‘It was all gone’: Calgary mom warns families after YMCA locker thefts

A Calgary mother is urging families to stay vigilant at public recreation facilities after her belongings were stolen from a YMCA locker, one of several similar incidents reported that same day.

Tammy Cherwinsky says she was visiting the Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge with her daughter on Jan. 17 when their afternoon swim took an unsettling turn.

They had planned to go skating after their swim, but when they returned to the family change room, Cherwinsky says the lock on her locker had been snapped off.

“We noticed that every single locker that was there, all the locks had been broken off,” she said. “My daughter happened to look in the private stalls, and she found our bags. They had rummaged through them, opened all the zippers, taken the cash and my cell phone.”

Their clothing and skating gear were recovered, but the missing items were reported to YMCA staff and Calgary police.

YMCA Calgary says police are investigating and notes that thefts of this kind are not unique to their facilities. Staff confirmed that on Jan. 17, they were aware of two other locker-room thefts.

In all three cases, the organization says secure wallet lockers, located in a CCTV-monitored area, were not used.

The YMCA encourages visitors to use high‑quality locks and reminds members of this through digital signage. For privacy reasons, cameras are not installed inside change rooms.

Cherwinsky says she decided to speak publicly to warn others, especially after hearing from people across the region who’ve had similar experiences.

“It’s emotionally draining,” she said. “My younger daughter was with us, and it was a big trauma for her. She felt very violated. It’s disappointing because I got a lot of feedback from people all around the city, Okotoks, Cochrane, having the same issues.”

Calgary Police Service confirms that, over the past three months, six locker thefts have been reported at the Rocky Ridge facility. While locker thefts occur at various recreation centres across the city, police say they have not identified a trend specific to YMCA locations.

Investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward.