Saint John’s new YMCA receives $3M donation

SAINT JOHN, N.B – A $3 million donation from Irving Oil means Saint John’s new YMCA has exceeded its fundraising goal.

The facility will open next fall. The gift from Irving Oil was given privately in February 2014 and the chair of the project’s capital campaign, Dale Knox, says it pays for almost half of the mortgage.

“We were comfortable with a $4.5 million mortgage but obviously having a $2.5 million mortgage is a much better position to be in a year before you open the doors,” Knox said.

President of the YMCA of Greater Saint John, Shilo Boucher, said the $3 million meant they had raised over $7 million for the new facility, officially named the Saint John Regional YMCA.

“I love the name because the Y currently serves St. Stephen to Sussex and the name ‘regional’ represents that wholeheartedly because we are here to serve the entire community not just Saint John,” said Boucher.

The project includes a community centre, recreational spaces, meeting and instructional rooms. The total cost of the building is $11.7 million.

The rest of the money came from the federal government, province and private donors.