Seniors activities, aging in place. Image via RWMB.ca
EDMONTON — Alberta’s government says it plans to invest more than $200 million to build and upgrade seniors housing across the province as the population of older residents continues to grow.
The province said Thursday its 2026 budget, if passed, would allocate $150 million over three years for the Seniors Lodge Modernization Program, aimed at constructing new seniors lodges and upgrading existing ones.
The proposed funding comes in addition to nearly $54 million already committed to six projects in smaller Alberta communities, bringing the total investment to more than $200 million over four years. The government says the program is expected to support more than 1,000 seniors housing units.
Jason Nixon, minister of assisted living and social services, said the funding is intended to help seniors remain in the communities where they have lived and contributed.
“Seniors have made enormous contributions to the communities we live in today, and they deserve housing that reflects that,” Nixon said in a statement.
The Seniors Lodge Program is Alberta’s oldest social housing program and provides supportive housing primarily for seniors with lower incomes. The province says about 11,000 lodge units currently operate across Alberta, many serving as community hubs in rural areas.
The Alberta Seniors and Community Housing Association welcomed the investment, saying upgrading aging infrastructure will help seniors maintain independence and remain connected to their communities.
“Modernizing lodge infrastructure will help ensure seniors continue to have community environments that improve well-being,” said association president James Nibourg.
Among the projects receiving funding so far are a proposed 102-unit supportive living lodge in Spruce Grove led by Meridian Housing Foundation, along with projects in Taber, St. Paul, Picture Butte, Wildwood and Vulcan.
Lori-Anne St. Arnault, chief executive of Meridian Housing Foundation, said the funding will support development of the first subsidized seniors supportive loSEO: Alberta seniors housing, Alberta seniors lodge modernization program, Alberta seniors lodge funding, Alberta Budget 2026 seniors housing, Jason Nixon seniors housing Alberta, Alberta assisted living funding, seniors housing construction Alberta, seniors lodge projects Spruce Grove Taber St Paul Picture Butte Wildwood Vulcan, Alberta rural seniors housing, Alberta supportive living seniors, Alberta seniors population growth, Alberta social housing seniors lodge program, Alberta government housing investment, Alberta housing for seniors, Fort McMurray, Fort McKay, Fort Chipewyan, Wood Buffalo, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, RMWB, Anzac, Janvier, Conklin, Gregoire Lake, Gregoire Lake Estates in Spruce Grove.
Alberta currently has more than 865,000 seniors, a number the province says is expected to surpass one million by 2035. Officials say seniors could make up one in five Albertans within the next two decades.
The next application intake for the Seniors Lodge Modernization Program is expected to open in the fall of 2026.
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