Right in the centre - Manitoba has the second highest number of VLTs in Canada

Ken Waddell
The Neepawa Banner

reader and friend called last week and he was somewhat amazed at how much money gets poured into slot machines in rural towns. That raises the question as to how much do the slot machines return to the winners, to the facility owners and to the government? In 2016, the Town of Neepawa received $57,562.14 which was a $5,000 base fee and the rest on a per capita basis. But that figure pales in comparison to how much money goes out of the community.

Read more: Right in the centre - Manitoba has the second highest number of VLTs in Canada

My perspective - And now, for something completely different

Kate Jackman - Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner

Last week, as most of Manitoba was experiencing a heat wave, I was looking at some icebergs in Canada’s easternmost province. Over seven days, we saw not only icebergs, but also whales, puffins, subarctic tundra, the earth’s mantle, a landlocked fjord, a Norse settlement and the difference one person can make. Of course, we also ate lots of fish and chips.

Read more: My perspective - And now, for something completely different

My perspective - What's the attraction

Kate Jackman-Atkinson

Neepawa Banner

What do we want to be known for? It’s an important question every community must ask itself. The Town of Neepawa used to be known for its flowers and each summer, thousands would come from across North America for the Lily Festival. With all those eyes on the town, everyone did their part to help the town live up to its title of “World Lily Capital”.  There were publicly funded lily beds and privately maintained yards and bus and carriage tours took visitors around to admire the beauty. The concrete deadline of the festival pushed everyone to get the town ready for the attention. 

Read more: My perspective - What's the attraction

Right in the centre - Epidemic of secrecy

Ken Waddell

Neepawa Banner

In the decades long crawl to make health care accessible and still stay within 40 per cent of  the province’s budget, Manitoba governments have actually done a very poor job of containing costs. The current Pallister government is finding that to hold the line on costs or to actually reduce costs is a pretty frustrating exercise. 

Read more: Right in the centre - Epidemic of secrecy

My perspective - Fast food

Kate Jackman-Atkinson

Neepawa Banner

Alot has changed in Canadian agriculture since 1977, but one thing that hasn’t is the rules that govern the transportation of livestock. In the last 40 years, not only have there been changes in how farm animals are transported, there has been more research into factors impacting their well-being, as well as an increased concern about their welfare. Since 2013, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been working on updating these rules and last December, the federal government released proposed changes to the Health of Animals Regulations. The proposed changes were open for comments until Feb. 15.

Read more: My perspective - Fast food