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Lorena Smalley

Dear Members,

The Board, after considerable discussion and debate, passed a motion at the June 30, 2022 meeting to increase the 2023 annual membership fees to $50.00.

The arrival of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our organization. And while we are all tired of hearing that covid is the cause of everything from the rise in inflation, to supply chain issues and more, the fact is the pandemic has caused a variety of issues for our organization.
The pandemic changed things dramatically

When the pandemic arrived in the spring of 2020, and Alberta Health restrictions forced us to close our doors, our centre was one of the few here in Edmonton that remained open behind the scenes to support our members.

As a WSAC member, I had no idea the amount of work our Executive Director and the team had to do in those first few weeks to re-invent the way WSAC could provide the programs and services to our members.  As our Board President, I am very proud of the work they did to quickly transition to an online platform.  From training over 800 seniors on how to use zoom so they could continue their programs at home, to providing instructors with the resources they needed, they did what they could to keep our centre running smoothly.

We reopened but many did not return to the centre

Later that fall, when the Centre re-opened under COVID restrictions, WSAC staff were in a position of providing both on-line and in-person programming and services. Unfortunately, many of our members did not feel comfortable returning to the centre and renewing their membership. In addition, many members told us they were not interested in doing classes online. As a result, revenue did not return to pre-COVID levels and we are currently experiencing a significant deficit.

Something to consider

We realize that no one likes the idea of increasing fees. However, for the Centre to continue to provide the exceptional programs and services you enjoy, we feel it is necessary to implement this increase.

Please consider:

  • WSAC is an independent Seniors Centre and is not owned & run by the City of Edmonton as many members believe.

  • Our program’s revenue is down by almost 50% from 2019.

  • Almost 2.5 years since the arrival of COVID-19, membership numbers have still not returned to pre-COVID levels.

  • We have had to cancel a number of our events and classes due to low enrollment.

  • WSAC has been unable to host larger events that would normally generate revenue for our organization.

All of this has resulted in a significant deficit.
I would also like to point out that we have not had a membership fee increase in 10 years. Also, while membership fees will be increased, our centre will continue to provide programs and events without significantly increasing prices. 

Here is some food for thought: 

For your annual fee, you can participate in a number of events & receive services that are cost-free such as:
  • The weekly Toonie Talk presentations (will be free as of September 2022)
  • The WESeniors Amazing Race and Challenge
  • Older, Bolder, Better! Seniors Exhibition and Symposium
  • The monthly Birthday Party – free for you to attend the month of your birthday
  • Our biking groups
  • One-to-one computer training
  • Access to our library, puzzles, and wool
In addition, Pickleball, which is really popular, has one of the lowest fee structures in the Edmonton area.
Where else can you go for camaraderie, enjoy special events, participate in quality classes and programs, have access to other services and free events for an annual membership fee that amounts to $4.17 a month?
The Board wishes to thank the members who have supported our Centre over the years.  We hope that you know we have not made this decision lightly and we hope the information gives you some insight into why we feel the increase is necessary.

Barbara Gibson,
Board President