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IN THE NEWS

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Building permits are on the rise in the RPGA Planning District

 

August 05/2024

The number and value of building permits issued through the RPGA Planning District is on the rise.

According to figures for the first six months of the year, 55 building permits worth $12.4 million dollars have been issued so far. That's up from 36 permits worth $9.6 million for the same period in 2023.

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Demand prompts Pembina Counselling Centre to open bigger office in Altona

 

September 28/2023

The ribbon has been cut on a new office for the Pembina Counselling Centre's (PCC) Altona location. Supporters gathered at Unit 127 in the Altona Mall for yesterday's grand opening; checking out the new, larger space that's being shared with the Pembina Pregnancy Care Centre. 

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Altona Chamber and SEED forming new partnership

 

November 27/2022

The Altona & District Chamber of Commerce and SEED are forming a new partnership, creating a one-stop-shop for businesses that is focused on attracting, growing, and retaining businesses within the Town of Altona and Municipality of Rhineland. 

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Plum Coulee municipal office sold, Gretna arena project update and more with Don Wiebe and Reeve on the Radio

September 21/2023

Don Wiebe had a number of project updates to share, including the latest timeline and cost estimate for the Gretna Arena renovation project, how the former municipal office has been sold in Plum Coulee and how that ties to the Public Works building/firehall project in town almost being completed. And to top it off, the Gnadenthal pumping station is now on the agenda for upgrades.

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Altona/Rhineland R-NIP program continues to see federal attention

 

August 15/2023

Local stakeholders were recently offered another chance to rally for the permanent implementation of the federal government's Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).

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RCU staff ready to welcome members at new, bigger Altona branch

 

July 21/2023

Nearly a year after the sod was turned on a new, bigger location for Rosenort Credit Union's (RCU) Altona branch, officials and dignitaries gathered on Thursday to cut the ribbon on the 2,000-plus square foot building. 

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Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada officials engage with RNIP participants during Altona and area visit

July 04/2022

Representatives from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently paid a visit to Altona and the Municipality of Rhineland where they were able to see firsthand how the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) program has evolved over the last two-and-a-half years.

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Harris joins Manitoba's new Advisory Council on Economic Immigration and Settlement

July 19/2023

Stephanie Harris, the economic development officer for the Town of Altona and Municipality of Rhineland, says she is honoured to represent the area on the province's newly minted Advisory Council on Economic Immigration and Settlement (ACEIS). After being invited to apply for a spot on the 16-member Council a few months ago, Harris' appointment was announced last week. 

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Business-led Nurse Recruitment Incentive Seeing Success in Altona

 

October 26/2021

An incentive package put together by local business leaders and municipal officials to aid in the recruitment of nurses to Altona is seeing some success. Coordinated by SEED, the initiative was launched this spring in hopes it would help re-open hospital ER services in the community.

"It's gone really well," said Stephanie Harris, economic development officer for SEED. "We understand this was a new approach in Southern Health, and so we think that it has been successful in incentivizing four new hires."

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Subdivision Process Underway for Altona's Expanded Industrial Park

 

September 28/2021

Efforts to expand Altona's industrial park continue to progress.

A conceptual design of a 117 acre plot of land north of the current industrial park has been completed, and at the end of 2020, the Town finalized the acquisition of that land. The subdivision process is now underway.

"(We're) working with the provincial government on that. It's a lengthy process, it's a thorough process," said Mayor Al Friesen.

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RPGA Posts Solid Second-Quarter

 

August 26/2021

The RPGA Planning District is reporting a solid second-quarter for 2021.

In the Town of Altona, 31 building permits were issued in the second quarter - 29 housing and 2 commercial permits for a total of $5.3 million. This is up from 23 building permits and 0 commercial, for a total value of $1.4 million during the same period in 2020.

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Demand For Multi-Family Homes Driving Building Activity In RPGA

 

May 3/2021

Construction activity in the RPGA Planning District is off to a strong start this year.

Susan Stein, general manager of the RPGA says the area continues to see strong growth in the housing market, and commercial construction is up from last year.

"For Altona, we have 23 building permits this year valued at $3.2 million. Last year there were 32 building permits valued at about $6.8 million, so that's down for the first quarter but still on track for the rest of the year."

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A Record Year Taking Shape At Altona Ag Equipment Manufacturer

 

April 22/2021

2021 is shaping up to be the best year on record for Elmer's Manufacturing.

Production at the Altona-based agriculture equipment manufacturer is up 20 per cent over 2018 with plans to ramp it up another 40 per cent by September, according to President and CEO, Mike Friesen.

"We're reaching record sales," said Friesen, adding most of their production has been sold out for the remainder of the year. "We've got about ten or fifteen percent, which is very unusual for us at this point in time...the demand has been extremely high. Farmers are eager to get their equipment for a good cropping year in 2021."

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Rhineland Scores Some Victories In A Year Of Uncertainty

 

March 15/2021

Ratepayers in the Municipality of Rhineland were provided with a look back at the past year and a glimpse of what's to come for the municipality in 2021 as Reeve Don Wiebe delivered his annual State of the Municipality address at the Altona and District Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting Thursday. 

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Altona Scores High Marks For Community Growth, Improved Communication

 

March 12/2021

The town of Altona continued to see growth in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the community's mayor.

In his yearly State of the Town address to the local chamber of commerce, Al Friesen says the community saw the opening of several new businesses last year while others like Friesens Corporation and the Sun Valley Co-op food store expanded their operations. Friesen cited other signs of positive growth in the community.

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Pet Lovers to Pet Store Owners – The Story of RuffMutts

 

January 7/2021

“If it’s something we wouldn’t give to our pets, we’re not going to bring it into our store and sell it!”

In one simple line, Guy Britten, Co-Owner of RuffMutts in the Altona Mall, sums up their business philosophy and commitment to their customers.

The Altona location has been open for several weeks, retailing a variety of grain-free and grain-inclusive Canadian-made kibble, including Acana and Orijen.

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RPGA Area Experiencing Solid Growth

 

January 25/2021

The communities of Rhineland, Plum Coulee, Gretna and Altona (RPGA) continue to thrive, according to the local development group, SEED. 2020 marked the second full year of operation for the organization that launched in 2018.

As economic development officer, Stephanie Harris explained, the first year was about laying the groundwork that would later frame the group's priorities. As a result, she says the board was able to get boots on the ground in that second year and start working towards meeting some of its goals

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Rhineland Reeve Reflects On A Busy 2020

 

January 2/2021

Looking back on 2020, Municipality of Rhineland reeve, Don Wiebe, says the COVID-19 pandemic set the tone for the year early and certainly created a host of challenges for his municipality.

"Initially, we closed things down early, such as arenas and community halls, and then when the threat of the pandemic faded we started re-opening the facilities with numerous restrictions and safety precautions which required staff time, training and supplies. And then, sometime in November the province moved to Code Red and everything is shut down again," explained Wiebe.

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Altona Finalizes Land Purchase Agreement For Industrial Park Expansion

 

December 24/2020

The town of Altona has taken a big step forward in its plans for business and industrial expansion into the future.

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Solid Year For Housing Construction In Altona

 

December 14/2020

Al Friesen says despite the pandemic situation in 2020, the town had an excellent year when it comes to residential construction compared to the year previous.

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Officials Pleased With Progress During First Year Of Immigration Pilot

 

November 10/2020

Launched November 1, 2019, the three-year Rural and Northern Immigration pilot program creates a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to live in the community while at the same time filling job gaps in rural and northern areas of the country.

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RPGA Reporting Solid Building Construction Activity In 2020

 

October 19/2020

RPGA general manager Susan Stein tells us there has been a large increase in the number of house permits taken out this year.

"Permits for dwellings are up substantially. We've seen double the number of dwellings built in 2020, both in Rhineland and Altona. We're currently sitting between 33 and 35 permits."

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Optimism Growing As Altona And Rhineland Show Signs Of Economic Recovery

June 22/2020

Thanks to strong local support, Harris says the local foodservice industry has done fairly well during the pandemic, noting most continue with take-out and delivery while others have added delivery to their service menu and plan to continue with that option moving forward.

Immigration Pilot Program Taking Shape

 

September 25/2019

Harris said members of IRCC were able to also provide details about the pilot and explain the structure of the program, which has been a big help to the local immigration group in developing criteria for the pilot.

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Altona Company Enjoying Surging Demand For RTM Homes

 

September 21/2020

Demand for ready to move homes is pretty high right now and an Altona company has found a lot of success tapping into that market.

The company's focus is primarily on building quality, high-end homes that are custom made for the buyer, according to co-owner Kevin Klaassen.

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S.E.E.D. Business Grant Program Gaining Momentum

 

August 10/2020

There's been a recent uptick in requests for the business grant program offered by S.E.E.D., according to Stephanie Harris, economic development officer for the group that operates within the RPGA Planning District. 

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Rhineland Inks Deal To Bring Municipal-Wide Internet Access

 

April 7/2020

Ratepayers across the Municipality of Rhineland can look forward to fast and secure Internet service in the near future.

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SEED Group Spearheads New Tax Incentive Program

 

October 3/2019

Both municipalities have approved bylaws that will waive municipal taxes for three years for businesses erecting a new commercial or industrial building, or large-scale addition/expansion. The communities of Plum Coulee, Gretna and Rosenfeld are also included in this program.

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Local Communities Selected For Federal Immigration Pilot

June 14/2019

The federal government announced on Thursday the Gretna-Rhineland-Altona-Plum Coulee district has been selected as one of 11 communities across the country for the program.

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Major Renovation Planned For Altona Co-op Food Store

April 23/2019

The store will almost double in size going from 14,000 square feet to about 25,000 square feet.

A continued increase in sales over the past number of years prompted the decision to expand the store, according to Iverson.

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Altona-Area Oat Milling Company Expanding

 

December 18/2018

An oat milling facility near Altona, MB is undergoing a significant expansion. Ryan Penner is CEO of Buffalo Creek Mills. "We're very excited to have our unloading facility improved," he commented. 

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