Marina Mitchell (centre) speaks to the assembled crowd Tuesday morning at the unveiling of the Rose Garden Hospice in Prince Albert on Aug 29, 2023. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Years in the making

Year in Review: Rose Garden Hospice opens doors following lengthy development

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As 2023 draws to a close, paNOW is taking a look back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, as selected by our reporters and editorial staff.

A long-term Prince Albert community project became a reality in 2023.

After 15 years of being in the works, the doors to the Rose Garden Hospice finally opened in the city, a first of its kind for Prince Albert.

The new hospice included 10 beds along with lounge areas, a kitchen, bathrooms, and a deck in the back yard.

“I thought to myself it’s just a small project, this will take maybe a year or two years, and here we are 15 years later,” said Malcom Jenkins, a major contributor to the project. “So it wasn’t quite as simple as I thought it looked, so it’s been a long journey and I’m very, very gratified to see it happen.”

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“It’s a great thing; it’s the finest in the province. We’ll have people beating a path to our door from all the other cities once they see this. They’ll all want to do this.”

Many City and Provincial dignitaries were on hand for the facility’s opening, including Mayor Greg Dionne, MLA’s Alana Ross and Nadine Wilson, MP Randy Hoback, MNS Region II Director Sherry McClennan, and many people who donated to the project. Over 200 people attended the unveiling.

Located in the southwest corner of the city, the hospice project began in 2008 and broke ground in 2021 with a $4 million price tag, most of which came from community fundraisers. The hospice was fully built by the community.

“It felt amazing,” said Marina Mitchell, a committee member who was involved in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It was just a feeling that I had actually never felt before.”

“I just felt all the love that was here. The love in the building, the people, it’s just amazing.”

READ MORE: ‘It’s been a long journey’: Community pulls back curtain on new hospice

Mitchell had been involved in the project since day one, a project that was named after her mother.

“My mom was bigger than life. Talk to anybody that knew her, she lit up a room and she was amazing,” Mitchell said. “She was so welcoming and loving with her personality, and that’s what this place is…it’s just loving and welcoming and I know she’s proud of everyone who has had a hand in helping build this.”

The first guests arrived at the hospice in mid-September.

The completed Rose Garden Hospice. (Jaryn Vecchio/paNOW Staff)

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com