Sunrise Credit Union is pleased to announce the election of four members from District Three (Baldur, Boissevain, Brandon, Cypress River, Holland, Treherne) to our Board of Directors following the conclusion of member voting earlier this week. Glenn Young and Craig Spencer are returning to the Board, while Steve Langston and Gord Dearsley will be Directors for the first time. They will start three-year terms on Board in April. Young first joined the Board at the inception of Sunrise Credit Union in 2008 after 22 years as a board member with Cypress River Credit Union. He currently serves as chair of the Board. Spencer became a Director in 2019 after a 33-year career as a public school teacher. He was formerly a Tiger Hills Credit Union director from 1993 to 2008. Langston is a local entrepreneur who owns and operates a video production and digital marketing company. He also re-develops real estate in rural communities and recently launched a non-profit thrift store three years ago. Dearsley is the Financial Officer for a not-for-profit organization in charge of vulnerable individuals and a life insurance advisor. He is a former municipal CAO for a rural community in Manitoba and was also Chief Financial Officer for a Toronto-based firm. The terms for Young, Spencer, Langston, and Dearsley will be ratified by members at Sunrise Credit Union Annual General Meeting, tentatively scheduled for April 19, 2022. We also wish to recognize the contributions of outgoing Board member Lon Cullen, who served on the Board of Directors since 2013 and was the first new director from Brandon. Cullen’s current term will end in April. (submitted)

In partnership with Leech Group, a redesigned Brandon Tourism website was launched today. The site, www.brandontourism.com, consists of a fresh, modern look that incorporates the colour scheme of the place brand along with several new features that will provide users with a much better sense of what the city has to offer. “Not only will the user get a better glimpse as far as what to see and do in our city, the revamped site is now more content driven than ever before," said Lanny Stewart, director of marketing and communications for Brandon Tourism. “The revamped site will consist of continually updated feature stories, itineraries, Q&As on stakeholders in Brandon and much more." The redesigned website is part of a continued emphasis towards updating Brandon Tourism’s digital toolbox for potential visitors. Brandon Tourism launched its official app last March and also partnered with Driftscape, a Canada-based mobile storytelling platform, last October.

Vionell Holdings Partnership was established based on an idea to contribute quality multi-unit housing to our community. What started as a one-man show and one property has grown significantly over the last 25 years. VHP has gone through several changes since its inception, and the growth of the company has continued at a steady pace. Now, this locally owned and operated licensed property management company is well on its way to achieving its goal of becoming an innovative industry leader in Manitoba’s property management field. The company primarily services Brandon with over 1700 condo and residential doors but has also branched out to the Thompson and Portage la Prairie markets with an additional 280 units. Both these satellite offices consist of full-time, on-site employees to oversee these rental and life lease communities. Being deeply invested in Brandon’s local economy and community, VHP is always looking for new ventures to support opportunities that allow for growth, job creation and an all-around positive impact on our economy and those living here. The company has recognized a need and executed its ideas for a new retirement living facility, life lease housing opportunities, affordable housing collaborations, accessible housing, properties aimed for better living for students, senior apartments, pet-friendly properties, affordable commercial and office space and more. With an experienced and committed team in place to help support the growth, VHP has no plans to slow down. “We are truly grateful and honoured to be celebrating this milestone today and are extremely thankful for our community which has always supported us and welcomed us. Without our local trades and businesses, our real estate investors, our customers and tenants we would not have been able to achieve the success and ability to give back to our community.” said Vice President of Operations Katie McMillan. Vionell Holdings will be celebrating internally as a company today with their team, but as an added token of their appreciation and gratitude, they are excited to announce the unveiling of their partnership with several local businesses to launch their Tenant Rewards Program which consists of retail and dining discounts exclusively to those living in VHP owned properties.

Assiniboine Community College’s Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture has received a generous contribution of $100,000 from local agricultural equipment dealer, Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME). “RME is pleased to support the future of agriculture education and training in Manitoba through the Prairie Innovation Centre at Assiniboine. We feel this project and ag-related training at the college is extremely important in attracting today’s youth who have interest in the agriculture industry and the opportunities it presents,” said Jim Wood, Chief Sales and Operating Officer, Rocky Mountain Equipment. "Having a large footprint in the Manitoba community, RME has numerous Assiniboine graduates currently on staff, and our hope is this initiative helps attract new employees to RME and the ag industry in general, better equipping all to better serve the farming customer". The campaign to build this state-of-the-art facility on the college’s North Hill campus is Assiniboine’s largest philanthropic undertaking and aims to address the growing needs of Manitoba’s agriculture sector, where it’s expected that one in five jobs could go unfilled by 2029. “The Prairie Innovation Centre will bring a necessary expansion of agriculture training to Assiniboine, addressing the current and developing gaps in the labour market and serving as a hub for agricultural innovation,” said Derrick Turner, Director of Advancement and External Relations at Assiniboine. "That’s really the purpose of the Centre when you boil it down—to ensure both students interested in pursuing agriculture-related careers and the agriculture industry are set for success". Creating an enhanced agricultural training capacity, the Centre will enable the agriculture sector to continue to be an economic driver in the Canadian and Manitoban economy. The project aims to expand seats in agriculture, environment and related technology programs from less than 300 to more than 800 students. (ACC Release)

The Board of Directors of Sunrise Credit Union recently made the difficult decision to close the branch in Oakburn, Manitoba, effective June 1, 2022. “In reaching this decision, we took a wide range of factors into account, including weighing the viability of business operations against the decreasing usage of in-branch services,” added Sunrise CEO and President Tim Klassen, “Many members located in the Oakburn area already use the full services located a short distance away in Shoal Lake and may continue to do so when in-branch services are required.” Sunrise Credit Union will move all accounts at the Oakburn branch to the Shoal Lake branch after the last day of business. If another Sunrise branch is more convenient, members should contact the branch to arrange a transfer before May 31. Current services such as cheques, auto deposits/debits, online banking, and MemberCards will continue without interruption. “One the key differences between our financial institution and big banks is that we are democratically run and owned by the membership. Because of this, it is our mandate to focus on the best interests of the entire membership, always working for the greater whole,” says Sunrise Board chair Glenn Young, “Unfortunately, the viability of the business operations in Oakburn dictated the decision to close the branch. However, Sunrise will continue to support local projects in the community.” The last day of business for the Oakburn branch will be May 31, 2022. (submitted)