In early June, the sun doesn’t truly set until just after 10:00 pm. So when people began to filter out of the Cochrane RancheHouse at that time following a public hearing over the future management of the SLS Centre on June 11, there were still a few moments of dying daylight left.
Five hours earlier they came by the hundreds to not just sit and listen, but to plead with their councillors to alter a course of action, and fight for a piece of their community.
“This is not a space for debate,” said Mayor Jeff Genung as he opened the June 11 public hearing. Hundreds were packed into the main hall of the Cochrane RancheHouse to voice their opposition over the proposed YMCA Calgary managerial takeover.
The first set of speakers were lucky enough to snag seating in the council chambers while hundreds of others sat in chairs outside the glass wall that partitions the chambers from the main foyer. Scores of people sat in overflow in an auxiliary hall, watching the proceedings on a tape-delayed YouTube livestream.
For weeks, concerned citizens and community groups who rely on the space the SLS Centre provides, and who are worried about the future of their clubs, have been voicing their opinions with anyone who would listen. Genung, who has been serving as the interim president of the SLS Recreation Park Society (SLSRPS), has held meetings with SLSC user groups, but the Wednesday hearing was the first time these concerns would be put on the public record.
Over 30 people representing themselves or user groups signed up to speak before Town councillors. Their concerns ranged from uncertainty over an increase to user fees; whether the YMCA would replace the SLS staff with its staff; and would council place provisions in a management agreement that would hold the YMCA to honouring existing user agreements, which are signed yearly (the YMCA has publicly stated they would). And if outside user groups-- primarily from Calgary-- would come to replace the local groups that have used the facility as its primary users for the last two decades.
But there is more at the heart of the issue. Speaker after speaker questioned the supposed economic benefit of handing over the keys of the SLS Centre to a third party (Town administration projects the change would save $6.2 million over five years) and they all talked about how any disruption to the status quo could disrupt their clubs' operations.
The SLS Centre is a point of pride for the community. It is a state-of-the-art facility built for Cochranites, by Cochranites, and to see their facility managed by an outside group is a bone of contention that stuck into the sides of many of the people who got up to speak before council.
“We’re not Calgary; we’re Cochrane,” said Valerie McCracken, a member of the Cochrane Environmental Action Committee (CEAC) and organizer for the Cochrane Farmers' Market. We have this sense of ourselves…having someone else come in [and manage the facility] is a no-no. We’re losing something that we built with our hearts and hands.”
“This isn’t about management,” Kendall Waiting, the president of the Cochrane Curling Club, said to the councillors. “(The) SLSC remains Cochrane’s own.”
Bruce Kendall helped to lead the construction of the original facility back in 2000. As he gripped the podium to speak, he chastised council and Town administration for considering a plan that would ostensibly turnover the centre to another group.
“The Y is not the answer,” he said. “The community is the answer.”
For some, the YMCA has taken on the villain role during these proceedings, perhaps unfairly. It is the Town of Cochrane and Rocky View County (RVC), which jointly own the facility, and the which Town launched the process to find a new operator for the SLS Centre in 2024.
In a statement to the Cochrane Eagle the YMCA Calgary stated that it understands the role of the SLS Centre in the community and is endeavouring to deliver on “evolving recreation needs.”
“SLS Centre is a vibrant sports and recreation hub developed by community, for community,” wrote YMCA Calgary President and CEO Shannon Doram. “We are inspired by the history and the community builders of this centre, and we think that the YMCA’s extensive history and organizational capacity make a great match. We look forward to collaborating with all those who bring SLS Centre to life every day and working with you to meet the challenge of growth for Cochrane and Rocky View County.”
“YMCA Calgary understands that the SLS Centre is extremely important to the local community. YMCAs across the world exist to serve the needs of their local communities. We will extend the same care and attention to the Cochrane and [RVC] communities and look forward to supporting and enhancing local programs that are already in place at SLS Centre,” the statement from Doram continued.
As the speaker list was exhausted, Mike Derricott, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Town, said that administration will bring the proposal back before a regular meeting of council soon so a decision can be made by the end of June.
Derricott took noticeable flack from some speakers who were angered over administration's endorsement of the YMCA proposal. But, Derricott told councillors, the YMCA’s goal-- if allowed to take over management of the SLS Centre-- would be to become a community partner, not to make money from the management of the facility.
As the hearing wound down, one woman took to the dais and implored councillors to think about what the Town could lose if a decision was made to turn over the management of the SLS Centre to someone else.
“We have a gem and we’re offering it to [the YMCA] for free,” she said. “We will lose our culture…we have to fight to keep it in Cochrane.”
