Construction has begun on a new Saskatoon Cancer Patient Lodge, a project Saskatchewan health officials say will ease the travel burden for cancer patients across the province, including those from the Lloydminster area.
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The Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency held a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 16 at 1036 College Drive in Saskatoon. The site sits near Royal University Hospital and the Saskatoon Cancer Centre, where Saskatchewan-side patients from the Border City region often travel for treatments not available locally.
For families on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster, a cancer diagnosis frequently means more than just medical appointments. It means hours on the highway, hotel bills and time away from work and home, a burden local fundraisers like Lloydminster rallies for cancer support have highlighted in recent months.
“For people who must leave home for cancer treatment, having a welcoming place to stay can ease an enormous burden,” said Nora Yeates, CEO of the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan.
The province and the federal government are each investing more than $7 million through the Build Communities Strong Fund, while the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan is contributing $10 million toward the project.
What the new lodge will include
Westridge Construction has been awarded the contract and has already begun site preparations on the former lodge property, a building that dated back to 1928 before it was demolished to make way for the new facility.
The new lodge will offer 33 private patient rooms, including three suites reserved for stem cell transplant recipients, along with 14 companion accommodation spaces. Plans also call for a shared kitchen, lounge areas, a reflection room able to accommodate Indigenous ceremony, common spaces for games and puzzles, and a small exercise room.
“This facility will provide patients with a modern, supportive place to stay close to care, helping them focus on their health and recovery,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said.
Saskatchewan Cancer Agency president and CEO Deb Bulych said the lodge was shaped directly by the people who will use it.
“The lodge is an exciting project that fully demonstrates our commitment to patient and family-centred care, and was designed with patients and families’ active involvement,” Bulych said.
A long wait for rural patients
Access to cancer care close to home has been a recurring concern for rural and border-region residents, an issue the province has tried to address through moves like the funding detailed in Rural cancer care gets boost from province. Locally, community groups have pushed their own solutions, including the fundraising effort behind the ‘New Home for Hope’ campaign unveiled in Lloydminster.
Temporary lodge services will continue to operate in Saskatoon while construction proceeds, according to the province, so patients travelling for treatment in the meantime won’t be left without a place to stay.
Construction of the new Saskatoon Cancer Patient Lodge is expected to wrap up in spring 2028. The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency says it plans to share updates as the project progresses and will launch a province-wide campaign inviting communities, including those in the Lloydminster area, to help fund the home-away-from-home.
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