A decade in the making: Unigym unveils its new facility in Aylmer

Jude Osmond

Unigym officially opened its new gymnastics space in Aylmer with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, September 12.

The grand opening took place at the new location in the Galeries Aylmer, where the Lucy-Faris Library was located until recently. There were many activities on site, including a barbecue, face painting, inflatable structures, and prize draws.

The new gym is a long-awaited project for Aylmer residents, having been in the works for over 10 years. Gymnasts and gym-goers have been eagerly awaiting its completion so they can access a modern facility with new equipment. Jean-Paul Caron, president of Unigym’s board of directors, jokingly began the ribbon-cutting by saying: “Finally.”

“We've been working on it for the Aylmer sector for over 10 years, so it's amazing news for the community,” said Myriane Thériault, head of Unigym in the Aylmer sector.

The new 15,000-square-foot gym is significantly larger than the previous 4,000-square-foot facility, allowing more gymnasts to participate and increasing the available activity time. The club can now offer 50 hours of activities per week, as well as new programmes for athletes across the region. Improvements to the equipment include trampolines, a pit and a full floor.

“None of this was available at our previous location, so we've really improved the infrastructure for the athletes,” said Caron.

The Unigym board of directors is as follows: Jean-Paul Caron (President); Daniel Cyr (Vice-President); Jacynthe Harper (General Director); Jean Dion (Director); Roxanne Brochu (Director); Véronique Rioux (Director); Pascal Croteau (Director); Renée-Susie Labelle (Director); and Benoît Lalonde (Director).

Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette told the Bulletin that it was important to secure an upgraded gym facility for the Aylmer sector, and to ensure that Unigym made the gym safer for athletes and provided more adequate equipment, so that more groups could participate.

Unigym is now shifting its focus to opening a new gym in Hull. “The Aylmer gym was always a priority, and now that it’s complete, we can start working on the Hull gym,” said Caron.

Unigym and the City of Gatineau have renewed their agreement, worth $500,000 over 10 years, to support the Aylmer and Masson-Angers facilities.