On Saturday, April 26, ground was broken for the Lethbridge Alberta Temple, to be the 10th house of the Lord in Canada and the fourth in the province of Alberta.
Elder Randall K. Bennett, a General Authority Seventy and president of the North America Central Area, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony and dedicated the site and construction process.
More than 550 attended the invitation-only event, including around 100 interfaith, government, business and Indigenous representatives. Information about the groundbreaking, broadcast online, was published Monday, April 28, in a news release on the Church’s Canada Newsroom.
“My prayer today is that no matter how close or how far away you live, you’ll be intentional about scheduling time to be in the temple,” said Elder Bennett, who was born in Magrath, Alberta, just 20 miles south of Lethbridge. Echoing President Russell M. Nelson‘s promise, Elder Bennett said, “I promise you it will change your life.”
Also in attendance was Elder James E. Evanson, sustained in April 2025 general conference as a General Authority Seventy. He grew up in the small village of Barnwell, 30 miles east of the Lethbridge temple site.
Elder Evanson said: “We should never lose sight of what the Lord is doing now as He is making His temples more accessible and accelerating the pace at which temples are being built, ... making it easier for everyone to become spiritually refined.”
Elder David C. Stewart — an Area Seventy from Edmonton, Alberta — spoke about the blessing this temple will be to all in the region, not just Latter-day Saints.
“The temple is for everyone,” said Elder Stewart. “The grounds will be open to the public, and you can come at any time; sit on the grounds in the middle of a chaotic world. You can take a few minutes and talk to your God. Spend a few minutes in contemplation and private meditation.”
Another attendee, Blood Tribe Indigenous elder Floyd Big Head, said he was deeply honored to be included in the groundbreaking. He gave a spontaneous blessing on the temple site, a praise song to “honor the people and recognize the big accomplishment,” praying the future building would be “a place of unity.”
Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen said he was grateful to be part of such a meaningful day. “I can’t wait to see [the temple’s] completion.”
About the temple in Lethbridge
President Russell M. Nelson announced this temple in Lethbridge, Alberta, on April 2, 2023, during April 2023 general conference. It was one of 15 temples announced at the conference.
Planned as a multistory building of approximately 45,000 square feet, the edifice is being built on a 9-plus-acre site on Mauretania Road West in the western portion of Lethbridge. A distribution center is projected for the site as well.
This house of the Lord will join three others in the province of Alberta, which stand in Cardston (dedicated in 1923), Edmonton (1999) and Calgary (2012). Other dedicated temples in Canada are in Toronto (1990), Halifax (1999), Regina (1999), Montreal (2000), Vancouver (2010) and Winnipeg (2021). President Nelson also announced a temple for Victoria, British Columbia, in April 2024.
The restored gospel was first preached in Canada when Joseph Smith Sr., father of the Prophet Joseph Smith, crossed the U.S. border and went to several towns in eastern Canada in 1830. Over the next two decades, some 2,500 Canadians were converted.
The Alberta Stake was created in 1895. Just over 100 years ago, the Church’s sixth house of the Lord in operation, the Cardston Alberta Temple, was dedicated in August 1923.
Today, Canada is home to nearly 206,000 members of the Church in more than 500 congregations, with nearly 85,000 members of the Church in around 240 congregations in Alberta.
