Political junkies are constantly looking for a way to satiate their cravings. From March 16 to April 19, these addicts were on a constant high with the provincial election campaign. Now that the campaign is over — with a history-making Progressive Conservative thumping of the sad-sack governing NDP — the withdrawal symptoms are starting to show in the political peanut gallery. So now, pundits, players and “whimsical columnists” such as myself (the latter are former premier Gary Doer’s words) are turning to the guessing game of who will be in Premier-designate Brian Pallister’s cabinet. And it’s a fun game. The Top Tories will be an inner-circle of only 12 people, down from the NDP’s 18. It was one of Pallister’s cost-savings election promises. Now it’s fine and dandy to make that type of campaign pledge, but now the rubber hits the road for Pallister. With such a huge number of MLAs elected — 40 with 24 being new faces in the caucus — come swearing-in day May 3, there are bound to be some testy Tory reps who are left out. The rest of the caucus will be sworn in May 11. On the day after the thrilling election night, Pallister told the media he will make his picks based on merit, rather than trying to achieve gender parity. Why is gender parity such a top-of-mind topic for the media? Well the gender parity concept was instilled in the Canadian consciousness by the King of Political Correctness, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He made headlines in November when he appointed Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet. Merit be damned. Affirmative action was now de rigueur in the most powerful boardroom in Canada. When asked why gender parity was so important to him, Trudeau said, “because it’s 2015.” Now while gender parity is a worthy goal indeed, it’s a stretch right now as there are simply not enough women running for office waving the PC Party flag (or getting elected if they do). Pallister has stated that gender parity in cabinet will take time. The Tories did run the largest number of women in the party’s history this past campaign. But after the votes were cast, the Tory caucus consists of eight women and 32 men. “As the father of two daughters I believe (women) should have equal opportunity in life, but they should also understand that merit is what matters most,” Pallister said. He avoided quipping: “And because it’s 2016.” Which would have been funny. Yeah, about as humorous as the “sacred cows” blooper he made at the start of the campaign. But I digress. With 16 incumbents to choose from, only two of the veterans are women. In recent media conferences Pallister would not commit to putting his two veteran female MLAs into cabinet. He would also not commit to having a cabinet rep from Brandon. So without further ado (drum roll please…) here’s my list: Steven Fletcher (Assiniboia) Reg Helwer (Brandon West) Myrna Driedger (Charleswood) Scott Fielding (Kirkfield Park) Blaine Pederson (Midland) Shannon Martin (Morris) Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie) Rochelle Squires (Riel) Janice Morley Lecomte (Seine River) Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach) Kelly Bindle (Thompson) Heather Stefanson (Tuxedo) Ron Schuler (St. Paul) without a doubt, should be Speaker. Elected in a secret ballot by all Members of the Assembly, the Speaker occupies the position of highest authority in the Legislative Assembly. And he gets to wear a cool tri-corner hat and judicial-style robes. My dozen picks give the Tories an equal balance between urban and rural (yes, Brandon is considered rural, geez), plus one-third of the cabinet will be women. All regions of the province are represented and Pallister can lean on his most experienced former Opposition critics to shoulder some weight in key portfolios. I’m not going to get into detailed reasons why each of my picks deserves to be in cabinet. Just to say I’m following Pallister’s lead on merit first and a natural need for a rural/urban balance for his first cabinet. In a couple of years, he can then tinker a bit and consider shuffling in people such as Jon Reyes (St. Norbert) of the provincial capital’s Filipino community or Alan Lagimodiere (Selkirk) and Bob Lagassé (Dawson Trail) who identify as Indigenous. This especially if some of his debut cabinet bright lights turn out to be falling stars. Most ministers in the new Tory cabinet will have to handle several portfolios, so their assistants and staff will likely come into play much more so than under the NDP regime. The deputy ministers, many of whom will likely stay on under the new Tory government — as they are supposed to be non-political career bureaucrats — will also have to vie for time on their minister’s busy schedules. Just for comparison to my cabinet picks, here are a couple of others that popped up after election night. I note that both selections only have a few different picks than mine, I placed them at the bottom of each list: Winnipeg Sun: Steven Fletcher (Assiniboia) Reg Helwer (Brandon West) Myrna Driedger (Charleswood) Scott Fielding (Kirkfield Park) Shannon Martin (Morris) Ian Wishart  (Portage la Prairie) Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach) Kelly Bindle (Thompson) Heather Stefanson (Tuxedo) Cathy Cox (River East) Jon Reyes (St. Norbert) Ron Schuler (St. Paul) CBC Manitoba (only came up with 10 names): Steven Fletcher (Assiniboia) Myrna Driedger (Charleswood) Scott Fielding (Kirkfield Park) Ian Wishart (Portage La Prairie) Kelvin Goertzen (Steinbach) Kelly Bindle (Thompson) Heather Stefanson Tuxedo) Cathy Cox (River East) Ron Schuler (St. Paul) Len Isleifson (Brandon East) If you want to make your own fantasy cabinet, you can start here: http://www.electionsmanitoba.ca/en/Results/ENR

With the provincial election looming on Tuesday, the man who would be premier passed through Brandon to offer flowers and fighting words to campaign teams. Progressive Conservative Leader Brian Pallister also dropped by the Brandon Troyanda School of Ukrainian Dance’s festival at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium. But before making small talk with the adorable costumed kids, Pallister gave marching orders to about 50 people crammed into Brandon East candidate Len Isleifson’s campaign headquarters on Richmond Avenue. For the first time in decades, the NDP-held Brandon East constituency might be turning Tory blue. If that happens, the party could hold every seat in Westman. Perhaps that’s why a quick visit to Brandon on a rainy Saturday morning was crammed into Pallister’s very full schedule. “We’re going to build the kind of government that Manitobans have been wanting for so long — not government from above, but a government beside, a government with the people, a government that listens to the people on the front lines,” Pallister said. “I want a government that listens to people. That’s our government. That’s what happens on Tuesday. It’s not just getting the power … it’s making sure we do the right things when we have it.” Addressing ongoing attacks from his opponents on his personal wealth — including frequent trips to his family’s second home in Costa Rica — Pallister said he worked hard all of his life to obtain what he and his wife Esther have. “I’m never going to apologize for finding success. Esther and I … come from modest backgrounds and we made our way up in life,” he told the crowd. “We worked hard, we studied hard, we borrowed a fair bit of money, we built a business and we created jobs. “We, like you, invested in a future, and we found it and we feel blessed about it. But I’ll be darned if I’m going to apologize for that. And I tell you what I want is a province where people can (also) find success in their lives too. Everybody deserves that chance.” That brought the loudest cheers from the assembled Tories, which included Brandon West MLA Reg Helwer, Spruce Woods MLA Cliff Cullen, Midland MLA Blaine Pedersen, Coun. Jeff Harwood (University) and Brandon-Souris MP Larry Maguire. Interestingly, Pallister brought bouquets of flowers for Isleifson and Helwer, as a symbol of thanks for the work of their campaigns to date. “A man giving men flowers shows how much of a modern man I am,” Pallister said with a smile. Yes, he was in a very jubilant mood. And the partisan crowd ate it up. All polls show the PC’s holding a substantial lead over the current NDP government, with the Liberals and Greens trailing even further behind. One recent poll even suggested a “mega-majority” could be waiting for the party on Tuesday night. Pallister wrapped up his short speech with an agriculture metaphor about the situation the Tories find themselves in. “We have a bumper crop sitting in the field right now and the people of Manitoba deserve to see that bumper crop in the bin,” Pallister said. “Because when we get into power, they’re going to find their yield is a lot better too. Better yields for their kids, better yields for their families as they age. “It all depends on the next few hours. Everything does. Get those combines out in the fields!”

[London, ON]— GoodLife Fitness will open a 26,000 sq. ft. Club in Brandon, Manitoba located in Shoppers Mall on 18th Street in early in 2017. The co-ed facility will be GoodLife’s first location in Brandon and the 8th club in Manitoba. “We are so excited to be joining the community of Brandon, Manitoba,” says David ’Patch’ Patchell- Evans, Founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness. “Brandon is a growing city that has a passion for physical activity. We are looking forward to helping residents achieve their health and fitness goals and live their version of ‘the GoodLife"’. “Shoppers Mall welcomes GoodLife Fitness to our centre,” said General Manager, Kim James. “The co-ed Club will offer the community a modern, first class facility with amenities that support an active lifestyle. It will provide our customers with an enhanced one-stop location for retail and services." GoodLife Fitness features caring and experienced fitness professionals including: educated and certified personal trainers, MYBootcamp coaches and passionate and certified group fitness instructors. GoodLife also features the world’s leading group fitness classes like Les Mills and Jillian Michaels BODYSHRED'", group cycling, and virtual fitness classes. GoodLife also gives members access to industry-leading strength training and cardio equipment and more. Amenities for the Club are currently being finalized. Residents are encouraged to keep an eye on www.eoodlifefitness.com/upcoming-locacions  for the latest updates about this location. GoodLife is expected to employ approximately 40 employees from the community for this location. Anyone interested in working in a fun, no-judgment atmosphere at GoodLife Fitness are encouraged to go to iobs.eoodlifefitness.com and apply for a position to join the GoodLife Fitness team. About GoodLife Fitness Proudly Canadian since 1979, GoodLife Fitness is the largest fitness company in Canada and the fourth largest in the world. With over 365 clubs from coast-to-coast, including 70 Energie Cardio and EconoFitness Clubs in Quebec, approximately 14,400 employees and more than 1.25 million Members, GoodLife is helping to transform the health and wellness of one in 34 Canadians every day. www.eoodlifefitness.com  

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Having recently launched our classified section, we would now like to reward you for using this service. Therefore we have introduced another new contest for you to participate in with the opportunity to win a couple of different gift cards. This latest promotion is very simple. Place a free classified ad on bdnmb.ca and you are automatically entered and we will be selecting two contest winners, one for each card. All you have to do is register your account and place your ad. We will make this draw April 2nd https://bdnmb.ca/bran…/classifieds/index.php/…/account/signup Up for grabs. 1 - $100.00 Visa Gift Card 1 - $50.00 Keg Gift Card Please keep in mind that everyone who places an ad into our classifieds will also have their name entered to win dinner for themselves and three friends at Browns Social House with Canadian TV Star Jeff Schwartz, the Liquidator. That draw is set to take place April 15.