Last Friday’s official opening of the new Pleasant Valley Lodge was a triumphant event for the community of Athabasca. The new facility greatly enhances the comfort of its residents and represents a significant step forward in the area of local seniors housing.
The speeches offered during the ribbon-cutting celebration made it seem like it was a triumphant event for Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, too. Athabasca-Redwater MLA Jeff Johnson and Infrastructure Minister Ray Danyluk both remarked that investment in infrastructure like seniors lodges, schools and hospitals will be Stelmach’s legacy as premier.
But Stelmach, as we all know, is on his way out, and no one yet knows if his successor will place the same importance on investing in infrastructure, or will clamp down on spending in an effort to balance the provincial budget.
Meanwhile, the seniors housing issue is still growing, both provincially and locally. The new PVL helps, but much more effort and money is going to be required as the population ages. Stelmach suggested Friday that Alberta needs to add a thousand seniors housing units a year to keep up.
And so Friday’s grand opening marks a milestone of sorts. Will the new Pleasant Valley Lodge be the first of many positive announcements regarding seniors housing, or one of the last?
We’ll know once the dust settles after Stelmach’s departure.
