The Victoria Inn will be a very coulourful place on Sunday, September the 9th when Skate Brandon hosts their 2nd annual 5 km colour run/walk in the Wheat City. The run will start and finish at the Victoria Inn parking lot from 10-noon. Registration the day of the event starts at 8:30 am. Your registration includes entry into the run, colour packs, water throughout the run and an awesome experience! As this is a fun event, the 5 km walk/run will not be timed. Costumes are encouraged. Online registration for Colour Run opened on July the 23rd.  Early bird registration before August 24th is only $40.  After, August the 24th the fee increases to $50.  Children 7 and under are free however you still do need to register.   The event is a fundraiser for Skate Brandon and all profits will go to the Skate Brandon Club for future costs. Come ready to have a great day of fun and leave a little bit more colourfull. For additional information, or to resister click here.

The Brandon Cricket Club will be holding their first annual BMO Cricket Champions CUP 2018 on Saturday, August the 4th.  The soft ball cricket tournament will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Park and will feature 10-teams, with 8 players per team.  The tournament gets underway at 8 am. Also tomorrow, have fun looking at big rigs, check out the kids activities, enjoy some good food & music at the second annual Big Rig Show & Shine Fundraiser.  The event is hosted by Champion Towing Brandon.  A fundraising BBQ lunch, supper pig roast, silent auction, live band and more are among the planned activities.  The event runs from 8am-8pm at 30 Klondike RD which is East of the Brandon Air Port. Be on the lookout for signs, balloons and a tow truck making the location easy to find.

The second annual Wheat City 5km fun run, put on by Anytime Fitness Brandon, is slated to take place on Saturday, August 25.  The event hosted by Grand Valley Campground features hilled terrain, mud, a maze, inflatable obstacles, agility obstacles, a foam finish and much more.  The event is open to all fitness levels and participants and is a rain or shine event.  Prizes will be awarded for best dressed individual and best dressed team.  There will be food and concessions available as well as a 18+ beer garden with proceeds going to Westman Dreams For Kids. For more information, please visit their Facebook event page.

A small group of Anishinaabek youth are walking from the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation on the Bruce Peninsula across Canada in memory of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. Their goal is to walk across the entire country from sea to sea to sea. They are walking the TransCanada and expect to be in Brandon by this Saturday (July 21).   “Da-namaamin moseyang giw-ganchigaazjig kwewag is Ojibwe for ‘we will walk in prayer for those murdered women,’” says E Naad Maa Get (Branden Emmerson) one of those walking. “Each day we walk in a prayerful manner for one of the murdered or missing. We have that person in our minds as we walk. And we re-tell her story on our facebook page, and on Twitter @danamaamin (#prayerwalk). In this way, we remind ourselves why we walk so far from home, and we keep these women and their stories in the minds of Canadians.” E Naad Maa Get and Niibin (Tianna Fillo), the other principle Walker, are members of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. They left Nawash in December. Their logo, designed by Nawash artist Polly Keeshig-Tobias, is of a woman clothed in red cloth (in keeping with the REDress symbol). It is sewn with megis shells, sacred to the Great Lakes Anishinaabek. The flowers represent the Indian Paintbrush, known in Ojibwe as ‘Grandmothers Hair’

With the legalization of recreational cannabis coming this fall, we have been fielding a lot of calls and emails from both investors and tenants regarding what this new law will mean for the rentals that we manage in Brandon and Thompson. While the federal and provincial governments have both been careful (and a bit slow, in my opinion) in developing policy related to recreational cannabis for Manitoba from my research, this is how I think some of the regulations will play out when it comes to rental property. If you live in a smoke-free apartment complex, meaning that the units are non-smoking, that would also mean it would a smoke-free environment for recreational and medical cannabis. Conversely, if smoking is permitted on the patio or balcony then recreational and medical cannabis use would be permitted in those areas. What about growing cannabis plants in an apartment? If you have a medical permit to grow cannabis in Canada you are able to grow up to five plants inside or two plants outside. Please keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that you can grow the plants inside your apartment or on the property of your landlord; you need to refer to the rules and regulations signed when you moved into your apartment. In addition, if you choose (and are able) to grow cannabis in your apartment, you should update your liability insurance for the increased risk of fire related to the process of growing these types of plants If you do not have a medical permit to grow cannabis it will continue to be illegal in Manitoba, which will no doubt be a rule violation of most apartment complexes. Keep in mind that apartments were not designed to withstand the heat and humidity that is required for growing cannabis. These conditions could lead to issues with mold and may end up resulting in an expensive renovation project for the property owner. Sometimes unforeseen projects can have an adverse effect on rental rates. While trying not to be Buzz Killington, the changed laws in regard to cannabis will definitely have an impact on rental properties and condo developments. I really hope the changes allow for the responsible use of cannabis while having a minimal impact on the residents (and children) who choose not to indulge. The policies and enforcement at properties managed by Vionell Holdings will be geared towards the quiet enjoyment of the residence. This means free from unnecessary dangers and health risks (like the ones created by grow ops) and maintaining a smoke-free environment. For the most up-to-date information on cannabis laws and regulations, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations.html 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.