BDNMB.CA welcomes Reliance Home Comfort to Brandon and Western Manitoba and we had time to speak to the local area GM Colin Chalmers. BDNMB - explain the services Reliance Home Comfort provides plus what makes us different from our competition. Colin "We provide whole home comfort solutions that include heating and cooling systems, water purifiers, smart home products, plus our plumbing and electrical services.  What will set us apart from our competition is our 100% satisfaction guarantee while making any decision more affordable for our customers." BDNMB - Do you expect to hire some local staff? Colin - "We will bring a national presence with a local feeling by hiring local.  We will be expecting to hire HVAC install crews, plumbers, technicians, etc." BDNMB - What are the reasons for your success over the past 5 years. Colin - "The reasons for our success is we strive to deliver best-in-class customer experiences that will provide them with options that will have economic, safety and health benefits.  Besides just heating and cooling your home, we believe in providing complete home comfort solutions." BDNMB - How far will our services go outside of Brandon. Colin - Our branch in Brandon will have a service area of roughly 115 Kilometers. To get in touch with Colin Chalmers at Reliance (431) 541-7963 https://reliancehomecomfort.com/brandon/

Manitobans living in Western Manitoba will soon benefit from a new hospital in Neepawa as part of the province’s commitment to provide better health care for all Manitobans by focusing on reducing wait times, improving access to care and providing more services closer to home, Premier Heather Stefanson and Health and Seniors Care Minister Audrey Gordon announced here today. “Across the province, strategic investments in modern buildings, equipment and technology will support the delivery of many health services locally, improve access and wait times, and reduce the need for many patients to travel to Winnipeg for care,” said Stefanson. “By investing in the new Neepawa Hospital, our government is building a strong foundation for the future of health care in this region of our province, a future that will offer reliable, consistent and high-quality health services.” The new facility represents an investment of at least $127 million. A site for the new facility is being finalized and will be announced at a later date. While located in Neepawa, the facility will serve patients from the broader geographic area in need of more specialized services, reducing their need to travel to larger centres like Brandon or Winnipeg, the premier noted. Features of the new facility, which will replace the existing Neepawa Health Centre, include: ·       at least 60 acute care inpatient beds, up from 35 at the current Neepawa site; ·       an expanded emergency department designed to best practice standards that includes treatment and assessment rooms, a trauma room, stretcher bay and an ambulance bay; and ·       enhanced space for a number of programs, such as surgery, diagnostics and palliative care as well as various outpatient services including dialysis and chemotherapy. The new facility is expected to be at least twice the size of the current site. Construction is tentatively slated for completion in 2025. “This significant investment reflects our government’s strong commitment to meeting the evolving health needs of residents from across the Westman region,” said Gordon. “The new hospital will provide a newer, more modern space for residents of Neepawa and surrounding communities as well as additional care options closer to home.” First announced in Budget 2021, Manitoba is investing a historic $812-million capital investment in building, expanding and renovating health-care facilities across the province in support of Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan led and developed by clinicians. The new Neepawa facility will perform an important role within the new provincial clinical network, which will deliver health services to Manitobans through a geographically organized, integrated network of care. “The Neepawa Health Centre provides essential services for a growing population in Neepawa and the surrounding area. The area is supported by a group of physicians whose skills support the delivery of many important specialized services locally,” said Brian Schoonbaert, CEO, Prairie Mountain Health. “This investment and expanded physical space will allow for our services to grow alongside our population, continuing our region’s focus on providing high-quality, coordinated care in this part of the province.” These projects are the latest in Manitoba’s commitment to better care sooner, which has seen significant infrastructure investments at health facilities throughout the province, including the new Selkirk Regional Health Centre, Health Sciences Centre Women’s Hospital and new emergency departments in Flin Flon, Dauphin and at Winnipeg’s Grace and St. Boniface hospitals. For more information on Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan, visit https://sharedhealthmb.ca/wp-content/uploads/CPSP_Overview_NL.pdf. (Province of MB News Release)

A winter sleigh ride is a wonderful way to take in the sights and sounds of winter. It’s also a perfect way to enjoy this winter wonderland during family outings, gatherings with friends, wedding parties and holidays. Our Lil Barnyard, located just 15 miles from Brandon, offers 40 minute sleigh rides along a beautiful trail through a peaceful snow covered bush on the south side of the Brandon Hills. They also have available a fire-pit area for you to gather around with your group or family. They can accommodate either large (15-20), or small groups, and are currently accepting bookings most evenings and weekends. Daytime bookings may be available for larger groups. Pricing for a group of 10, or more people, is only $10 an adult, $5 for children under 5 and for groups of less than 10 the minimum cost is $100. The fire-pit rental is available for $20/half hour use. This is our tenth year doing sleigh rides and our family is so excited to be able share in the making of memories with people again!! We have met people from all over the world ( Brazil, England, Australia, Africa, El Salvador ) from all over Canada. To book a ride please contact them at jenn.neufeld@yahoo.ca or call 204-728-3645  

Brandon's Blair McDonald is about to embark into the world of expansion. MyoFix which has been located in Downtown Brandon for a few years will now open his second business in Regina in March 2022. Blair will be splitting time between Brandon and Regina until he can hire local staff.  He does have a few things in the works for staff but nothing set in stone yet. "This expansion is a personal goal for myself to open and build a business in a city that is not my own, a place where I know almost no one". "We are moving into a newly renovated space. I will be actively building both the brandon and Regina MyoFix team." McDonald hopes to have a location in every Province. For information on what MYOFIX is click here

Brandon's Louis Montroy recently won $5 million in the November 24 Lotto 6/49 draw. The winning ticket was purchased at the Canadian Tire Gas Bar located at 1655 18 Street in Brandon. “I scanned the ticket and thought, ‘$50,000?!’” he recalled when claiming his prize. “But there were too many zeroes. So I thought, ‘Nah, that’s $500,000!’ “All of a sudden it clicked in that it was actually five million dollars. Well, oh my God! Was I ever surprised!” Montroy said he went home with his ticket and checked the numbers on the WCLC (Western Canada Lottery Corporation) website a few more times with his wife. “When I was at the store I tried to stay as quiet as possible,” he said. “But when I was at home, I just wanted to scream out in celebration.” “I’m going to make sure my kids are taken care of,” he said in a Monday news release from the Western Canadian Lottery Corporation (WCLC) and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries.