Westman ROCKS! is an online Facebook group about creativity, community and brightening someone's day.  A simple but unusual hobby is spreading across the Westman region. Residents are picking up and passing along colorful stones to share random acts of kindness.  The trend started in America and has spread to many different countries, including Canada. The concept is quite simple: You first need to gather a few supplies (flat, paintable rocks, acrylic paint, sealer, paint brushes) to decorate your rock.  You can get as creative as you like when decorating your rock.  Write instructions on the bottom of the rock that tell the finder which Facebook group (Westman ROCKS!) to post a photo to once it's found. Then, hide the rock in a place of your choice.  Popular hiding spots include playgrounds, garden centres, beaches, gravel pits, & parking lots.  Some people may elect to post clues on social media about where rocks are hidden. If you find an art rock, take a picture, share it with Wesman ROCKS! on their Facebook page.  You then have the option to either keep it or re-hide the rock. For more information, or to join in the fun, please checkout their Facebook page.

Affordable housing is a hot topic and it seems to be in the news all time. You often hear or read about politicians congratulating themselves on recently developed affordable housing projects, but is the model that currently exists the most efficient or effective way to handle affordable housing projects? Affordable Housing is defined as modest housing (based on floor area and amenities) that is priced at or below average market rental rates compared to other housing in the same community. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation works with each province to set affordable housing rates based on total household income. The overall goal is to improve access to affordable, sound and suitable housing no matter where you live in Canada. In Manitoba, the Affordable Housing Rental Program is for lower-moderate income households that are below the income limit ($56,694 for households without children). In Brandon, that means affordable housing rental rates are set at (not including hydro): $640 1 Bedroom $850  2 Bedroom $954  3 Bedroom For the most part, affordable housing units are built by non-profit organizations and encompass an entire building. The question that many developers and investors are left wondering is: could funding be made available for profit companies to allow a portion of their units to be designated as affordable housing units instead of centralizing all the units within one community/building? From an investment point-of-view, government partnerships would be needed in order to successfully make the project work. When you take into consideration new building codes landlords would have to charge $1,250 per month plus hydro for a two-bedroom unit. This means that the monthly subsidy (or property tax incentive) would be approximately $400 per month or a contribution up front in terms of cash or land or servicing (in lieu of cash). From a social perspective, those that don’t earn enough to live without government subsidies on rent may appreciate not being stigmatized by living in the projects or in ‘Manitoba Housing’. Living in a community surrounded by people of various income levels might help to boost their confidence and drive people to do better for themselves. The subsidy may be viewed as a hand up, rather than a handout. While there are pros and cons to both approaches, it may be worth exploring a new model to better meet the demands of affordable housing. 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 3,500 units under management in Manitoba. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

The inaugural Red Dress Gala event will be held at the Clarion Hotel & Suites inside the Regency Ballroom on Saturday June 9th, 2018.  The evening will feature a five course dinner, fashion show, auction, 50/50 and entertainment.   Formal attire (red dress or red tie) is required and net proceeds will be donated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Music by Expressions Entertainment. Tickets are available at the Heart and Stroke Foundation Brandon office (2430 Victoria Avenue, Unit 3, R7B 0M5) as well as at the Clarion Hotel for $100.00 each (rushed seating) or $800.00 for a table of 8 (VIP reserved table).

What do construction trucks, farm equipment, and emergency vehicles have in common? All those vehicles, and plenty more, will be on the grounds of the Keystone Centre, on Saturday, May 26, 2018.  This year organizers have expanded their hours (9am-4pm) and added a QUIET HOUR from 9am-10am, free of sirens and honking for those who need it.  This year's theme is SAFETY and many of the vendors will be helping out with safety tips, activities and freebies to give out to kids and families Touch-A-Truck Brandon is a unique fundraiser that is an interactive, outdoor, family friendly experience, allowing kids to “touch”, climb, explore and discover all kinds of vehicles. The event is a fundraiser for both Kokum's Early Enrichment Program daycares in Brandon. Their pedagogy and motto at both centres is to let kids get dirty and explore their surroundings. The cost will be $5 per person. Advance tickets are not required and you can simply pay at the gate.  The K.E.E.P. BBQ featuring bannock dogs and burgers will be back this year, as well as a handful of food trucks. For more information visit the Touch-A-Truck Brandon Facebook page.

There’s nothing denying the fact that roulette is counted amongst the most popular casino games everywhere. Visit any off-line casino floor and observe the spots with maximum crowds. In all likelihood, you’d see most of the groups forming-up around the roulette tables, cheering every spin of the wheel! Roulette has gradually made a move to the online world and is garnering the same kind of popularity in the Internet world too. Online roulette has emerged as one of the most indulged-in games at the internet-based casinos, with a large number of people preferring it over slots, blackjack and other types of casino games. What do you think makes roulette so popular? Which aspects of the game are a big hit with the players? Following are some reasons why roulette has gained so much popularity in the online world too. Easy to learn You don’t need to have any special skills or knowledge to learn and play roulette. It’s very easy to pick up, with almost anyone and everyone having the ability to play it with confidence after following it for a few minutes. It’s ease-of-learning is a crucial aspect behind the immense popularity of roulette. Compare it with any other casino games, for instance, baccarat, and you’d figure that you can drive into a local casino and start playing roulette without any fears of not being aware of the rules. The same can’t be said about baccarat. Here’s a comparison between roulette and lottery, when it comes to winning money. Wheel adds a lot of fun! The presence of wheel makes roulette extremely exciting! The spinning of the roulette wheel and the ball hopping and skipping to its final spot, adds greatly to the drama. There is plenty of excitement in having your hard earned money on the line, and watching the fate of it in the hands of a puny white ball, spinning everywhere around the wheel. It adds a great deal of dramatic element to this casino game! You play against the house Roulette emerged as a social casino game, where you aren’t placing bets against anyone else. It’s quite different to a game like poker wherein you try to win as much money as possible from the other people on the table. There are no different sides in roulette, and everyone can place the same amount of bet if they wish. Why play it online? There are several advantages of playing roulette on the Internet, and with more and more people getting on internet to play their favourite casino games, the future of Canada’s online casino industry looks really bright. Some of the benefits of playing roulette and other casino games online are: Better odds, bigger payouts – As online casinos don’t have the same kinds of overheads as land-based casinos, they can afford to offer better odds and bigger payouts to the winners. Furthermore, the immense competition in the online casino world works to the benefit of players as they can avail all kinds of attractive bonuses and incentives. On your lucky day, roulette (offline or online) can deliver huge wins such as this one. Convenience – There may be many times when you might be in the mood of playing casino games, but don’t want to dress up and visit a brick and mortar casino. Online roulette enables you to enjoy your favourite casino game right from within the comfort of your home, from anywhere you like. Less expensive – If you factor in the money spent on tips, transport, beverages, food, accommodation etc. while visiting a brick and mortar casino, you’d see that there are plenty of savings in playing roulette on the Internet.