Sault Ste. Marie YMCA

What Sault Ste. Marie YMCA does

Based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and legally named YMCA of Sault Ste. Marie, the organization is a private charitable nonprofit founded in 1900. It operates a main multi-service facility at 235 McNabb Street and reports eight licensed child care and before/after school locations, including sites associated with local schools and Sault College. Its offerings span health and fitness, aquatics, licensed child care, camps, youth development, personal training, and community wellness for individuals and families across age groups. Specialized services include Active Minds – Brain Boost for adults with early-to-moderate dementia and their care partners, while the on-site CAFIT Café is operated by external owners.

The operating model combines recurring monthly memberships, child care fees, and transaction-based programs. Membership tiers range from youth and young-adult plans to adult, senior, couple, and family plans, with optional PLUS upgrades; disclosed monthly prices range from $35 to $120.75 before tax, generally billed through pre-authorized payment. Child care, personal training, day camps, specialty camps, youth courses, birthday-party rentals, drop-in access, and other programs create additional fee income. Donations, capital and community funds, planned giving, securities gifts, events, sponsorships, and grants support accessibility, child care subsidies, youth programs, and capital improvements.

Customer acquisition and retention use the Membership Services Desk, walk-in inquiries, a one-week trial, member referrals, newsletters, social media, community events, and school, college, Alzheimer Society, and United Way relationships. The Active Communities portal supports online membership signup, account management, program registration, scheduling, and day camp enrollment; the supplied material does not describe a proprietary technology platform or public API.

Name

Sault Ste. Marie YMCA

Legal name

YMCA of Sault Ste. Marie

Website

https://ssmymca.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sault Ste. Marie YMCA is a charitable community organization providing fitness, aquatics, licensed child care, camps, youth programs, and wellness services to individuals and families in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, through a main facility and eight child care sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Fitness and Recreation Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Child Care Services (6244)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aquatics Programs (Pools, Swim Lessons, Lifeguarding) (EDALAIAF), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Community fitness services
• Licensed child care
• Aquatics programs
• Youth day camps
• Nonprofit wellness services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Gym Memberships (Monthly): Recurring monthly membership fees with tiered pricing based on age, family composition, and PLUS upgrade. Monthly memberships are continuous via pre-authorized payment plan; annual renewal for those paying in full.
2. Day Use / Drop-in Fees: One-time fees for non-members accessing fitness centre, pool, or gymnasium on a per-visit basis.
3. Personal Training Packages: Revenue from individual and small-group personal training sessions sold in packages of 1, 6, 12, or 24 sessions. Members and non-members pay different rates.
4. Donations & Fundraising: Charitable donations directed to General Donations, Bridge to Our Future (Capital Fund), or Strong Communities Fund. Donations support accessibility, child care subsidies, youth programs, and capital improvements. Securities gifts, legacy giving, and event fundraising also contribute.
5. Child Care Fees: Fees for full-day infant, toddler, and preschool child care; before/after school care; and school holiday camps. Fee subsidy available through OneHSN waitlist system for eligible families.
6. Day Camp Registration: Fees for specialty summer day camps (CIT, Makers in Motion, Camp Curtain Call, Outdoor Adventurers, Active All-Stars) and flexible daily camp options. Also PA Day camps during the school year.
7. Birthday Party Rentals: On-site birthday party rentals at pool or gymnasium, accommodating up to 25 guests with additional facility rental for cake and gifts.
8. Youth Program Registration: Fees for babysitting courses, home alone courses, and youth leadership programs. Member and non-member pricing available.
9. CAFIT Café Revenue: The on-site CAFIT Café operated by external owners Maggy and Dennise offers fresh food and beverages (protein shakes, smoothies, coffee, salads, sandwiches, croissants). The YMCA benefits from foot traffic and community amenities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sault Ste. Marie YMCA delivers health and fitness memberships, licensed child care at eight locations, swimming lessons, and youth programs to the Sault Ste. Marie community through its main facility at 235 McNabb Street. It also operates the Soo Y Dolphins competitive swim team, summer day camps, birthday party rentals, and babysitting/Home Alone courses, supported by a charitable donation program and financial-assistance access through the Strong Communities Fund.

Product overview

The Sault Ste. Marie YMCA is a charitable community organization offering a diversified portfolio of health, fitness, and family services organized around four core pillars: (1) Health & Fitness Programs including gym access, group fitness classes, and personal training; (2) Child, Youth & Family programs including day camps, youth leadership courses, and birthday party rentals; (3) Aquatics featuring swimming lessons for all ages and the competitive Soo Y Dolphins swim team; and (4) Licensed Child Care spanning full-day infant/toddler/preschool care and before/after school programs across 9 locations. Additional offerings include the Active Minds – Brain Boost dementia support program, Youth Mindfulness and Wellness programming, the on-site CAFIT Café, Summer Fit fitness challenges, and YBC Youth Basketball. All services are supported by tiered YMCA Membership plans ranging from Youth ($35/month) to Family packages, with optional PLUS upgrades. The organization operates from its main facility at 235 McNabb Street and maintains partnerships with Active Networks for registration and CanadaHelps for donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YMCA Membership Tiered monthly memberships (Youth, Young Adult, Adult, Senior, Couple, Family) with an optional PLUS upgrade, providing access to the YMCA's main facility, programs, and reciprocal access to YMCA facilities across Canada.
• Health and Fitness Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Charitable donations available to support program access for financially disadvantaged community members through the Strong Communities Fund
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alzheimer Society Sault Ste. Marie & Algoma DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leads the 10-week Active Minds – Brain Boost program with the YMCA. Each 90-minute weekly session is co-led by trained YMCA instructors and Alzheimer Society educators. The program provides brain health education, gentle physical movement, brain games and memory activities, and social connection for adults with early-to-moderate dementia and their care partners. Participants are referred through the Alzheimer Society to ensure program suitability.
• Sault CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe YMCA operates a licensed child care program on the Sault College campus at 443 Northern Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. This partnership extends child care accessibility into the post-secondary education environment, supporting student parents.
• St. Mary's French ImmersionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYMCA Before & After School Program operated at St. Mary's French Immersion school (124 Gibbs Street), providing child care services integrated with the French Immersion educational program.
• Our Lady of LourdesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYMCA Before & After School Program operated at Our Lady of Lourdes school (319 Prentice Avenue), providing before and after school child care integrated with the school's schedule.
• Isabel Fletcher SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYMCA licensed child care program operated at Isabel Fletcher school (599 Third Line W), serving families in the surrounding community with full-day and school-age child care.
• Holy Family SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYMCA licensed child care program operated at Holy Family school (42 Rushmere Drive), providing child care services for local families.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YMCA of Greater Toronto: Largest YMCA in Canada, operating membership fitness centres, child care, aquatics, camps, and youth programs across the Greater Toronto Area. Same operating model and federation brand as SSM YMCA, with reciprocal access agreement making memberships interoperable.
• YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford: Regional Canadian YMCA offering the same integrated suite of membership fitness, child care, aquatics, day camps, and youth leadership programming under the same federation brand — making it a comparable operating peer.
• Boys and Girls Club of Sault Ste. Marie: Local community nonprofit focused on youth programming and after-school care in the same city. Directly overlaps with the YMCA's youth leadership, before/after school care, and day camp offerings, competing for the same youth/family customers.
• JCC (Jewish Community Centre): Canadian Jewish Community Centres operate membership-based recreation, child care, day camps, aquatics, and youth programming under a community nonprofit model that mirrors the YMCA's structure and member value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• GoodLife Fitness: Canada's largest commercial fitness chain with hundreds of clubs nationwide. Competes directly for adult fitness memberships in the same Sault Ste. Marie market with broader scale but less mission-based community programming.
• Anytime Fitness: 24/7 franchised fitness chain with Canadian locations. Competes for casual adult fitness members seeking convenient access without premium programming or community services.
• Planet Fitness: Low-cost commercial fitness chain with broad Canadian footprint. Competes for entry-level fitness members in the same market with a lower price point but no child care, aquatics instruction, or community programming.

Others

• Alzheimer Society of Sault Ste. Marie & Algoma District: Strategic partner rather than competitor — co-leads the YMCA's Active Minds Brain Boost program. Relevant peer because it is part of the same community health ecosystem and represents a complementary organizational model for nonprofit health programming.

Regional players

• City of Sault Ste. Marie Recreation and Culture: Municipal recreation services in the same city providing publicly subsidized swimming lessons, fitness facilities, and youth programs. Competes for the same member segments with subsidized pricing that can undercut YMCA membership value.
• YMCA of Northern BC: Smaller Canadian YMCA federation member serving northern British Columbia communities with recreation, child care, and youth programming. Operates in a similarly mid-sized-market context to Sault Ste. Marie, making business-model scope comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/saultymca
• Facebookfacebook.com/SaultSteMarieYMCA
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssmymca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sault-ste-marie-ymca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sault Ste. Marie YMCA