Rod Fox, MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka, (pictured second to the right) visited Golden Leisure Lodge to present a cheque of $770,000 to upgrade the lodge's sprinkler system.

Over the next three years, the Alberta government will direct $80 million to upgrade fire and safety systems in government-owned or supported seniors lodges throughout Alberta.

Many of the 24,000 government-owned and supported seniors apartment and lodge units in Alberta were built prior to 1990, before fire sprinklers became mandatory under fire and building safety codes.

Projects were selected based on property and operations assessments completed by housing management bodies and Alberta Health Services, with priority given to facilities presenting the biggest safety risks.

This funding primarily comes from the financial reserves of the Alberta Social Housing Corporation and is in addition to previously allocated investments for replacement of older facilities and capital improvements to existing seniors’ accommodations. 

For more information, please see the News Release from the Government of Alberta.