An online petition has been launched to save the YMCA at Complexe Guy Favreau, in Montreal’s Chinatown.
Volunteer Phil Chu is hoping he can get the attention of the federal government in a bid to convince it to roll rent back to $1 a year.
“In my mind, things are never over. Even til the last minute, til it is done,” he said.
“Even when it is over, it is not over.”
READ MORE: Montreal’s Chinatown YMCA to close its doors for good
When the Chinatown YMCA first opened in 1986, it paid a symbolic rent for 20 years, but the government started charging a graduated rent in 2006.
Now, the organization pays around $250,000 annually for the space.
By 12 p.m. Monday, the petition had already garnered more than 2,480 signatures.
The YMCA is slated to close its doors for good May 31.