation and fresh air
• temporarily closing areas that don’t allow for physical distancing
• not permitting members to share work out areas or equipment
• and requiring everyone to wear masks indoors at all times, including while working out.

As well, for those not ready to return to in-person health and fitness indoors, we continue to offer outdoor and virtual fitness options for members.

Throughout the pandemic we have been actively promoting vaccine awareness to staff, volunteers and members. This includes regular email communications and hosting an information session with a doctor at Women’s College Hospital.

We also hosted a community COVID-19 vaccination clinic at our West End YMCA which delivered almost 30,000 vaccinations to community members in four months. And we hosted a one-day, pop-up vaccination clinic at our North York YMCA.

We will be strictly adhering to the following safety precautions so that you can work out as safely as possible while still getting the a great workout.

• Participants will be spaced 3 metres apart from one another.
• All participants must pre-register through the app.
• Spectators are not permitted at this time, with the exception of members under the age of 18 who may be accompanied by one parent or guardian.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and we need our members for the health of our charity now, more than ever. However, we know that not everyone is comfortable coming back to the gym right away. That’s why we have included a Virtual Y Membership in your fees with over 100 online fitness classes every month. This feature is available through the Sweat For Good app.

If you’re still feeling uncomfortable returning at this time, we have an option for members to place a temporary pause on your membership.

Get more details about your payments and memberships.

Hand sanitizer will be available in multiple, high-touch areas throughout the building. You are also encouraged to wash your hands with soap and water frequently.

Disposable sanitizing wipes will be available to wipe your equipment down before and after using it. Staff will be focused on ensuring high-touch areas are routinely disinfected.

We ask that all staff, volunteers, and members where a mask that satisfies the criteria below:

• Masks should fit securely to the head with either ties or ear loops
• Masks should be made of at least two layers of tightly woven material (such as cotton or linen). It is recommended that masks have two layers plus a filtration layer in the middle.
• Masks should be large enough to completely and comfortably cover the nose and mouth without gaping.
• Masks with ventilators/exhalation valves will not be permitted; these masks do not protect others from COVID-19 or limit the spread of the virus.

If you have a credit on your account, it will be automatically applied to future payments.

Please note this may take some time as we are currently doing a review of all Health & Fitness memberships across the GTA. Once this review is complete, we will notify you.

If you decide to extend your hold or stop your membership, your credit will stay on your account and you can use it for YMCA programs and services in the future.

Your monthly membership payment will be on the same date as it was prior to any closure.

The YMCA of Greater Toronto has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and we need our members for the health of our charity now, more than ever. However, we know that not everyone is comfortable coming back to the gym right away. That’s why we are providing our members with over 20 hours a week of online fitness classes to keep you active.

If you’re still feeling uncomfortable returning at this time, we have an option for members to place a temporary pause on your membership.

Get more details about your payments and memberships.

We are currently doing a review of all memberships and we will notify you once the review is complete. In the meantime, your monthly fees will continue as usual.

In the event of inclement weather, please check the Sweat For Good app to make sure your group fitness class is still on. We will post any cancellation on the community page.

As always, we continue to follow provincial guidelines and the advice of public health officials. The unpredictable nature of COVID-19 means that what is available at each centre could vary from week to week. For the most up-to-date information about your centre, please visit the Available Programs page.

COVID-19’s thrown us a lot of curveballs, so our gradual re-opening plans are intended to help us all (members, staff, and volunteers) adjust to this new way of working. We are focusing on great service and consistency at this time, and of course, remembering that we all need to stay flexible as the world changes around us.

Absolutely! In fact, at this time we are encouraging members to bring their own small equipment.

We are taking a staged approach to welcoming back our existing volunteers. As such, we are not onboarding new volunteers in our Health and Fitness Centres at this time.

We are so excited to partner with volunteers again. We are taking a staged approach in welcoming back our existing volunteers to ensure safety for all. Your staff partner will be in touch with you when they are ready to bring you back and fully support your return to the Y.

We understand and you will only be asked to return when you are comfortable.

To support physical distancing, we have set a maximum capacity for guests visiting the Y at all times. To keep you and our volunteers and staff as safe as possible, and following the direction of government and local health authorities, visitors will be required to book their visit in advance. Visits to the Y can be booked using the Sweat for Good app.

You can also book your workout by using our live chat function or emailing us. We encourage you to give our app a try, though. It’s super easy and means you won’t have to wait for one of our staff to get back to you.

You can book your workout using our Sweat For Good App.

You can also book your workout by using our live chat function or emailing us. We encourage you to give our app a try, though. It’s super easy and means you won’t have to wait for one of our staff to get back to you.

The Sweat for Good app can be accessed via our web portal or through our mobile app on both Android and IOS operating systems. Click here to register.

You can book your workout up to seven days in advance.

Currently there is a limited amount of activities for kids in our health & fitness centres. If your child is ten years of age or older and is interested in group fitness or individual conditioning please contact us to reactivate their membership.

You should arrive for your workout 5 minutes early to allow for check-in and screening.

Yes. You are now able to visit multiple YMCA of Greater Toronto locations.

At this time, we have very limited programs available at our centres. This is only a temporary measure and we are working towards gradually adding programs for our youngest members soon. We encourage you to explore our virtual children’s programs if you are looking for recreational programming for your child.

If you put your Plus Membership on hold in a centre that has overnight locker service we will allow you to keep your locker for up to six months while you are on hold.