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Old Dr. Turner Lodge (Original Seniors Lodge Site)
Former seniors’ residential lodge operated by Heartland Housing Foundation in Fort Saskatchewan. The original Dr. Turner Lodge provided affordable housing and services for seniors before being replaced by a newer modern facility on 94 Avenue. After closure, the building sat vacant while officials considered future uses for the property, including redevelopment. The site was eventually cleared and is planned for new affordable housing development.
Okotoks Erratic (Big Rock)
The Okotoks Erratic, commonly known as Big Rock, is one of the world’s largest glacial erratics and Alberta’s most famous geological landmark. Weighing approximately 16,500 tonnes, the massive quartzite boulder was carried more than 400 kilometres from the Rocky Mountains by glacial ice during the last Ice Age before being deposited near present-day Okotoks. The site is a Provincial Historic Resource and has deep cultural significance to the Blackfoot people, who call it “Okotok”, meaning “rock.” Today, it is one of Alberta’s most popular roadside attractions, offering visitors a chance to experience a remarkable piece of Ice Age history and learn about the region’s geological and Indigenous heritage.
North Battleford Insane Asylum
The Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford was one of Canada’s oldest and most significant psychiatric hospitals. Officially opened in 1913, it was built to provide specialized care for people living with mental illness at a time when treatment options were limited and psychiatric institutions were rapidly expanding across North America. For more than a century, the hospital served thousands of patients from across Saskatchewan. Over the decades, its role evolved alongside advances in psychiatry and mental health care. Treatments, policies, and patient care changed dramatically as medical knowledge improved, reflecting both the successes and shortcomings of each era. The hospital eventually grew into a large campus with multiple buildings, including patient wards, administrative offices, workshops, recreational facilities, and support services. It became one of the province’s largest healthcare institutions and a major employer in North Battleford. As modern approaches to mental health shifted toward community-based care and updated medical facilities, the aging buildings became increasingly expensive to maintain. Construction of a new Saskatchewan Hospital began in the 2010s, and patients were transferred to the new facility when it opened in 2019. The original hospital complex was demolished in 2020 after more than 100 years of service.
Talus Dome
Hidden beside the Quesnell Bridge and Whitemud Drive in Edmonton’s river valley is one of the city’s most unusual landmarks — Talus Dome. Created in 2012 by Ball Nogues Studio, this massive public artwork is made up of nearly 1,000 handcrafted stainless-steel spheres arranged into the shape of a natural talus slope. From a distance it looks like a pile of giant metal balls, but up close it becomes a constantly changing mirror reflecting Edmonton’s sky, seasons, river valley, and passing traffic. The sculpture was designed as a conversation between nature and human construction. Before the Quesnell Bridge existed, natural talus formations shaped the river valley landscape. Talus Dome references that history while showing the contrast between the untouched environment and the infrastructure built to cross it. Each sphere was individually fabricated, polished, and finished with marine-grade 316L stainless steel — a material chosen to survive Edmonton’s harsh weather while changing appearance with the light, seasons, and surroundings. Located along Edmonton’s river valley trail system, Talus Dome has become one of the city’s most recognizable and controversial pieces of public art. Some people see it as a beautiful reflection of the landscape, while others simply see it as “the giant metal balls beside the bridge.” Either way, it has become a unique part of Edmonton’s skyline and one of the city’s strangest landmarks.
Ernfold, Saskatchewan
Ernfold is a nearly abandoned prairie settlement in southwestern Saskatchewan that stands as a reminder of the rise and decline of Canada’s railway towns. Established along the railway during the early 1900s, Ernfold once served as a small farming community with homes, businesses, grain handling facilities, and essential services. As transportation changed and rural populations declined, most residents left, leaving behind only a handful of structures and wide-open prairie landscapes. Today, Ernfold is considered a ghost town, known for its weathered buildings, abandoned railway history, and quiet atmosphere. The remaining remnants offer a glimpse into Saskatchewan’s agricultural past, making it a fascinating destination for photographers, historians, urban explorers, and anyone interested in preserving the stories of forgotten communities on the Canadian Prairies.
Rundle Ruins
The Rundle Ruins are the preserved remains of Calgary’s second General Hospital, a sandstone landmark built in 1894. As Calgary rapidly expanded in the early 1900s, the hospital became too small to meet the city’s growing healthcare needs and was replaced by a larger facility across the Bow River. The building later served as an isolation hospital for infectious diseases and eventually operated as a seniors’ residence known as Rundle Lodge. By the early 1970s, the aging structure was considered obsolete and costly to maintain, leading to its demolition in 1973. Following public pressure to preserve part of Calgary’s heritage, sections of the sandstone façade were saved and incorporated into a public park, creating what is now known as the Rundle Ruins.
Islay Hospital
Hidden behind the trees of Islay, Alberta, stands the former Islay Municipal Hospital, a building with more than a century of history. Constructed in 1912, it was one of the earliest hospitals serving rural communities between Edmonton and Lloydminster. The first known photograph of the hospital dates back to 1922. For fifty years, the hospital served local residents through wars, epidemics, economic hardship, and thousands of patient admissions. Historical records indicate that more than 14,000 patients were treated here and approximately 1,700 births took place within its walls before the facility closed in 1962 when a newer hospital was built nearby. Decades after its closure, the original building remained standing and became a well-known landmark among local historians and urban explorers. According to explorers familiar with the site, the interior once contained significantly more original contents than it does today. During a recent visit, entry was possible through an unlocked front door, something reportedly uncommon compared to previous years. Evidence suggests the building may have entered its final chapter. A large pile of debris originating from inside the hospital was found on the property, along with demolition equipment nearby. Local reports and observations indicate the structure may have been undergoing preparation for demolition, raising the possibility that one of Alberta’s oldest surviving rural hospital buildings could soon disappear. Whether still standing or already lost, the Islay Hospital remains an important piece of Alberta’s prairie history—a reminder of the determination of early settlers who fought to bring medical care to a remote and growing region.
Old Remand Centre
The former Edmonton Remand Centre, located at 9660 104 Avenue (near 97 Street) in downtown Edmonton, is a now-vacant, concrete, multi-storey correctional facility that once served as the city’s remand jail. Built in 1979, the facility was designed specifically for corrections, with a capacity of around 388 beds, though it was reportedly over capacity in later years. After the opening of a much larger, modern remand centre in 2013, the old building ceased to house inmates. In 2019, all its systems were shut down to save on operating costs, leaving it unoccupied. Over the years, the former remand centre saw some limited, temporary uses: it served as a makeshift government training site, a winter shelter in collaboration with Boyle Street Community Services, and even a location for film and TV productions. In earlier winters, its gymnasium was used to provide overflow shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness. Structurally, the building is a seven-storey plus basement concrete structure (about 18,495 m²) with mezzanine levels, a gym, administrative spaces, mechanical rooms, and recreational courtyards. It is physically connected via an underground tunnel system to nearby provincial law courts, the police headquarters, and the city’s Pedway / LRT system. In February 2023, the Alberta government announced a request for proposal (RFP) to demolish the building, arguing that it would not be cost-effective for government or private sector to retrofit it for any other use. At that time, the government was spending about $1 million per year on its upkeep. By January 2024, demolition work was ready to begin: hazardous materials removal was underway, and the site was fenced off to prepare for full deconstruction. According to tender documents, the plan is to fully abate and demolish the structure, cap off underground utilities, and prepare the site potentially for parking or other redevelopment.
The Alibi Pub
Supposedly a lease dispute that led to the eviction and closure of the 40-year-old business.