YMCA Cedar Glen renovations build on a rich history
YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre has grown to become one of the largest YMCA-operated outdoor centres and single-site day camps in Ontario. Thanks to the support of generous donors and community and alumni volunteers, Cedar Glen boasts renewed facilities and expanded programs, including an organic farm, a brand new green house, a swimming pool, an outdoor amphitheatre, mountain bikes, an apiary, improved trails, a renovated Adventure Cabin, and much more.
Cedar Glen went through many evolutions before it became the busy outdoor centre and day camp that it is today. In the late 1950s, the Toronto Conference Camp Committee with the United Church of Canada searched high and low for the perfect site to build a camp and conference centre. They knew that the perfect site must have a stream or lake, ample outdoor space, and treed areas. It needed to be out in the country, but not too far from Toronto. On October 22, 1958, the Committee responded to a real estate ad in the Bolton Enterprise that listed “one of the most picturesque properties in Southern Ontario” — now known as Cedar Glen.
Kehoe Camp 1977
In January 1961, the Committee purchased 170 acres of the Kehoe family farmstead; another 93 acres were purchased in January 1963. The name Cedar Glen was chosen from a list of finalists, including Green Pastures or Humber Glen. From the 1960s to the late 1990s, Cedar Glen was operated as a camp and conference centre by the United Church.
In the early 2000s, with the support of Jean Hamm (the chair of the Board of Directors for Cedar Glen at the time), the Lawson Family, and the Counselling Foundation of Canada, the property was donated to the YMCA of Greater Toronto and the legacy of Cedar Glen was renewed.
Today, YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre, located just 45 minutes north of Toronto, hosts a popular day camp in the summer, as well as students and youth groups for day and overnight trips focused on outdoor education, team building, and leadership development. Visit our website to learn more about Cedar Glen, explore volunteer opportunities, or connect with ways to support the Y.
