Westman Communications Group (Westman) has been shortlisted for two Tuned-In Canada awards, Best Photo: Connecting Canadians and Best People: On-Camera Community Channel Personality. Each category's winners are determined by nationwide voting, which is open on March 18 and closes on April 1, 2021.  Voting takes place at www.tunedincanada.com/vote/  using SMS authentication. You can cast one vote per day for 15 days or deploy all 15 at once. Westman is up against three other nominees in Best People: On-Camera Community Channel Personality and Best Photo: Connecting Canadians. If Westman is the winner, the $1,000 prize for each category will be donated to Samaritan House Ministries Inc., which is the local charity of their choice. "It is always an honour to be recognized on a national scale; we are excited to be shortlisted for two Tuned-In Canada awards," said Courtney Baxter, Marketing Manager at Westman. "We have a lot of pride in supporting our communities we serve and would love to win these awards for the opportunity to donate $2,000 to Samaritan House Ministries Inc." Bernie Whetter is a long-time volunteer host of Here We Grow, and this year is being acknowledged by being shortlisted as one of three nominees for Best People: On-Camera Community Channel Personality.With a bachelor's degree in Agriculture Science and a master's in Business Administration, Whetter has been hosting Here We Grow for the past eight years. The idea for the show was first brought to life in 2013 and was being produced shortly after. Whetter has extensive knowledge of the various topics he discusses and mixes that with his friendly personality to make the show one of a kind. As a local business owner, Whetter enjoys giving back to his community, and this show is one of his ways of doing so.   The photo Westman was shortlisted for was of the Inglis, Manitoba elevators. This was the start of Westman's journey to bring communication services to underserved communities across Manitoba. Inglis is one of six communities Westman connected to their fibre optic network over the past year. In addition to Inglis, Westman connected Rapid City, Minto, Oak River, Haywood, and St. Claude throughout 2020. This allowed Westman to offer High Speed Internet services to residents and businesses who previously did not have access to essential speeds. "The CCSA has been running the awards since 2014 and has provided more than $50,000 to winning companies, which in turn have donated their winnings back to the communities where they live and work," said Jay Thomson, CEO of CCSA. "We hope that everyone in Westman's serving areas will embrace the community spirit at the heart of this friendly competition and bring out the vote to support their local nominee, Westman Communications Group." The winners will be announced on April 12, 2021. (Westman Communications Group Media Release)

Sunrise Credit Union will begin accepting entries into the ninth annual Our Manitoba Photo Contest on Monday, March 15, 2021. The contest has been held annually since 2013 and showcases the beauty of our province. The competition is open to all Manitobans. Each photographer can submit a maximum of three photos. Photos that meet technical requirements and showcase Manitoba's cultural characteristics will then be shortlisted based on originality, creativity, and overall composition. The shortlisted images are subject to a public vote, with the winner unveiled on Manitoba Day, Wednesday, May 12. The 13 winning entries will receive a canvas print of their winning photograph and have their photo featured in the 2022 Sunrise Credit Union Calendar. The Grand Prize winner will also receive a $500 term deposit. The contest receives hundreds of entries annually, and thousands more participate through the public vote. The important dates to remember for the Our Manitoba Photo Contest are: March 15 – April 1 – submit photos at www.ourmanitoba.org.April 7-14 – public vote through www.ourmanitoba.org.April 30 – May 11 – photos #13 through #2 released through Sunrise Credit Union's social media channels.May 12 – the unveiling of the Grand Prize-winning photo. Last year’s winner was Justin Oertel of Brandon for the photo ‘Harvest Sunset’. (submitted)

Rev Up your Appetite with new items full of flavour in Smitty's Garage! Shareables, poutines, wing combo meals, burgers and subs are sure to curb your cravings. Currently available for third party delivery on Door Dash and available on smittys.xdineapp.com for pick up from Smitty's at the Shopper's Mall location from 11am - 930pm, 204-571-3160. Try innovative menu items like the Buffalo Spare Tire (golden deep fried jumbo onion halves seasoned with Buffalo seasoning and topped with a three cheese blend, green onions and a splash of Hot Ranch) or the EL Garaje Nacho Sub (two chicken breasts tossed in hot ranch sauce, & sprinkled with crunchy tortilla strips, three cheese blend, jalapenos, black olives, green onions, green onions, tomatoes sauces with a lime crema). Smitty's Garage Smitty's Garage Smitty's Garage Smitty's Garage Smitty's Garage Smitty's Garage

(Above Photo: Keywest Photo - Image by Design Inc) Originally located at 830 Rosser Avenue, Ernest Lisle Christie founded Christie’s School Supply and Bookstore. In the 1940s, the business moved to the historic location at 705 Pacific Avenue, where they called home until the devastating fire in May 2018.  Now almost 3 years since that tragic weekend, Christie’s is in their new home on 1300 Richmond Avenue East and this year marks a milestone of 140 years in business. Christie’s has faced some interesting challenges over the past 10 years.  In September 2011, Christie’s experienced a fire outside their historic building that damaged a part of the building which de-railed their 130th Anniversary celebrations.  Fast forward to 2017 when Don Green sold the company to Travis Chastko and then in 2018, the fire happened.  Having been through the experience of the 2011 fire, Don Green came back to take on the Project Management role and 19 months after the fire, the company moved into a new building.  Three months after moving in, Covid19 hits and their plans for a Grand Opening celebration had to be cancelled.  And still dealing with Covid, they are going ahead with their 140th year long celebration in a covid friendly environment. Photo: Keywest Photo - Image By Design" And through all the years and changes, one thing remains the same. “We’re focused on our customers and understanding their needs,” said Travis Chastko, Owner & General Manager for Christie’s Office Plus. “We’re always adapting to change and reacting to the current market trends, but we have always had loyal customers, a loyal community and dedicated employees.” With ever-changing technology, online competitors plus the surge of home offices due to Covid, keeping up with the latest products is an important and difficult task. “We are able to source from many vendors who keep up with the current technologies,” added Chastko. “We are always working together to source the best products, many of which are made here in Canada. We really are a one-stop-shop for many of our customers.” Christie’s Office Plus is celebrating its 140th anniversary all year long and they want to celebrate with the community.  Customers are encouraged to sign up through their website, www.christiesop.com to receive their emails for promotions.  You can visit them for in store specials throughout the year and connect with them via social media for exclusive contests and giveaways.

The outdoor digital advertising sign business in Brandon is about to become much more competitive. Local company ClearSky Digital Advertising (CSDA) is in the midst of installing their first sign at Kam Lungs parking lot on 17th Street and Park Ave. The 10ft x 20ft high-resolution sign will have 10 - 12 ads that will rotate on the side facing 18th Street and Park intersection.  The other side will be a static paper sign. Owners of CSDA feel that not only will the resolution and quality be higher but their monthly ad rates will also be much more affordable compared to current signs available in the marketplace. They expect this location to be up and running within one to two weeks. Info and prices contact:bt@csda.live Websitecsda.live Ad Rates and Infohttps://www.flipsnack.com/AccentStriping/clearsky-digital-advertising.html