Notes from here and there.

Hockey parents and players are going to have a few new facilities to hang out in.

New arenas, rinks, rec complex, or whatever other handle is put on them are under construction, newly-completed or in the planning stages in quite a few municipalities.

You may be old enough to remember when Canada turned 100 in 1967 and to celebrate arenas were built everywhere... after all what could be more appropriate than building a rink to mark the centennial.
I will digress a bit here and say that if the celebration were held today, hockey arenas could face stiff competition from other sports facilities if that was a town’s bent... look at the popularity of soccer.

It appears that centennial spirit has come back to some, although the new rinks, arenas, or whatever, are facing some resistance from residents who are concerned about the high price tags the buildings come with and the ongoing costs.

On the other side of the coin, the facilities provide a community gathering spot and as some say, bring in dollars when tournaments are held. Of course, two or three tournaments a year probably won’t pay the operating costs but hotels and restaurants might reap some benefits.

As one local put it ,“it’s nice to see all these new arenas, now if they could just lower the cost of playing hockey so more could afford it.”

In a few days, the unofficial end of summer will be here. Students head off to school and parents rejoice.

Let’s look back at the highlights so far: It rained a lot... Melita peeled the curtain on its banana, Minnedosa rocked while Dauphin kept its country twang before perogies took over.

In Brandon, streets were a mess even before they fixed them.

Cellphones were banned while driving and the Trans Canada was resurfaced with millions of your dollars.

While politicians kept debating, some wished they would say arriverdeci to the bi-pole debate.
On the subject of politics, municipal hopefuls announced their intentions to run for councils across Westman, and for the most part, the pronouncements drew a collective yawn as most residents just aren’t in election mode. Come to think of it that could carry over to October come voting time. The turnout rate averages about 50 per cent.

In Brandon, we need a hot issue... casino anyone?