After nearly a decade of planning, renovations to expand the Piyami Lodge in Picture Butte are underway. “Building a new lodge in this area affects all the seniors in this area of Alberta, so we’re really, really pleased,” said Dawna Coslovi, Green Acres Foundation CEO. The $27-million project will see the lodge go from 32 units to 50 to accommodate more residents. The rebuild will replace aging infrastructure with a modern, accessible facility. “The new lodge will have air conditioning and walk-in showers,” said Coslovi. “They’re going to have large rooms, wider hallways, wider doorways. … A lot of our seniors have mobility devices, so they do need that extra little bit of width.” The lodge was originally built in 1979. Coslovi says the upgrades are needed to meet the evolving needs of current and future residents. “We have all levels of care here, so people can move in, and they don’t have to keep moving away from this community; they can stay here,” said Coslovi. “They don’t have to move to the big city. This becomes their home, and as their care needs change, we can adapt to help them out.” Planning for the renovations began nearly a decade ago but was postponed after Green Acres Foundation was unable to secure funding from the provincial government. After years of advocating, the foundation received $11 million from the province in the 2026 budget to move ahead with the project. “Investments like this in small rural communities have so much significance for the entire community,” said Nathan Neudorf, Lethbridge-East MLA and minister of assisted living and social services. “You can do multiple times that investment in a large city, and it doesn’t have quite the same impact. Both are important and very needed, but it is really essential for the continuity in smaller communities.” The lodge is connected directly to the Piyami Health Centre, operated by Alberta Health Services. “We have our x-ray, we have our blood work being done here, the doctor is here, so it’s very important,” said Picture Butte mayor Cathy Moore. “It means our elderly do not have to leave the building, so they get full care here.” The mayor says the project will benefit more than just seniors in the community. “When the elderly residents move (to Lethbridge) … their families tend to go that way, too, and that’s not what we want to see,” said Moore. “We want to see our community thriving.” The multimillion-dollar project will have a positive benefit on the local economy, according to the mayor. “The expansion means they’ll be able to hire local people, and it will keep expanding the community,” said Moore. “That’s what we want. We’re here to grow.” The lodge is Picture Butte’s largest employer, with close to 75 full-time and casual employees. Construction will take two years and be completed in phases to allow residents to continue to live in the lodge while work is done.
