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Providing Affordable Housing and Childcare Under One Roof

MD of Spirit River and Town of Spirit River



A new plan to repurpose the Pleasant View Lodge in Spirit River into affordable housing and a not-for-profit daycare promises to help remedy the region’s shortages.


The MD of Spirit River and the Town of Spirit River are working together on this initiative, which came about following a community assessment revealing the need for more housing and daycare options—particularly considering the healthcare staffing needs of the Town’s newly-built senior’s lodge.


“The project started because the Spirit River area is a daycare desert by municipal facts and figures,” said Dan Dibbelt, MD of Spirit River CAO. “We only have one apartment building in town, which is always full. There are limited homes for sale, and nothing is for rent, making it very difficult for anyone to move here.”


After evaluating the local housing and daycare data, the MD was quick to partner to address the situation. The MD and the Town of Spirit River formed a collaborative relationship with a nonprofit that has expressed interest in managing the facility.


Enlightened Beginnings—a fully functioning daycare headquartered in Grimshaw—will run the daycare.


With these relationships in place, they have begun moving forward with formal plans to repurpose the old lodge building into new affordable housing and a daycare.


“We decided to make the main part of the building the daycare and turn the wings into smaller one-bedroom units for the employees who will work in the new lodge,” said Dibbelt.


They plan to convert one wing of the building at a time to ensure a third of the suites will be available when Alberta Health Services hires their assisted living staff.


Each dwelling will be equipped with a kitchenette and a modest living space for its occupants.


Once renovations are complete, there will be a total of 20 units, which will include smaller bachelor suites as well as one- and two-bedroom units.


The cost to rent the units is yet to be determined, but Dibbelt estimates a range of approximately $600 per month for the smaller units and approximately $1,200 per month for the largest units—both prices are estimated to include utilities.


“Our intention isn’t to make money on this facility,” said Dibbelt. “The purpose of the housing initiative is to bring newcomers to the area to live and work, thereby enhancing the economic base of the community.”


Given the demand, work is being conducted as quickly as possible. However, the first wing is not expected to be complete until late fall of this year. The rest of the building is estimated to open next year as early as January.


Because the Pleasant View Lodge was in operation since 1959, engineers will need to assess it for structural integrity before construction can begin. Due to its age, it will also need to be remediated for asbestos.


Once assessments and remediation are complete, each unit will be treated to a facelift with new paint and flooring.


Located between the three wings is the lodge’s central common area, which has 3,000 sq. ft. of space for the not-for-profit daycare and has the capacity for up to 100 children. This space boasts a large kitchen, a green area and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a courtyard.


“We took a tour of multiple daycares in the area, and we found Enlightened Beginnings, an organization that was interested in opening a second daycare in Spirit River,” said Dibbelt.


Mary Ellen and Tyler Norton of Enlightened Beginnings in Grimshaw joined the initiative.


According to Dibbelt, they took into account government subsidies, so they hope to charge parents as little as $10 per day to care for their children on a Monday to Friday basis.


Dibbelt is proud of the headway the MD and the Town have made and looks forward to bringing the initiative to fruition.


“Someone must come up with a solution. Many people like to talk, but few people are willing to grab the shovel by the handle and get out there and start digging,” said Dibbelt.


Spirit River’s affordable housing and daycare project is expected to be an important pivot for the region, providing space for new families, new jobs and more business transactions.


Words by Tina Willemsen

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