The group meets three times a week for hour-long sessions at the Mississauga mall where it is led through a warm-up and cool down by a city-provided fitness instructor. It also walks for around 30 minutes.

In between steps, stretches and lunges (for those that can lunge), the members of the group said they celebrate each other's birthdays and support one another through life events.

"It's all part of the whole thing," said Laura Mara, a more than 20-year veteran of the group. "It's exercising, but you're with a group and we care about each other."

The cost of other recreation programs in the city have also gone up slightly in recent years. In 2015, a swim and skate pass for an adult 65 years or older would cost $144 per year, $48 for three months and $18 per month. This year, the same pass costs $153.60 for a year, $51.20 for three months and $20 for a month.

"A $1.50 fee is still extremely low compared to most of our other fitness drop-in programming," said Noble. "So we're trying to do our best to hold the line as much as we can, but we've got to at least recover those instructor costs."

Had the rate for the Erin Mills mall walkers gone up more gradually, said group member Mike Salisbury, 88, it would have been less shocking for group members.

"If you're expecting to expand and attract more people, why are you putting the fees up so high for what you're getting back out," he said. "All they have to do is shuffle paper, pay one instructor and nothing else."

Salisbury said he and his wife, Patricia, can afford the increased rate, but others can't.

For 80-year-old Joe Principe and his wife, Maria, the new cost is too much for one household on a pension to pay.

"I'm coming here till Sept. 16, and that's it," he said. "After that, I'll walk on my own."

The program is also changing its format from allowing participants to attend all three days to choosing one, two or three sessions per week.

Principe, who suffered a heart attack earlier this year, said that between doctor's appointments and grandparent duties, picking specific days a week to participate in the workouts will be a stretch.

Manzoor Siddiqi, 76, another in the group who said that he's not coming back when the new fees start, said he'll miss the group's social aspects as well as having a reason get out of his house.

"At this age, we have to have discipline for ourselves just for nothing," he said.