Business View Magazine - October 2018

226 227 OPEN AN ACCOUNT ONLINE Access Credit Union is dedicated to team- work, partnership, and connecting with others in the places its members live, work and play. It is an active participant in com- munity endeavors, providing financial and human resources, while honoring its roots as a member of Southern Manitoba’s farming and manufacturing communities. Formed by multiple mergers of smaller Southern Manitoba Credit Unions, Access Credit Union is the fifth-largest credit union in Manitoba and the twenty-second-larg- est in Canada providing full daily banking services, loans and mortgages, investment services, and business banking to around 51,000 members across 17 branches. As a vendor of choice, it is dedicated to provid- ing products and services that address the needs of its members and acting as a trust- ed advisor, ensuring the success of its mem- bers and communities. Some of its community investments include $250,000 to the Winkler Buhler Active Living Centre and $25,000 to the Winkler Arts Coun- cil. Other community initiatives include free pancake breakfasts, free movies in the park, and free pool days - where every member of the community can swim for free. And each October, its employees donate to local organi- zations through its Jeans for Charity program. Access Credit Union has also been named as a Top Employer in Manitoba for the past four years, recognizing its commitment to inno- vation and education for its staff across the southern part of the province. CITY OFWINKLER, MANITOBA is in place to go straight south to the Mexico border; east to the Atlantic coast; and west to the Pacific. So, we’re in the ideal spot.” The city housing market is “reasonably tight” but developers and contractors are still build- ing private homes, condos, and apartments. And the city has a fairly active involvement in public housing. The province of Manitoba owns 67 units of affordable housing in Winkler – two years ago the city began managing those houses. Since then, the changes have been phenomenal be- cause local people are in charge of leasing and providing services such as a community meal program, education programs, and community support programs to the tenants. The city also owns another 24 affordable housing units, which it built more than a decade ago. In 2015, the Buhler Active Living Centre opened through a combination of private donations, city, and provincial support. The complex is comprised of 48 units of affordable housing for seniors that also encompasses independent living, a commu- nity seniors’ activity center, and dining facilities. With seniors downsizing, their homes are coming on the market, creating the availability of used housing in the city, where, otherwise, it would be all new-builds. Home prices in Winkler are very attractive –on average, a three-bedroom, 1,200 -q.-ft. home with an unfinished basement sells for $300,000 to $325,000. A two-bedroom starter home can be purchased for $250,000. According to Harder, “The interesting thing about Winkler is we have no downtown deterio- ration. It has continued to receive attention and upgrades longer than I have been Mayor. Just across from City Hall, an old building that was a furniture store for 50 years is being repurposed by a developer into mixed-use condo living