Alberta is moving ahead with a major overhaul of rural health care in southern Alberta, spending $74 million over three years to build a new Cardston Health Centre that will replace the town’s aging hospital and expand local medical services.The province says the new facility will combine emergency, acute care and community health programs under one roof, aiming to improve access and coordination of care for residents in the Cardston-Kainai region.Premier Danielle Smith said the project will modernize outdated infrastructure and bring care closer to home for families in southern Alberta.“This region needs reliable access to modern services, and we’re acting on that,” Smith said. “The new Cardston Health Centre will replace an outdated facility, expand capacity and improve how patients move through the system.”The current Cardston Health Centre, built in 1959, is one of the oldest health facilities in the province. Officials say it no longer meets modern standards for safety, accessibility and infection control.The replacement facility will expand inpatient capacity from 19 to 24 beds and include specialized rooms for labour and delivery recovery, isolation and bariatric care. It will also feature up to 11 emergency treatment spaces..Health Minister Matt Jones said the project is part of a broader push to expand rural acute care capacity across Alberta.“By expanding acute care capacity in rural Alberta through projects such as the new Cardston Health Centre, we are improving patient outcomes and increasing access to health care services,” Jones said.Infrastructure Minister Martin Long said the new centre will address long-standing deficiencies in rural health infrastructure.“The Cardston replacement hospital will provide better emergency care, improved patient outcomes, and better access to high-quality care in the rural communities of southern Alberta,” he said.The Cardston-Kainai region serves more than 16,000 residents and also supports roughly 500,000 visitors annually to the nearby Waterton National Park area. Officials say the community has diverse and growing health needs that require upgraded facilities.The Blood Tribe Department of Health has been invited to take part in planning the project to ensure culturally appropriate care is reflected in the design and programming of the new centre.Local leaders welcomed the announcement, calling it a major long-term investment in regional health care. Cardston MLA Joseph Schow said he is eager to see construction begin..“A new hospital is a major investment to the community and perhaps the largest Cardston has ever seen,” Schow said.Town of Cardston Mayor Paula Brown also praised the funding, saying the project will strengthen health care access for residents in the area.Alberta Health Services interim president and CEO Andre Tremblay said the new facility will reflect the region’s diversity and improve service delivery across southern Alberta.Alberta estimates the total cost of the project at $474 million as part of Budget 2026’s $4.9-billion capital plan for health infrastructure.
