Old YWCA building gets $1 million lifeline in Calgary's 2026 budget

After sitting vacant for more than two months, the former YWCA building in the Beltline is getting a million dollar boost from Calgary's new city budget.

City council approved the funding on the final day of 2026 budget deliberations. The money will support a scoping report examining the condition of the city-owned building, as well as the now closed Beltline Aquatic Centre.

Several non-profit and community groups have been fighting to re-open the nearly 115-year-old building as part of the ‘Save the Old Y’ coalition. Many were forced out of the building in September after the main tenant and landlord terminated its lease with the city.

One of those groups was the Arusha Centre, a non-profit dedicated to social justice and sustainability. Gerald Wheatley, who manages the centre and is a member of the coalition, said the funding announcement is “a wonderful commitment from the city.”

“Having the money budgeted is the single biggest accomplishment needed to move forward,” Wheatley said.

Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt proposed the funding and said although it is limited to assessing the condition of the building, the report will provide important data about the scope of necessary repairs and potential costs.

“Ultimately it will just give us more accurate numbers about what is needed for this building down the road; it doesn’t commit us to being the entity that takes on that responsibility,” Schmidt said Wednesday.

An integral part of the community

The Old Y Building on 12th Ave. S.W. has been a fixture in the community since it opened in 1911.

As the first YWCA built in Alberta, it initially operated as a women’s hostel, before incorporating space for various social and educational activities. In 1971, the YWCA sold the building to the city, where it has been a hub for non-profits and community groups for the last five decades.

Wheatley said in all that time, the building has never been empty.

"We've got to remedy that immediately," he said. "It's beautifully positioned to address many of the social issues that we confront in the downtown, and mobilize 100 organizations that have worked out of that building for many years."

Wheatley said since non-profits took over the building, they have covered its operating costs.

In recent years, however, the building has developed a reputation for being costly to repair and maintain. During budget talks, city administration officials told council it would cost between $5 million and $20 million to restore the building.

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean — who voted against the funding boost — told council before the vote he was worried this would be like the city “throwing good money after bad.”

But Peter Oliver, director of public art with the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association, said maintaining the city’s historic buildings is essential — no matter the cost.

“We've had so much conversation and debate in the city around rezoning and maintaining and protecting community character, but there's nothing more critical to community character than heritage preservation,” he said.

Next steps

The city will begin the process of organizing the review next week. Oliver said he expects next stages will include inspections on what it will take to get the building up to code.

This could include updated costs on potentially separating the Old Y from the Beltline pool, which share a mechanical system.

The most recent estimate on separating the buildings was pegged at about $3.8 million in a 2024 assessment.

The city is also looking for a new tenant to take on the lease, with submissions for requests of interest closing earlier this month. That tenant would then be responsible for rehabilitation costs.

Oliver said he hopes the building will remain a community hub, and not something like a retail space.

“I think just given the history of this space, the groups that have operated here and what's come out of this building, I think we really owe it to future generations to make sure that this continues as a community space that serves everyone,” Oliver said.

Coun. Schmidt agrees.

“If we can create that opportunity again, whatever form that may take, I would like to see that happen,” Schmidt said.