Major gift for cancer centre

By Lethbridge Herald on May 29, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

Long-time Lethbridge residents Bruce and Edna Moffat have left a very generous legacy gift behind to help people attending the Jack Ady Cancer Centre for treatment, particularly in radiation therapy. 

With a $2.9-million legacy gift left behind specifically to enhance cancer care for patients and families across southern Alberta, the Moffats will make a difference for many years to come. 

The gift is the largest single donation ever received for the Jack Ady Cancer Centre since it opened its doors 15 years agi. Crystal Elliott, CEO of the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, says it’s an honour to help the Moffat continue their legacy. 

“Part of their donation has been set aside to fund the purchase and installation of the future linear accelerator (LINAC), an essential piece of equipment that allows patients to receive advanced radiation therapy right here in our region,” says Elliott. 

She adds that the CRH Foundation is partnering with the Alberta Cancer Foundation to ensure that the gift can go even further. 

“We are contributing $2 million of this gift towards the LINAC and the reminder is coming in partnership with the Alberta Cancer Foundation,” says Elliott.

The LINAC aims radiation at cancer tumours by using cutting-edge imaging and targeting technology with pinpoint accuracy, protecting healthy tissue and reducing side effects.

Elliott says that the legacy gift was left in the Moffats’ will. Edna passed away in 2022; following that, Bruce’s health declined and he died in early 2023. 

The gift was left specifically for the Jack Ady Cancer Centre, because it was important to the couple that their gift remain local, and they wanted to make a difference right here in the community where they lived.

“We want to thank Darcy Jordan, the executor of their estate, who worked tirelessly to make sure that their wishes came true,” says Elliott.

In recognition of their extraordinary contribution, the radiation department at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre now features the newly named Bruce & Edna Moffat Wellness Lounge, a dedicated space for rest, reflection, and healing for those undergoing cancer treatment.

“We are doing this as a promise kept,” says Elliott. “It’s a reflection of enduring generosity of the two people who made their lives count in the most meaningful way. We are so incredibly grateful for their thoughtfulness, their kindness and their belief in this community.”

She says the Moffat weren’t the kind of people to seek recognition, and they lived a modest life in Lethbridge for a long time.

“They lived humbly, they gave generously, and they left behind a gift that will transform care in our community for generations. Bruce often said through the years, that he wanted his name on the hospital’s cancer foundation wall, not as a monument to himself but as a message, ‘We were here, we cared and we did something that matter,’ and they did,” says Elliott.

The Moffat were survived by their cat Kimble, and they made sure he was taken care of. After Bruce passed away, Kimble was taken care of by the Humane Society but unfortunately, he also passed away a few months ago.