The uncertain future of one of Yarmouth’s most beloved community spaces is finally decided.
After months of uncertainty surrounding what would happen to the Mariners on Main building once they moved to the updated Mariners Centre, The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) of Yarmouth have announced they will be taking over the building on Main Street in the spring of 2027.
Integrated Youth Services will be partnering up with BGC to help transform the space into an anchor site, bringing together mental health and addiction support, physical health programming and community support for youth ages 12 – 25 and their caregivers.
Yarmouth MLA Nick Hilton was on site to help deliver the news to community members.
“Today is one of the most important days in my four years in office,” said Hilton. “To come together to work with all these partners… to step up to this extent, it’s exceptional.”
He said the most important thing he can do is tell youth that they come first, and that the community will come together to rally behind them.
“This isn’t political, this is about the youth in our community,” said Hilton. “We know that youth need to be here, on Main Street, in the centre of town where it matters the most, where they’ve been for decades and decades.”
The new location is the last of eight sites across Nova Scotia that is a part of the Interior Youth Services (IYS) rollout, and is designed to help reduce the many barriers that young people face.
Jodie Pothier, Denise Vacon, and Nick Hilton announce the new plans for BGC Yarmouth, Nov. 4, 2026 – Photo: Tyler Reis-Sanford
Together, IYS and BGC Yarmouth are aiming to provide a number of services to local youth, like early intervention and prevention services, youth and family guidance, employment training, support programs, life skills development and more.
Their programming has also taken into account community feedback, including direct feedback from the very same young people who will be accessing the space.
“That’s a core value of IYS, is that the folks who are going to be using it have a say in what it feels like, what it looks like, what is going on there, what’s important to them,” said IYS co-chair Denise Vacon. “And so those advisories really are a key part, but they won’t be the only part.”
A health impact assessment done by IYS found that Yarmouth needs an earlier, easier front door to youth mental health with a physical location that could help reduce barriers.
They found that the Mariners on Main building was central, and that a familiar recreation building would help normalize visiting, especially with multiple non-clinical reasons to enter.
“You want spaces to just belong and to just do interesting things,” said Vacon. “Feeling connected to your community and having a place to go and a place where folks understand you where you can get help if you need help, but if you only want to play basketball in the gym, that’s great too.”
For Vacon, the sense of safety and community is integral.
“Everybody has a spot and everybody belongs,” said Vacon.
The new site will have an annual operating budget of $1.58 million, and a $1.2 million start up cost.
Funding for the start up is split between the province and philanthropic contributions, with the government set to contribute $561,600, and $638,400 raised through charitable efforts.
