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Lodge expansion suffers setback

Further expansion of St. Albert's North Ridge Lodge is on hold after the province turned down a grant application by the facility's operator.

Further expansion of St. Albert's North Ridge Lodge is on hold after the province turned down a grant application by the facility's operator.

The Sturgeon Foundation had hoped to secure a grant from the province's affordable housing grant program to begin a second phase of expansion. The lodge is preparing to open 48 new units in March. The second phase would have added 42 units for adults with disabilities.

"We're very disappointed but we had just received a very large grant to do the first addition to North Ridge," said Coun. Carol Watamaniuk, who represents the City of St. Albert on the Sturgeon Foundation board.

The province donated the land plus $8 million for the $12-million first phase.

Another addition would have made a lot of economic sense because the site has been prepared for more units and there's already a project team in place, said Watamaniuk.

The project will apply again for provincial funding and Watamaniuk is confident that money will flow.

"We will eventually get it, but it just would have filled a real need that we have in the community," she said.

Mayor Nolan Crouse said he was disappointed but not surprised given that the first phase isn't even open yet. He expects the province wants to spread the money around.

"It didn't come as a shock … and I did not follow up with the minister or anybody else because I felt this was probably something that made sense provincially."

It was disappointing news for St. Albert resident Lionel McLeer, 69, and his son Derek, 27.

Derek was left paralyzed on one side of his body after a car accident put him in a wheelchair seven years ago. The family was hoping the North Ridge addition would happen, so Derek could move out of his parents' home.

"Apart from giving Derek his freedom it also would give us ours," Lionel said.

It's disappointing to see St. Albert turned down for another proposal but the province had a huge number of proposed projects this time around that were worth a total of three times the amount of money available, said Coun. Gareth Jones, who sat on the board of the St. Albert Housing Society last year.

At last count, the city had identified about 130 disabled adults from St. Albert who are living in Edmonton because there's no place for them in St. Albert.

"It's a gap that somehow we have to fill in the near future somehow," Jones said.

"We have to start trying to find alternatives when the provincial funds are not available and I don't know what the answer to that is."

Second project awaits official word

The St. Albert Housing Society is awaiting a final ruling on its bid for an affordable housing grant. The organization recently learned its proposal for a 48-unit apartment complex in North Ridge was turned down, but a letter of appeal to the deputy minister has brought renewed hope. They've been told they could still get funding if one of the successful applicants fails to meet all the criteria, such as being shovel-ready, said Coun. Roger Lemieux, who represents council on the society's board.

"He didn't tell us we're next in line but they definitely feel our proposal is an excellent one," Lemieux said.

"We'll wait about a week and see what happens."

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