A winter sleigh ride is a wonderful way to take in the sights and sounds of winter. It’s also a perfect way to enjoy this winter wonderland during family outings, wedding parties, conventions and holidays. Our Lil Barnyard, located approximately 15 minutes from Brandon, offers 45 minute sleigh rides along a beautiful trail through a peaceful snow covered bush on the south side of the Brandon Hills. They also have available a fire-pit area for you to gather around with your group or family. They can accommodate either large (15-20), or small groups, and are currently accepting bookings most evenings and weekends. Daytime bookings may be available for larger groups. Pricing for a group of 10, or more, is only $8 a person, and for groups of less than 10 the minimum cost is $80. The fire-pit rental is available for $20/half hour use. To book a ride please contact them at 204-728-3645 or email jenn.neufeld@yahoo.ca.

Where do we go from here? This is likely a question that you may be asking your spouse, partner or yourself at some point in your life regarding your housing situation. Perhaps, you’re an empty nester; maybe it’s time to escape our lovely Manitoba winters, or maybe changes in your health and physical abilities are a contributing factor to your housing situation. These decisions may be causing you and your family to reevaluate whether you should stay in your two-story home with its double wide driveway and 120-foot lot. Regardless of what is driving your decision, you may also be torn on which housing option is the right choice for you at this particular stage in your life. Three options to consider are condominiums, life-lease properties, or rentals. While owning a condo is undeniably less maintenance than a house, there are still some responsibilities that you will continue to assume. Depending on the condo corporation, you will likely no longer be required to mow the lawn and shovel snow, but it’s fair to assume some exterior upkeep is expected, things such as window washing and weeding are generally taken care of by the homeowner. Each condo corporation varies vastly so clarifying what your responsibility will be versus the corporations is important. Along with some minor exterior obligations, the interior of the condo (including the plumbing, heating and cooling system) is generally all of the homeowners’ responsibility when it comes to maintenance, upkeep, and repairs. If you aren’t opposed to some basic maintenance, then condo living may be a great option for you. Just don’t assume that ‘low’ maintenance means ‘no’ maintenance. While some people from the baby boomer generation (those born between 1946-1964) move towards the condominium lifestyle, some are actually seeing the benefits of going ultra-low maintenance without the sacrifice of giving up their sense of ownership or space when it comes to housing. This is called life-lease living. In a life-lease, you’re surrounded by a community of like-minded people that take pride in their home because they are financially invested, therefore the sense of ownership is not lost. Space is usually not an issue, as some of the life-lease units have 1,500 square feet floor plans.  Plus, exterior maintenance is covered by a portion of your rent and most (if not all) interior maintenance is also managed by the property management company. When you are ready to move on from your life-lease unit, there is no sales process. A standard 90-day notice is required and then your initial contribution is returned, therefore it is a stress-free and easy process to move on. You also don’t have to worry about your house sitting on the market and your money tied up in real estate for an extended period of time. If a low to no maintenance lifestyle in a building with like-minded people is appealing, then life-lease living is a great option to consider. Finally, the concept of renting is becoming increasingly popular to a demographic that is ready to retire, downsize, relax, and travel. If this sounds like how you’re planning to spend your golden years, a standard rental unit could be the perfect option for you. With no money invested, only a 30-day notice required to move in, and literally no upkeep required, this easy-going, worry-free, and flexible lifestyle may be appealing to you. Regardless of which housing option you choose, when you are basing your decision on how much maintenance is required, it’s also important to look at each option from a financial perspective. As a condo owner, you will contribute to condo fees, city taxes, all utilities (with the exception of water in some cases), as well as a mortgage. A life-leaser will be responsible for hydro, TV/Internet and rent. A tenant in a rental until will only be required to cover rent, TV/Internet and sometimes hydro. When you weigh the advantages and disadvantages on the amount of maintenance required, the costs associated with each option, and the freedom each lifestyle offers your decision may be clearer than you think. Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has over 4,000 units under management in Manitoba.  For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

The Valley View Tubing Hill opens for the season December 27, 2018 for public sledding.  Located 5 miles south of MacGregor, Manitoba on Road 59W (Rosehill Road) and 1 mile west on Rd 60N, the tubing hill offers visitors a fully groomed hill, tow rope system, outdoor warm-up area with fire pit, and a chalet building with bathrooms, wood stove, tables, and canteen.  In addition to public sledding, the facility is also available for private rentals.   Check out their web site for rental rates, hours of operation, or for more information on the facility.

Running any type of business often comes with frustrations and challenges, but there are also many rewards. Being in the property management business is no different. We sometimes have situations that leave us baffled, confused and even in fits of laughter. Sometimes these unique situations involve our employees and at other times our tenants. Either way, our team members usually learn a valuable lesson or at the very least share a few good laughs. We’ve had some pretty crazy things happen over the years, but the following stories probably top out as the most bizarre things that we’ve experienced over the last seven years. 1.    One time, a tenant had their power cut off for non-payment of their hydro bill. They were somewhat creative though in that they ran an extension cord out their window and to the eavestrough. They then plugged their cord into the power source where the heat tape goes. After that, they ran cords under their door to the hallway to use the plug to provide power to the unit. These crafty measures allowed them to run a space heater, a microwave oven and their TV…until they received an eviction notice for not staying current with Manitoba Hydro. 2.    Sometimes tenants and their guests are fairly innovative when parking is tight. We’ve seen people park on the lawn or even back their moving trailers right into flower beds! 3.    Vionell Holdings has a number of properties that we look after and quite often it takes a bit of time to get new staff up to speed on where each of the properties is located. One time, a newly hired maintenance team member picked up a work order for a suite which was vacant. The job involved removing the baseboards, patching holes and painting the unit. Unfortunately, he went to the wrong property. When the tenant came home, they found that their unit was in the middle of a renovation!   This error was led to some changes in improving the orientation of our new team members to get more familiar with the properties. 4.    We manage a group of apartments that have locks on the doors that exit out to the balconies. One tenant was barbecuing on their balcony and managed to lock themselves out. They were living on the third floor so they couldn’t just jump the railing to get back in. However, before long they saw someone from their building and asked them to go let them in, but when the person got up the stairs they discovered that the unit door was also locked. The neighbour was kind enough to call the office and fortunately we were able to unlock the door and allow the tenant to finish making their supper, hopefully, it wasn’t too overcooked! 5.    A few years back, our company hired students to mow the lawn at various properties. I recruited a young man that I knew was a hard worker to run the crew, he in turn, recruited a couple of his friends to round out the team. I didn’t know his friends, but they seemed like they would work out ok. My first encounter, however with one of the lads wasn’t quite as positive as I had thought it would be. As I was driving by one of the properties where they were supposed to be cutting the grass; I spotted him lying on his back on the grass, completely engrossed in his cell phone. Thankfully, this was just a small blemish on his five-year summer job run with VHP. Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has nearly 4,000 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca. VHP has committed to constructing 128 multifamily residential units in Portage la Prairie that will be ready for occupancy in fall of 2019.

Brandon, MB – With the Christmas season upon us, Brandon Fire & Emergency Services wishes to remind the public of a few important fire prevention tips if your celebrations involve a live Christmas tree. Live Christmas trees are one of the most popular traditions of the season, but can also be one of the most dangerous when it comes to the risk of fire. By following these fire prevention tips, you can help keep your family safe during the holidays: Choose only a fresh Christmas tree.  A dry tree may create a serious fire hazard.  If the needles are shedding or break when gently bent, choose another one. Keep the tree outdoors until you are ready to decorate. When you are ready to put your tree up, make a fresh cut off the bottom of the trunk to allow the tree to absorb water. Put the tree in a sturdy, water-holding stand with wide-spread legs. Keep the stand filled with water the ENTIRE time the tree is indoors. Place the tree away from any heat sources and away from the exits. Unplug all inside and outside Christmas lights or decorations before leaving the house or going to bed. Brandon Fire & Emergency Services wishes you a safe and enjoyable holiday season!