STRENGTH IN LUMBERS

139 N Railway Ave., Winkler | | 204.325.5319

If looking out across the blanket of fresh snow sparkling beneath a cloudless, blue sky beckons you to get outdoors, you’ll be grateful for the open spaces and a wide variety of winter recreation in the Central region that will invigorate your soul. Whether you crave the silky swish of skis across fresh powder or your heart beats faster at the thought of snowmobiling the regions miles of groomed trails, we have got you covered. Sure, we are a popular destination for families and guests of all ages during hot weather, but the adventure that awaits you here is not just for summer.

Hit the slopes at HOLIDAY MOUNTAIN RESORT in La Rivière. This Ski Resort offers several runs for skiers and snowboarders of all levels to enjoy. Rental ski & snowboard equipment are available on site! Book a stay in the Holiday Village and enjoy a weekend away to unwind after a day on the slopes in their chalet-style accommodations right on the mountain. www.holidaymountain.com BURWALDE TRAILS is located between Morden and Winkler. Their trails are groomed for both classic and skate skiing. Club membership fees support the operation and maintenance of these trails. For more information on location, daily and membership rates visit www.btncski.wordpress.com

BITTERSWEET SKI TRAILS just north of Treherne offers over 20km of classic trails and 12km of skate trails that wind with the landscape across the prairies and through the woodlands, offering a unique journey along the shores of the Assiniboine

The PUMPKIN CREEK SKI CLUB with trailhead, parking lot, and shelter building is located ~4km west of Roseisle on the Valley Road. There are 20km of well-groomed classic trails along the scenic creek and through hilly terrain, with shorter and longer loop options. This trail is perfect for easy and intermediate skiers.

Summer’s hiking trails through the prairie wilderness of our primarily agricultural lands readily avail themselves for winter recreation and cross-country skiing at multiple sites across the region. www.ccsam.ca/wheretoski/where-to-ski/central-manitoba

The LA PERDRIX TRAILS are located just south of Notre Dame de Lourdes on PTH 244. These trails were first in use 20 years ago or so, and were refurbished by Birch Mountain Sports Inc in Autumn 2018. These beautiful trails are wooded amid gently rolling terrain with classic tracks on 3.5km of groomed trails.

In PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Scenic trackset and skate skiing trails are available on an island oasis in the middle of the prairies. Breathe in the crisp, clean air and enjoy the evening light filtering through the foliage, as you travel through some rustic cross-country trails set within outdoor tranquility.

The DISCOVERY NATURE SANCTUARY located in the City of Winkler, is a hidden refuge for a variety of plants and wildlife. It is also a wonderful place for people to experience nature first-hand. Easy year-round walking trails in the 30+ acre site provide access to grassland, woodland and wetland habitats. Visitors are encouraged to check out the newly planted pollinator garden and the new Co-op Outdoor Education Centre www.discoverynaturesanctuary.ca When the snow flies, you can be certain that snowmobile enthusiasts find reason to rejoice. Our region is home to five snowmobile clubs that maintain groomed trails and promote the sport through routes that link several rural communities. Promoting rider safety, route signage, warming sheds, and an expansion of trails, you are invited to become a member and take part in club activities and rallies, or just to enjoy the trails at your own leisure.

BORDER VALLEY SNOW GOERS is a non-profit organization based in Southern Manitoba. Their passionate and dedicated volunteers create and maintain 320km of designated snowmobile trails linking Altona, Gretna, Plum Coulee, Winkler, and Morden. www.bvsg.ca

PORTAGE CLUB SNOW INC is a non-profit snowmobile club serving Portage la Prairie and area, offers over 400km of groomed snowmobile trails connecting Delta Beach, Portage la Prairie, St. Claude, T reherne and Holland. www.facebook.com/portageclubsnow THE PEMBINA VALLEY SNOWKICKERS is an organization based out of the Great Pembina Valley in southern Manitoba. PVSK is a non-profit organization grooming and maintaining more than 500km of designated snowmobile trails in association with Snoman INC. PVSK trails connect the communities of Manitou, Darlingford, Thornhill, Morden, La Riviere, Pilot Mound, Crystal City, Clearwater, Glenora, Mariapolis, Swan Lake, Somerset, St. Leon, Altamont, Notre Dame, Rathwell, Bruxelles, and Holland. www.pembinavalleysnowkickers.com SNOFLIES SNOWMOBILE CLUB is based out of Carman, MB. They are a volunteer-based club that maintains and grooms 250km of Snofund trails in association with Snoman. Their trail network connects the Carman, Elm Creek, St. Claude, Roseisle, Miami, Roland, Homewood and Sperling communities together. www.snoflies.com CROSS COUNTRY SNOWDRIFTERS maintains approximately 270km of trail, linking Fannystelle, Headingley, Oak Bluff, La Salle, Domain, St. Agathe, Brunkild, Springstein, and Elm Creek.

With Canada’s national pastime, hockey dominating more recreational sports schedules across the province, you’re sure to find a venue and team to participate in recreational or competitive leagues in most communities. But if its just ice time that you’re after to enjoy some skating, you will be delighted to discover that in addition to numerous recreation facilities that offer public ice skating, seasonally there are also a number of outdoor rinks that emerge through the efforts of community volunteers and local recreation departments.

THE BUFFALO CREEK NATURE PARK in Altona has winter fun galore! This is a popular spot for tobogganing in winter as well as pleasure skating on the pond, which is cleared and flooded. The field house makes an ideal warm up spot for changing, restrooms or a hot cup of hot chocolate.

In Portage la Prairie, the skating trail on CRESCENT LAKE is regularly maintained through out the winter and includes rest areas along the route.

You will find many more ice-skating rinks in Morden including Lake Minnewasta, Lions Park, Access Event Centre, Elks Park, and the Morden Courthouse.

New villages begin to form each winter when our regions lakes hibernate beneath a sheet of ice at the peak of the winter season. The huts roll out from the shore across the seasonal access to facilitate ice fishing when the temperature dips well below zero degrees.

THE GOUDNEY RESERVOIR west of Pilot Mound continues to be a family favourite location through the winter months. The lake comes alive once the ice forms, with a small village of ice fishing shelters dotted along the prairie landscape. With space to allow for snowmobiling, tobogganing, snow showing and more! Goudney Reservoir is stocked for #CatchAndRelease with Yellow Perch, Northern Pike and Walleye thanks to the care and management from Mound Wildlife. Follow Mound Wildlife on Facebook for more information on their annual ice fishing derby, women’s fishing events and other year-round events.

LAKE MINNEWASTA in Morden is home to four seasons of adventure! Hit the links in the summer but return in the winter when the Morden Golf & Country Club becomes ski and walking trails through the glittering winter landscape. Free snowshoe rentals can be booked online! Ice fish for Crappy, Walleye, and Northern Pike. For more information on winter fun in Morden and snow shoe rentals, visit www.mymorden.ca/recreation#winter

Member Awareness

HOW TO AVOID BECOMING THE TARGET OF A PHISHING SCAM

Phishing scams are modern day scams where a malicious user or entity will mimic a trusted organization’s identity to gain information or access to personal accounts and data. There are some simple steps you can follow to reduce the chances you will be targeted by a phishing scam when doing online banking – a common place for phishing emails, fake websites and login portals: • Never search for your credit union website on a search engine when looking to do online banking. Always type in the credit union’s actual URL (https://www.accesscu.ca) and then navigate to online banking. • Once at the right website, navigate to the login page and look for these clues to verify that you are on the credit union’s actual, secure online banking site:

o All credit union websites use Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), which means their links all start with HTTPS. If your login page link starts with HTTP, then you may be using a spoof site. o If you see any typos on the website you are using to login to your online banking, this is a very strong indicator it is a faked page. o Most secure login sites show a small padlock next to the link. This indicates you are visiting the website using a secure connection. o Browse around the site before entering any information to ensure it actually has more pages than just the login or home page, and check the other pages for typos or any other unusual elements. • Once you’ve verified you’re on the correct secure site, bookmark it. That way, when you use the bookmark in the future, whenever you go to sign in to online banking, you will know you are on the credit union’s secure site. • Before logging in, especially on a mobile device, be sure to close any other downloaded apps that may be running in the background. • Never login to your online banking from an email.

If asked to view your account, open online banking in a separate window and use your bookmarked link to get to the website. You can also simply type in

https://www.accesscu.ca

• Make sure you are online banking from a device free of malware, spyware and any viruses.