Ronald McDonald House celebrates major expansion of Calgary facility

Brendan Coulter · CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 8:21 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) celebrated the opening of its expanded Calgary installation astatine a ceremonial connected Thursday, astir 2 years aft operation began.

Just southeast of the Alberta Children's Hospital, the installation offers a spot to enactment for families seeking captious aesculapian attraction for sick oregon injured children.

The enlargement task has much than tripled the building's capableness — from 27 to 91 backstage household suites.

Before the project, RMHC Alberta CEO Jason Evanson said the enactment could lone conscionable 14 per cent of the request from families travelling for pediatric attraction successful the province.

"The families are hopeless to get entree to what we bash for them each azygous day," helium said. "It's much than shelter. It's a lukewarm meal. It's a consciousness of assemblage with the different families that are staying close alongside them."

Evanson said the caller suites volition assistance wide a waitlist that astatine times has been up to 60 families.

Each household suite includes 2 queen beds and an en-suite bathroom. The upgraded installation besides includes a caller commercialized kitchen, play areas and a afloat accessible outdoor playground.

Last year, families who stayed astatine the charity's Alberta homes saved astir $9.6 cardinal successful proscription and lodging costs, according to the CEO.

"As Canadians, we're talking each the clip astir affordability," said Evanson. "We supply a fiscal lift. We alleviate a tremendous burden."

'Hotel measure would person been astronomical'

Renee Labriola and her household accessed Calgary's Ronald McDonald House successful 2021 while her one-year-old lad was receiving treatment for encephalon cancer.

He underwent six encephalon operations with life-threatening complications and a harsh chemotherapy regime, she said astatine the ceremonial connected Thursday.

"My inability to enactment created important fiscal strain. A edifice measure would person been astronomical. RMHC offered america a spot to enactment and meals we didn't person to bargain oregon cook," said Labriola. 

"To person truthful galore much families' needs met warms my bosom immeasurably. The information that determination was specified a waitlist erstwhile we were determination enactment a strain of guilt connected us, connected apical of everything." 

RMHC Alberta is besides readying to enlarge its installation successful Edmonton successful the future.

The non-profit said the 2 enlargement projects volition let it to enactment doubly arsenic galore families successful Alberta per year, with request connected the rise.

"As Alberta's colonisation grows, the request for Ronald McDonald House grows commensurately," said Evanson. "We're going to beryllium needed much than ever, not conscionable now, but into the future."

The Calgary enlargement task was finished connected clip and nether budget, according to the charity.