Third-year Brandon University students are enjoying a bit of the brisk outdoors this week as they work on a class project with the help of Winnipeg artist, Chris Pancoe. Lisa Wood, Assistant Professor of Visual and Aboriginal Art at the University said that they are working in collaboration with Winter Garden and Pancoe to develop a unique snow carving. “Specifically, my 3D Design class has been prepping for making snow sculptures by thinking about making public art and sculpting maquettes in preparation for these snow forms,” said Wood. The project just got underway today and work will continue until Wednesday when they plan for it to be complete. The students are working on the corner of 18th Street and Princess Avenue. The sculpture is based on an abstract design created by one of the students. Pancoe looked at all the work and decided what would work best for a snow sculpture and for sculpting, especially for those who have never done it before. “We are really happy to have Chris here, he’s done a lot of work for Festival du Voyageur, he was part of the team that made Anish Kapoor’s warming hut called “Stackhouse” in Winnipeg last year and is a well-known ceramic based artist,” said Wood. We’ll be sure to snap a picture of the finished artwork and post it right here on bdnmb.ca. Good luck to the students in creating their art!

There has been tremendous growth in the online casino sector world over in the past one decade, and the Canadian market hasn’t remained untouched. The figures released by the Canadian Gaming Association revealed that the Canadian online gaming industry’s purchased services amounted to $ 14 billion, and the gross output was $ 31 billion for the year 2016. These numbers were projected to increase in the coming years. Constantly increasing popularity of mobile gaming and online casinos has certainly given a major boost to the Canadian online casino industry. If we talk about the best online casino Canada has to offer today, there’s not just one, but quite a substantial number of them that are giving popular land casinos like Sand Hills, a run for their money. Absence of centralised regulatory standards Canadian Government has so far taken a decentralised approach as far as gambling regulation is concerned. This has enabled every Canadian province or territory to determine its own laws at the state level. The province of Québec continues to be the biggest and longest-established iGaming hub in Canada. It was the first one to grant online gambling casino licenses to operators. Many other states are taking a cue from Québec, and are increasingly relaxing their existing gambling laws, to benefit from the investment opportunities offered by the iGaming industry. Rapidly catching on the action The territories of Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario are working overtime to relax their online gambling laws, to facilitate easy operations of online casinos from their areas. They’re well aware of the lost revenue to unauthorized iGaming; a major chunk of business is going to the regions outside of Canada. The Canadian online casino industry has been growing at such a pace that new brick-and-mortar casino projects are also being rejected amid concerns about their potential profitability, considering the fierce competition offered by the online market these days. A grey area There is plenty of uncertainty around the legalisation of Canadian online casinos, and this can prove to be a problem for the Canadian players. For instance, owing to non-centralised licensing and hazy laws, many innocent online players might find themselves inadvertently flouting the laws, having no protection in case anything goes wrong. Regardless, the only way is up It goes without saying that it’s only in the best interest of the Canadian government to clear a great deal of confusion that surrounds the online casino industry. As with anything associated with the Internet, it is only inevitable that the legislation would always lag a little behind the ground situation, as lawmakers normally struggle to keep pace with the emerging technologies. However, as the Canadian iGaming market continues to be neglected by the government agencies, despite being immensely lucrative, a good number of Canadian online casino players as well as operators still find themselves in legal grey areas, something that’s not doing anyone any favours. Whatever might happen, it cannot be denied that the Canadian online casino industry will only continue to grow in the future. The advancements in the virtual reality and mobile technology will be successfully incorporated in the online casino industry, and it’s highly likely that those virtual platforms would slowly and gradually replace the brick-and-mortar establishments.

Are you looking forward to getting out on your own and renting an apartment or perhaps you’re wanting to sell your home and move into a rental property so that you have more freedom to travel. Whatever the reason, if renting is the right choice for you, then it’s a good idea to do your homework and find out what your rights are as a tenant. Often, it’s a case of if you don’t ask, you don’t know. However, having that little bit of extra information before you sign a rental agreement can give you peace of mind and help you to manage your expectations should situations arise. Regulations related to tenant and landlord rights are governed in Manitoba by the Residential Tenancies Branch. Some of the basic rights that tenants have under the Residential Tenancies Act are: The unit must be made available to the tenant on the scheduled move in date. The tenant should receive a written receipt when the rent is received showing the amount paid, the date and the address of the rental unit. Essential services such as heat, electricity, as well as hot and cold water, must be provided. A landlord must provide 24-hour written notice to enter your unit unless it is an emergency. The space that you are renting must be kept in good repair and meet provincial health guidelines, as well as housing and safety standards. You have the right to quiet enjoyment of your rental unit and not be disturbed by people living in your building or your landlord. The landlord must investigate complaints of disturbances or risks of safety to the residents. You have the right to be notified of any rent increases with a minimum of three months notice. Beyond these rights protected by the Residential Tenancies Branch, each building or community may also have their own rules to help ensure the enjoyment of residents in their homes. Such rules can include having a non-smoking environment, the use of gas grills, quiet hours and restrictions on pets. Of course, with the impending marijuana legislation, property managers and landlords may be reevaluating rules that they already have in place. Ideally, when you start your search for a rental unit, it is important to ask questions and research what rules are implemented for the building or community that you’re considering. This may help you to determine if the space is indeed conducive to your personal lifestyle.   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 3,000 units under management in Manitoba.

Vincent Massey High School is running a Fine Arts Show at the Shoppers Mall. The show features the works of Grade 9-12 students, and will be running January 29’h to 31“during regular mall hours. The students of Vincent Massey High School have come together to create an exceptional art exhibit. Drawing on a vast array of inspiration from surrealism and pop art, to Greek sculptures and still lives. This collection relies on a variety of mediums, such as watercolours, pastel, pencil, and ink. Some pieces focus on social issues while others include different styles and movements. Please come to the mall and support these fantastic artists!

There may have been a time when you thought it would be great to buy some property and turn it into a rental unit. Perhaps it’s a smaller fourplex, a larger 16-unit property or even a single dwelling. Whatever the situation, investing in rental property can be prosperous, but there are certain factors to consider when determining which type property is best to invest in. Research. This is one of the first things that you should do before making any big decisions. Put some time and effort into determining what type of units are in most demand in the current market. Is it a three bedroom that would accommodate small families or a couple of roommates? Perhaps, the market is demanding one bedroom units that are best suited for students, young professionals or couples? Your decision on the type of property to invest in might be easier to make if there is, in fact, a shortage of any one type of unit in the city. A second consideration is a location. You’ve heard it before - location, location, location makes all the difference! Is it near a major employer or educational institution? Is it close to elementary or secondary schools? What about a shopping centre? Location plays a key role in determining your ideal tenant and target rent. Once you have looked at what types of property that might be in demand and where the next factor to consider is whether you to intend to invest in a new rental property or purchase an existing one. Investing in an existing property may affect cash flow. Property that was built on April 9, 2001 has a 15-year exemption from guideline rent increases or 20-years if it was built after March 7, 2005. If an older property is selected as an investment, the property may be within the rent control guidelines which means that rent can only be increased each year by the prescribed amount set by the province each year. This will affect cash flow as you are limited in your ability to increase rent to cover expenses and mortgage payments. On the flip side, if you are building a new rental property you will have 20 years to adjust the rent to cover increases in expenses such as changes in interest rates or property taxes, while still staying within rates of what the market will handle. Of course, it’s impossible to decide on what type of property to invest in without considering finances. Most financial institutions require 25 per cent equity in a rental property, meaning that the financial institution will finance 75 per cent of the asset. Although the equity may be tough to come up with, you could obtain a line of credit on your main residence to make up an equity shortfall and deduct the incremental interest against the income from your rental property. There also may be options available through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation that will allow you to purchase a rental property with less than 25 per cent equity, however, there are premiums added to the mortgage as well as covenants such as audited financial statements that could potentially reduce the annual return on investment. Finally, how do you feel about taking calls in the middle of the night to fix a broken heating system? Are you willing to handle basic maintenance, be on the property immediately following a snowfall? The answer to these questions will help you to decide if you want to self-manage your property or hire a licensed property manager. Not only will a property manager handle all the challenging day-to-day tasks, they will often have systems and processes in place that will mitigate the risk of your investment. Headquartered in Brandon, Manitoba, Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) has operations in Brandon and Thompson. VHP provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management.  VHP currently has over 2,500 units under management in Manitoba.