DAUPHIN, Manitoba – Fusion Credit Union launched their new brand at a member event today, and backed it up with a new scholarship announcement and special rates for the 2019 RRSP and Term Deposit season. “We’re thrilled to be introducing our new brand,” says Ron Hedley, CEO. “Throughout our amalgamation, we’ve listened to our members and our staff, and we are working to create a credit union that serves all our needs, very well.” The brand, with its tagline, Here for Good, speaks to Fusion’s unique commitment to community. “’Here for Good’ captures who we are and what we stand for,” adds Hedley. “We are here to support our members and to build prosperity in our communities in any way we can. Sometimes that’s offering financial advice to members or supporting local businesses, it can also mean being a good employer, or sponsoring causes that are locally important. We live here, too, so these things are important to us.” As part of the launch, Fusion announced an increase of the scholarship program for 2019 to $20,000 to commemorate the new, amalgamated approach. Although specifics of the program have yet to be announced, the commitment to the future is clear. “One of the keys to having a dynamic, diverse economy in our communities is to support our young people to develop skills that will keep us innovative,” adds Hedley. The second announcement is the new ‘Elevator Rates’ for the RRSP season. “One of the ways we show member appreciation is by offering the most competitive rates we can,” adds Hedley. “This year’s rates are particularly strong and we hope members will be encouraged to take full advantage.” The brand launch event is just the beginning of the full changeover from Vanguard-Catalyst to Fusion. “Over the coming months, our members can expect to see us more prominently in each community as we update and replace the signs in and around the branches and in the communities,” adds Hedley. “And they will see us take a stronger role in offering advice and information, so everyone in our communities can gain greater financial confidence.”

The Trails West Motor Inn converted to a Travelodge earlier today.  New signs were hung mid-afternoon.  Elizabeth Lee, hotel manager, told bdnmb.ca that along with the name change people can expect to also see some other changes taking place over the next little while.  Planned upgrades include doing a floor upgrade, painting the outside of the building, changing key locks, changing out the mattresses and eventually adding a fitness room.  Becoming part of the Wyndam family of hotels has many benefits including loyalty points with other Wyndham chains properties, increased visibility for on-line booking, and lots of support and backup from a corporate level.

Scrambling to search for the best deals around for Boxing Day and Boxing Week deals, www.bdnmb.ca would like to compile a list for our readers of the best local deals and savings. We invite local, independent businesses who don't have the budget, or who don't use mass media flyer distribution and national advertising support to email us a list of their best Boxing Day/Week deals. We will publish the list of offers we receive on December 23rd.  We encourage locally owned and operated businesses to submit (jody@bdnmb.ca) a short list of 5-6 of their best deals they would like to feature.   You have until Thursday, December 20th to submit.  Remember to be as specific (price, description, time frame) in your listing as you can. Example:  December 26th only up to 25% off select women's clothing, or 45% off all mattresses Boxing Day only This offer also extends to any locally owned and operated restaurant, or anyone in the service industry, who will be offering boxing day/week specials as well. Example: Boxing week special 25% off all haircuts and 30% off all hair care products until December 30.

DELTA 9 CANNABIS INC. (TSXV: NINE) (OTC: VRNDF) ("Delta 9" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has received conditional approval from the Manitoba Government to open a new cannabis 'SuperStore' in Brandon, Manitoba. The store opening is subject to execution of a Retail Store Agreement with the province, as well as final licenses and inspections from the Liquor Gaming and Cannabis Authority. At 4,800 square feet in size, the cannabis outlet will be the largest in Manitoba and will include an onsite Cannabis Education Centre offering courses on cannabis use and safety for the general public. "There are many people who may be completely new to cannabis or may not have tried it for years or even decades," explained Delta 9 CEO John Arbuthnot. "Part of our mission as a Company is to make sure that our customers have the best information possible for an enjoyable experience." The Education Centre will be offering courses including the basics of using cannabis safely, called 'Cannabis 101', a course on the use of cannabis oils, a course on the use of various cannabis accessories, and how to use ancillary items to produce cannabis butter for edible products. The Delta 9 outlet in Brandon is located in a former liquor store in Shoppers Mall, the busiest retail area in the city. Shoppers Mall is a 367,000-square-foot enclosed regional shopping centre located in the heart of Brandon's shopping district.  The Mall features more than 90 retailers offering a merchandise mix of retail, services, entertainment and restaurants, and includes major anchor tenants such as Sobeys extra, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sport Chek and Landmark Cinemas. "Our retail strategy has been to build in the best available properties we can find, with the highest amount of foot and vehicular traffic," explained VP of Retail Operations Al Roney. "This strategy has worked very well at our St. Vital outlet in Winnipeg and where we have completed over 36,000 transactions to date. "We fully expect to see the same kind of success in Brandon, and we're very excited to start working on renovating the property over the next few weeks." Brandon residents will start to see Delta 9 Cannabis signs going up over the coming week, as contractors move in to begin construction. Roney says the store will be very similar to the sleek, elegant design of the Winnipeg outlet, which some media outlets described as "like an Apple Store, but with cannabis." The Company is awaiting final approval from the provincial government on two more stores, with one located in Winnipeg and the other in Thompson.

LoSa Chic Boutique will be holding a two day pop-up ladies clothing sale in Brandon.  They will be bringing you all the hottest trends of the season including brands like Dex, Mink Pink, Second Denim Yoga Jeans, Dish, Only, and some great pieces from LA.  The sale will be held at Studio 78 Lofts & Creative Services (29-10th St-4th Floor).  In addition to the outstanding savings, the first 10 purchases on the Friday and first 20 on the Saturday will receive a FREE swag bag (valued at over $40). Hours: Friday, November 30: 3pm-8pm Saturday, December 1: 10am-6pm