Today, Assiniboine Park Zoo officially opened its Dinosaurs Alive!® exhibit presented by Artis REIT with the unveiling of the newest dinosaur to join the group – a 13 metre long Tylosaurus. Often referred to as the ‘T. rex’ of the ocean, the Tylosaurus is classified as a Mosasaur and known to be many sizes with one of the largest ever discovered found in Manitoba. Assiniboine Park Zoo is the first zoo world-wide to feature this particular dinosaur as part of a Dinosaurs Alive!® exhibit. With the addition of the Tylosaurus, the exhibit now features all three categories of apex predators – land, air and sea. The Tylosaurus is distinguished by its elongated cylindrical snout which may have been used to ram and stun its prey. The dominant marine predator in the Western Interior Seaway, a full grown Tylosaurus would have been invincible in its environment to nearly everything except disease and old age. ““The Tylosaurus is a very exciting addition to the exhibit, particularly because of its history of discovery in Manitoba,” said Bran Adams, Education Coordinator at Assiniboine Park Conservancy. “In addition, Mosasaurs are related to reptiles, so it has some very interesting connections to the snakes and lizards we have here at the Zoo. I’m sure that visitors of all ages are going to love it!” Included with regular Zoo admission, Dinosaurs Alive!® features 16 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs along a forested path in the Zoo. The exhibit offers visitors the opportunity to step back in time to the prehistoric era as the lifelike dinosaurs move and roar demonstrating how they may have looked and moved in a natural environment millions of years ago. In addition to the dinosaurs themselves, the exhibit features a dig site and excavation site where children of all ages can discover what it’s like to be a paleontologist. Dinosaurs Alive!® is made possible through support from presenting sponsor Artis REIT as well as numerous supporting partners and sponsors.

Do you own a condominium or are you thinking about buying one? Condo living is meant to be stress-free, comfortable and easy. However, homeowners still need to protect themselves and ensure that they have the right insurance coverage to maintain that peace of mind. Property Manager Stephen Montague, says it’s important for homeowners to take the time to review their coverage so that they have a good understanding of what they are covered for and what they are not. Insurance coverage that condominium owners may not be aware of, include. Personal Liability Coverage: Did you know that if someone were injured on your property, you could be found legally responsible? It makes good sense to consider personal liability coverage for both personal injury, as well as property damage. Additional Living Expense Coverage: In this situation, if you are unable to live in your condo while it is being repaired for an insured loss, additional living expense coverage would be helpful to help to cover the extra costs that you encounter during this time. Deductible Assessment Coverage: One of the most overlooked coverages, but often the most valuable is that of deductible assessment coverage. While it is the condo corporation’s insurance that covers the standard unit and common elements, you as a condo owner may be responsible to pay the corporation’s deductible should you be deemed responsible for the damage. A deductible on the master policy can range anywhere from $2,500 to upwards of $50,000. The deductible would be paid through a claim on your personal policy if you had deductible assessment coverage at the time the claim was made. Without this coverage in place, you as a unit owner may be personally responsible for the corporation’s deductible for a claim on your own standard unit. Personal Contents and Upgrades Coverage: It is advised that condo owners also carry insurance for their personal effects (electronics, clothing, furniture, etc.) and additional coverage for upgrades (finished basement, flooring, etc.), as the condo corporation’s policy does not cover these items. 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 2,500 units under management in Manitoba.

It’s time to chat about insurance - woot, woot!  Yes, I realize that insurance isn’t always the most exciting subject to talk about, but most of us know how valuable it is and how it certainly gives us much needed peace of mind in case of a misfortune. With more and more people choosing to purchase condominiums, it’s important to consider what might be needed for personal insurance. Condominium corporations have an insurance policy (also known as the Master Policy) that insures the property and common areas that are collectively owned by all the condo owners within the development, but that doesn’t mean that your personal effects are covered. The corporation’s coverage is often based on fire, sewer back-up, flooding and earthquakes, but this is primarily based on the structures themselves. The policy doesn’t insure any of your personal property such as clothing, televisions and other electronics, appliances that aren’t part of the standard unit, and furniture. In addition, if you’ve upgraded your condo by finishing the basement or installing new cupboards, countertops, flooring or plumbing fixtures, the corporations’ policy doesn’t insure these upgrades; it only covers the standard condo. These are just two examples of what you may need for extra insurance coverage as a condo owner. Professional property managers can help to ensure you have the proper coverage in place so you can continue to enjoy the worry-free lifestyle that your condo living provides. 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 2,500 units under management in Manitoba

Bacardi Canada has voluntarily recalled 1.14 litre bottles of Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin (lot code L16304 W only) as it contains an incorrect alcohol content versus what is shown on the label (77% versus 40%). The lot code can be found on the back of the bottle near the base. Any affected product has been removed from Liquor Mart shelves. Licensees or customers who have previously purchased an affected bottle of Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin should not consume and return the product to their local Liquor Mart or Liquor Vendor for a full refund. This incident is isolated to the following Canadian provinces: Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan," For further information about this recall, please visit the Canada Food Inspection Agency website

Spring officially kicked off one month ago on March 20, but it hasn’t been until this past week that we’re actually starting to see signs of good things to come. With the warmer temperatures…the grass is starting to turn green, buds on the trees are making their way out and the robins are singing their sweet songs (and waking us up at 4 a.m.)! Seeing other early bloomers are also strong indications that old man winter is indeed taking a much needed break! Photos: Wanda Kurchaba