York Recreation Centre

Positive experience: The installations at this center are amazing, but the cleanliness needs improvement. In the weight area, all the machines and the treadmills have a lot of dust. This place needs to improve its cleaning. I think cleanliness is very important because it's good for the health of all users.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful place for recreational activities.

Fantastic experience: Fun place for pickleball. Free centre for all.

Negative experience: This gym facility is awesome, I love the gym and the environment is overall nice.however I had a negative experience with one of the staff members. I came in like I do everyday and I was getting my entry pass. He stopped me and asked for my age. I’m 16 so he said my parents need to make an account online. I was very confused because I wasnt aware of this so I told him I have been here before. He made me feel stupid and in a very rude way told me He’s just doing his job. He kept saying He’s only doing his job and never went on to explain further. I left feeling stressed and confused until I called the front desk. The worker at the front desk was much nicer and explained everything to me. This guy who was rude to me is clearly not doing his job properly and is very rude and indifferent.

Positive experience: Beautiful recreation facility. Huge indoor pool, upstairs and downstairs gym, and an indoor basketball court. And it's for free, no requirement for a membership.

Negative experience: Great facility but management needs improvement.

Negative experience: Great facilities however place poorly managed. Staff can be quite rude and/or indifferent. Change rooms are often very dirty. Program scheduling not great either. I feel the center lacks drop in options during the evenings for children under 13 yrs of age. The pre-register classe fill up so quickly. The pool is also not geared for young children. The water is kept cool, wich may be great for line swimming but not so much for leisure swimming with kids. Would be nice to have more options for families to exercise or do sports together- Other that the 1hr of badminton that is offered on Saturdays.

Fantastic experience: Good

Negative experience: Just the phone call I made to centre , made me change my mind , she was rude and didn’t seem like she cared about my questions , tried to rush me off phone , I won’t be going there anytime soon I’d rather pay my way to a gym then to hear and read about all these different reviews

Fantastic experience: Clean, bright and staff are very welcoming.

Fantastic experience: The lane swim is refreshing. There are lots of other programs that I no longer use until the weather gets cold.

Fantastic experience: Nice wheelchair accessibility

Negative experience: I have been goin since 2018 so I have seen staff come and go. I have had an ongoing problem with 1 staff member in particular since 1 of his classes in 2019. I have talked to other staff and made complaints to which I usually get your not the first to say these things about him. He seems to be the only one that teaches class' aka yoga, pilates, strength and strech ect. (perhaps because they are short staffed?) He is EXTREMELY rude. Stands you out infront of everyone in the class and he has no problem belitting you to your face. It honestly feels as if he has problem with woman in general .. and I have seen (and experienced) him get even more arrogant with woman of minority. If you are new to his class he doesn't explain the things you may need to grab or give any sort of modifications so you may be able to keep up. It's sad because it's such a nice place and he just ruins the over all experience of wanting to better yourself and learn to love exercise. If u can ignore these type of things.. then this is the place for you!!

Positive experience: I miss the female pilates instructor from a few years ago ! I appreciate the opportunity to exercise with swimming, track, weight room, and classes.

Negative experience: Staff got hella attitude.. they talk to people like they don't want to be there.. and answer so quickly you have to ask them to repeat themselves.. if you can ignore or go without asking for help.. can be useful

Positive experience: The City need to hire more staff for more program to keep the teenage busy.

Fantastic experience: Been a great experience every visit.

Fantastic experience: Love the staff and facilities here. Could be a little cleaner in the change rooms, but it is so busy that it is understandable that they can’t always keep it pristine. LOVE the pool!

Positive experience: I love this place gym ad pool

Negative experience: Swimming schedule is totally different than the schedule posted online. Wasted trip. You had one job....

Positive experience: I have been to the swimming pool and the gym, I just don’t like the mixed use changing rooms, I don’t think they are very safe for youngsters

Fantastic experience: Wonderful place. We’ve been here for swimming classes for my kid. Trainers have been pretty good and understanding. Will come here again if possible.

Fantastic experience: Clean and the staff is great

Negative experience: Not recommended. Has become neighborhood unofficial homeless shelter. Understand those in need, unfortunately the hygiene and dirt and arguments among the homeless that occupy the chairs all day make unpleasant/unsafe. Staff said some guy need Keith is supposed to manage but does nothing.

Fantastic experience: We sometimes come with our kids to swim, the pool is nice and clean.

Positive experience: I'm not one to complain, but it seems like people are taking advantage of a great place. Quite the unregulated system, there should be fair rules 1. don't sit on a machine and flick thru your phone, 2. don't butt in line (your friends can't save you a spot ahead of a dozen people that were there before you) 3. Back to back passes should not be aloud, people shouldn't be aloud to go get a pass for the next hour in the middle of their workout. Those are obvious rules when using a free facility and the staff should be paying attention to those details. SHARE, CARE, BE FAIR. This is Canada

Fantastic experience: Cool and calm ☺️

Positive experience: Excellent facility. Clean. Well equipped gym. The only problem is, depending on the time, you have to line up to get a gym pass.

Negative experience: Beautiful facility...good equipment and there are some very nice staff members. Unfortunately there are some horrible, dishonest staff members who ruined my experience there. I was treated in an abusive, which can be interpreted as in a racist manner after which the staff member proceeded to try and turn the tables on me by making totally absurd accusations against me. Basically projecting her abusive statements on me. Her accusations were totally absurd especially since I was there with several people none of whom witnessed any inappropriate behaviour on my part. Some of these staff members who behave in this abusive, judgemental, dictatorial manner, should be fired immediately. Complaints against staff members are ignored while false, childish counter complaints by dishonest staff against clients are dealt with in a completely unfair manner..as denunciations ...... like in former communist dictatorships, where you're automatically guilty because they say so, while they're always innocent, even if several witnesses testify against them. Staff members basically stick up and for each other. I hope this kind of behaviour isn't in the future for all of Canada. Many staff members also behave as if they're not actually working but rather in their living rooms....listening to loud music of their own choice with disregard for the clients, talking and socializing with each other while ignoring clients... whose taxes paid for this gym. I see there are many complaints against staff members....not surprised..... they're all true. This place is going to have a lot of law suits against it.

Negative experience: I’ve been many times with my kids for sports and swim program. The facility itself is nice. When it’s busy it can be uncleanly. The reason for my 1 star is the staff. The front desk is incredibly rude. They all have an attitude and all need to be retrained. Even when they call they are demanding and have the same attitude. It’s unfortunate because the building is nice and new.

Fantastic experience: Great facility for the community!

Fantastic experience: It's actually a really great place, relaxed environment friendly staff and the work out facilities and race track are great as well.

Positive experience: Great recreation centre. They just need better (and longer) drop in swim times.

Fantastic experience: This place is amazing the staff are wonderful ❤️ I really enjoy going thire with my grandson!!

Positive experience: Overall, it’s a great place. Just missing a hot tub.

Negative experience: this place needs better workers. workers putting personal feelings towards people. i have seen with my own eyes, a worker picking and picking at a young lady.. you can’t act like that especially if she didnt do anything

Positive experience: Amazing Recreation Center, I tried the swimming pool it is well maintained and big it is just a bit crowded in my experience.

Fantastic experience: One of the city's free rec centres. The building is clean, bright, and welcoming (despite the somewhat industrial aesthetic of the exterior). My family and I have enrolled in several programs here. My only complaint, and this is city-wide, is the lack of unique programming, but that is more likely a "me problem". Again, everything at this centre is free.

Fantastic experience: Friendly staff, large multipurpose facilities, fairly clean, and definitely welcoming. Wish both change rooms attached to the pool were open during the evenings when there's both youth swimming lessons and aquafit bootcamp on---often the wait to get a changing stall when all the classes end at once can be a long one!

Fantastic experience: Went for the preschool swim time. Me and my daughter had a lot of fun. For preschool swim time you have to take appointment card at the front desk because there's a 25 person limit in the small pool. And would suggest to take your own lock for the locker.

Negative experience: So disappointed with the way things are being ran at this recreational centre, I arrived there at 10:55 to do the 11AM preschool swim with my child… just to find out myself and 3 others parents could not go in because we needed to be there from 10:30 am to receive a “pass” to swim, this is obviously a new procedure, because I’ve been here numerous time I never dealt with that. If parents need to be there at 10:30 then that needs to be communicated on the website, I would prefer you lie and say it’s full then say I can’t come in because I wasn’t there waiting for half an hour for an imaginary pass. You guys are the only recreational centre in the area that offers a preschool swimming pool and should make be it more accessible for ALL TYPES of families to have access to it. (We could clearly see the pool wasn’t full because there was only 6 families in pool, and you still wouldn’t let people in that have been there since 11)

Fantastic experience: Very nice. Clean and well maintained, a lot of amenities and options for classes

Positive experience: The facilities are very good however there should be more change booths in the change rooms

Positive experience: Great facility! I enjoy the yoga/pilates/step classes! Bad: Staff is not always friendly, and the air inside is not healthy to breathe sometimes (to much chlorine).

Fantastic experience: Great city facility with lots of amenities. It acts as a place to bring the community together and keep them active. I appreciate the indoor track and being able to run in the winter.

Fantastic experience: Great intro gym for anyone that is looking into getting fit. The pool is very warm and there is enough gym equipment to get you started. In addition, the facility is free! A great stepping stone for anyone unsure of whether they want to spend money on a commercial gym membership.

Positive experience: Considering that it's free, it has a lot of facilities. It features a swimming pool, basketball court, a semi standard gym and a rave track.

Fantastic experience: It's a nice place and perfect for total family entertainment

Fantastic experience: There is so much inside this building. The pool is awesome, and it has a junior pool for juniors from age chub 0-5. It also has a big gym with multiple basketball nets and has volleyball programs and badminton and floor hockey in the parking lot outside. There is a workout / aerobics space upstairs with an oval track. There are very many different programs for all ages almost everyday, and seating areas for waiting parents. A very great place.

Negative experience: Terrible staff, almost took my ball because I was dribbling, they wanted to kick me out.

Negative experience: The recieption not treating good,a couple of days said to walk,I was coming to use GYM WHY I SHOULD HAVE TO COME FOR walks,that’s disrespectful the community needs.sad to be happen again

Positive experience: I have been an avid participant at the recreational center, enjoying various programs and basking in the pleasant atmosphere with friendly people. Unfortunately, my positive experience took a nosedive when it came to the mixed media classes led by Rahima. The primary issue stems from Rahima's lack of preparedness and expertise. The door to the class remains locked well beyond the scheduled time, leaving attendees waiting and wondering if the class will even take place. Once inside, the disappointment continues as Rahima fails to adequately guide the activities. For instance, she suggests pouring acrylic techniques without providing the necessary tools, such as a torch for drying the work. Furthermore, her choice of art media seems questionable. Encouraging us to work on newspapers, Rahima overlooks the fact that this type of surface is unsuitable for various techniques, resulting in subpar outcomes. Even when wooden canvases are provided, Rahima appears clueless about the essential step of priming the surface, leaving participants to navigate the process on their own. Regrettably, the decline in the quality of the classes is evident through the diminishing attendance. What was once a lovely class producing art pieces that added value to our homes or made thoughtful gifts has now devolved into a frustrating experience. The artworks created under Rahima's guidance are more suited for the trash can than as cherished additions to our lives. In light of these issues, I am seriously contemplating dropping the class altogether. I hope others considering the mixed media classes at the York rec center take heed of this cautionary tale and carefully evaluate their choice of instructor. While the recreational center itself is enjoyable, the adult mixed media classes with Rahima have, unfortunately, become a source of disappointment and frustration.

Positive experience: Nice place butthe gym is a bit crowded and need more equipments. Generally it is good

Fantastic experience: Most amazing recreation centre. I really like the fitness centre, walking track and fitness classes! The place is clean and well managed by friendly staff. Looking forward to using the pool and trying pickle ball!

Positive experience: Nice place but staff treat members like grade school kids. I realize this is a free facility but employees should treat all with respect and not distain.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful recreation center! I came here with my dad, brother, niece and nephew the Sunday of Labour Day to go swimming. There is a small kid pool that is perfect for babies, toddlers and young children. The water in this pool is very warm. Also, there is a 25 person capacity in this pool, so if it is busy, you might need to wait in line until someone comes out with their child. The larger pool has 5 or 6 small diving boards and the water in this pool is cold. There is a large family changing room area with lots of stalls and lockers. Bring your own lock for the lockers. There is plenty of parking and it is free too!

Fantastic experience: I do the swimming class twice a week and love it.

Fantastic experience: Love this place. Gym, pool, staff all outstanding. It's a nice, modern, spacious facility. Any issues you might have are with other patrons or city officials not funding programs well enough. It will never be the facility or staff. Top notch.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful and spacious recreation center with a lot of facilities, including the weight room upstairs

Fantastic experience: Very Clean, great running track and best yet, THE staff! Thank you

Positive experience: We played badminton here. You can book slots in advance via efun toronto, or try your luck in person. It's pretty crowded and well maintained. The slots are limited and the time is around an hour. Leaves much to be desired. But everything was free. So no complaints.

Fantastic experience: Nice place to spend time with family specifically if you have kids. Staff is very nice and helpful, place is very organized and clean

Fantastic experience: The staff there is really friendly wish they could open the pool a little later especially during summer months

Negative experience: It's free for a reason! To use the gym you need to come an hour before, get a pass, wait 30 min to an hour, so that you can workout for just one hour. Not worth the wait, much better off training outside.

Positive experience: The pool is great, gym is alright. No free barbells tho & too busy most of the time No hot tub or sauna at the pool

Fantastic experience: The best place to take your kids to swim and also they have activities for all kids adult ect..

Fantastic experience: An amazing place to run or walk on the track , get physically fit at the gym , swimming on the pool , practice some Zumba , among other great activities and very friendly staff .

Fantastic experience: Fantastic facility and classes! Instructors are passionate and one of the best. A godsend facility for the community. Thank you to the staff that makes this an amazing place for adults and kids alike!

Negative experience: Poorly run centre. Dont answer phones. Front desk staff have no idea about programs. Cancel programs without telling people. Managers are very rude to people (especially elderly people) Managers block handicap spots. Actual amenities (gym/pool) are new and nice.

Negative experience: Manager of Rec Centre parks illegally in the handicap / fire route everyday. TONS of empty spots.

Fantastic experience: Visiting a recreation centre for the first time was a new experience for me. However, I was amazed by the world-class infrastructure and the expertise of the teachers who were helping children learn so many new things. My initial visit to the centre was for my daughter's swimming classes, and she enjoyed it thoroughly. She had visited another recreational facility the previous year, but she liked this one better. After only three classes, I could see a significant improvement in my daughter's swimming skills. The teachers at the centre were setting up a strong foundation for her. I was impressed with their teaching methods, which were both engaging and effective. It was evident that they had years of experience and knew how to work with children of different ages and abilities. Apart from the swimming classes, there were numerous other activities available at the centre that catered to a wide range of interests. There is something for everyone. I was impressed by the variety of activities that the centre offered and the dedication of the teachers in imparting their knowledge to the children. The facilities at the centre were state-of-the-art, and there was ample space for children to play and learn. It was a safe and secure environment. The staff members were friendly and approachable, and they always made sure that the children were happy and engaged in their activities. In conclusion, my first experience at a recreation centre was a memorable one. I was impressed by the world-class infrastructure, the variety of activities on offer, and the expertise of the teachers. My daughter's improvement in swimming after just three classes was a testament to the quality of instruction at the centre. I look forward to exploring more activities at the centre with my daughter and watching her grow and learn in this enriching environment.

Negative experience: Of the 4 times I have REGISTERED for Aqua fit classes here is the breakdown of how poorly run this place is: - 1 time the instructor never showed up (so I did my own aquafit) - 3 times the class was CANCELLED WITH NO NOTICE put up on their website and only once was I called 20 min before the class began, to let me know that the aquafit class was cancelled. This place is a joke! Please hire people who actually want to SHOW UP AND DO THE JOB, that we the taxpayers are PAYING FOR! (i.e. If you don't show up YOU DON'T GET PAID)

Fantastic experience: I don't understand the reviewers complaining about staff being curt, you don't like it and want dazzling customer service well you can always pay for a private gym. I can understand why they might be so, given my numerous experiences of seeing patrons acting like unruly farm animals, not queuing up the proper way and behaving poorly themselves. The facilities here are amazing, considering it's all free. Tax dollars put to good use. Gym is kept clean and has all the necessary equipment.

Positive experience: Nice staff and a great looking facility. It's awkward having to time your visit and show up a half hour before whatever it is you want to do to get a pass. On sunny days the sun beats through the windows on top of the treadmill users. The one group fitness class I did, the instructor could not hear the 32 count in the music to do proper transitions. The other participants did not seem to care or notice so that might not be an issue for everyone.

Fantastic experience: I didn't know that Toronto had no fee recreation centres. This is a beautiful place with art and exercise studios, weightlifting equipment, a swimming pool and art by the community. There are plenty of places to meet with friends or wait for your friend or family member. Spacious parking and close to transit.

Fantastic experience: Very nice facility. The public family swim on Saturday's between 430-530pm is woth a visit. Get there early to avoid the crowd! Lots of things to do including an indoor track.

Negative experience: The pickleball courts are excellent but poorly run. There are two drop in times 7:30 to 9 and then 9:15 to 10:45. Players in the first session run out and get tickets for the second session at 8:45 so that they can play in both sessions giving them 3 hours of play. When players show up for the second session, it is full and they can't play. The management needs to implement a rule that you can only play in one session. Pickleball is a popular and growing sport and these players that are double booking are making it unfair and not equitable to others.

Positive experience: Has wan only swim and gym times which we love. Wish it was more than just once a week for an hour though. Currently woman only sw times are every Sunday from 3:15-4:15. But call and check Frist to confirm.

Negative experience: Front desk staff can't be bothered to do their jobs or even answer phones. CRP has gotten tons of complaints from different people and blows them all off. Lifeguards listen to music, read books, fall asleep during swim programs - dont pay attention to swimmers.

Negative experience: Had a good experience the first time around but serious lack of information the second time. Website info is not updated at all. Seriously, it's not that hard to add valuable information.

Negative experience: My autistic son was banished today from the center. Please provide all the details (names and occurrences) to the caregiver next time they come over. It is my duty to file a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Social Tribunal. I add that the supervisor refused to give the caregiver a written copy of the decision. What a shame! There are laws in Canada, York Recreation Centre!

Fantastic experience: Lovely, nice, clean place! It is free to the facilities too.

Positive experience: Generally we love this facility, has a little bit of everything for the entire family. The pool especially with the children's area is great, when it's OPEN. Currently it sits closed with no further information, disappointing that there is nowhere to bring toddlers on the West end.

Fantastic experience: Awesome! Beautiful facility and sense of warmth and welcome created by both staff and patrons. I think exercise brings out the best in people.

Fantastic experience: I swim at the pool every day for about 6 months now. I plan on doing so for years to come. The front desk staff greet me with a smile and a kind word every single day which is a wonderful way to start. The lifeguards are very personable and always find a moment to answer any questions I have. The facilities from the pool to locker rooms are excellent!

Negative experience: This facility is mainly for elderly people, women and children under 18 and there is no basketball unless you are under 18 or are a woman. For a facility that's been open for some years now this place really needs to do better when it comes to inclusivity and no one ever has an answer to your question despite their vague drop in scheduling

Negative experience: Oh boy ! What can I say ! To much to say ! Will have to come back and edit ✍️ but definitely stopping attending programs for the kids here. The building is great, just wish they had different staff members.

Fantastic experience: lovely pool and great instructors for swimming classes.

Positive experience: Really good and fairly new centre. However, it's apparently notorious for theft. Feels like everytime I come here for a swim I hear a wallet being stolen. Today I overheard 4 people who got hit! 4! crazy. Make sure to NOT bring your valuables, leave them at home for leave them in your car. Always bring a lock!

Negative experience: This place doesn’t serve the community well. My son could not work out because he is 15 years old ridiculous. Staff doesn’t seem to be knowledgeable about the programs available. Programs are poorly organized. Such a waste of space.

Positive experience: Used their pool for both leisure and women's swim. Change rooms and facilities are very clean. Pool is large and clean; however, water could be a bit warmer.

Fantastic experience: The staff is smiling and helpful. On the top floor, the Gym and the big swimming pool, the basketball room, is better than this, I recommend it to everyone.

Fantastic experience: I swim at this facility regularly and it has the nicest, friendliest and competent staff, both behind the front desk and monitoring the facilities. The lifeguards are great; they enforce start times for swims when too-eager people try to slip in the water before a lifeguard is on deck (total liability issue) and they do their jobs to keep patrons safe in a respectful but firm manner. Love the staff here and a beautiful facility. Only criticism would be that I wish swim caps were made mandatory cuz hair tumbleweeds are not fun to swim through.

Fantastic experience: The best community centre I have been to. Amazing facility, friendly staff and overall positive place for our family. Thank you YRC!

Positive experience: Like the women only swim program and time slot. Parking is free and so is swimming

Fantastic experience: Having been in aquatic a most of my life, this was a nice pool to swim in. The universal changing rooms are the only entrance to the pool, and awkwardly designed because you have to leave the universal changing rooms to go to the gendered changing rooms for showers. Other than that, great staff, amazing gym and running track upstairs.

Negative experience: Staff have no clue what's going on and give wrong information by phone, allowing the public to travel from far in vain

Negative experience: Went here for the first time today and was disappointed. I was excited to try the gym as the facilities are free, which makes it very convenient. The building is clean and while the gym equipment is basic, they have everything needed for a full body workout. If it weren't for that thought, this place would be getting a one star. All the staff members I interacted with were extremely rude and condescending, and if you ask any questions for clarification on rules and scheduling of the facilities activities, they will look at you like you're stupid. Personally, I find this extremely discouraging especially as the gym is already a very intimidating place for most people. The staff is making me want to go out of my way to pay for a gym. If you are someone who wants to start working out, I definitely don't recommend this place. Whoever is training this staff, do better.

Fantastic experience: Separate pool for kids

Fantastic experience: Lots of services I got to know when I registered my children in some services. It’s way discounted than private ones. Thank you.