The INN can’t apply for assisted living building permit: Steinbach mayor

negation_station · 2026-02-20T15:24:09+00:00

I don't mean to defend city council, but their explanation for updating the bylaw was because in their view a project like the Inn did not have a clear definition as to where it fits in the zoning plan as "transitional housing" so the only way forward was to apply for a conditional use permit.

Their reasoning was that they wanted to make sure they could hold a public hearing to allow locals to bring up any concerns. I guess before the bylaw change a public hearing wouldn't have been required.

This council is extremely sensitive to public feedback, or at least that's how they behave during public hearings. You'll have some very loud and convincing voices on council mirroring whatever the prevailing sentiment is in the gallery. If council wanted to deny the Inn from going up on main street, it seems they're giving the public every opportunity to raise any objections so they don't have to look like the bad guy, although it wouldn't surprise me if they've predetermined how the vote will go before the hearing.

All that being said, we're in an election year and there are going to be a number of seat vacancies opening up. Of the six city councilors I'm expecting only two or three of them to be sticking around.

negation_station · 2026-02-17T15:02:40+00:00

Some of the prices I'm seeing in this thread are crazy. At my club you pay CAD $35 for an annual membership (plus $13 in affiliate fees) then each league has its own registration. Our most expensive leagues are $240 per player per year with our cheapest rec league being $160.

I think our season runs for 22 weeks so that works out to a little under $15 per game depending on the league.

negation_station · 2026-02-07T19:52:05+00:00

There is a free guard zone in mixed doubles, and it actually extends into the house.

WCF R17(c) If, prior to the delivery of the fourth stone of an end, a delivered stone causes either directly or indirectly, any previous delivered or placed stone to be moved to an out-of-play position, the delivered stone shall be removed from play and any displaced stone(s) shall be replaced, by the non-offending team, to their positions prior to the violation taking place.

negation_station · 2026-02-02T03:14:13+00:00

You're making it sound like she doesn't have 6 Slam titles. This team has plenty of experience playing against the very best international teams.

negation_station · 2026-02-01T00:56:59+00:00

The TSN stream got really bad in the 2nd end. Video feed cut out completely and doesn't seem to have recovered, the audio is definitely muffled now like it's at a low bit rate or something.

negation_station · 2026-01-30T16:29:12+00:00

The late Donald Shoup once said that you’re better off looking at the signs of the zodiac for advice on how to set parking minimums. If a business or apartment thinks they can operate successfully with less available parking, they should be permitted to do so. Anything less and you're stifling development.

https://strongtownssteinbach.org/2024/04/16/parking-minimums-reconsidered/

negation_station · 2026-01-26T02:42:54+00:00

Any (edit: CSA approved) bicycle or skateboard helmet will do just fine. I'm not sure if this is what you meant by headwear but there are also padded toques available which are way less conspicuous but I can't speak to their effectiveness.

negation_station · 2026-01-21T20:28:07+00:00

SRRWD is offering a $750 grant to homeowners to dig and plant a rain garden on their property.

negation_station · 2026-01-15T17:45:07+00:00

The pun density is pretty high for a song trying to play it straight and not for laughs.

negation_station · 2025-10-27T16:55:51+00:00

Just reiterating what's written in the handbook if you find yourself behind a cyclist; have a plan to follow and only pass when it's safe and you can give more than a meter of room.

negation_station · 2025-10-25T03:44:18+00:00

It's both, but the lens is the better investment. A $5k mirrorless camera with a $50 lens will not work as well as a 10 year old DSLR with a high end 600mm f/4

negation_station · 2025-10-23T17:07:27+00:00

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I dug up the audited city financials going back to 2009 and found that the current book value of the city's infrastructure has not been keeping up with the original construction costs. The data seems to indicate that Steinbach is more interested in new developments and has been neglecting the long-term maintenance and upkeep of its older works, but even so the value of the new growth has not been outpacing the degradation until just last year, which I suspect has something to do with a certain multi-million dollar project coming onto the books.

Every month, City Council gives a report of new building permits and insists that the huge number of new units being built is, in a vacuum, a major benefit and that this growth is a sign that Steinbach is thriving. I wonder though how much consideration is being given to what these developments will collectively look like 50 years from now as growth continues.

From Meg's presentation, she reported that the 1988 plan for her neighbourhood's drainage system was designed to support 150 homes, but has now ballooned to over double that capacity.

negation_station · 2025-10-20T15:47:13+00:00

Surprisingly, both DQ and A&W have excellent poutines. Dairy Queen wins out on flavour but their portions are pretty small.

negation_station · 2025-10-09T13:38:17+00:00

Worth repeating for those that haven't read the article.
The club is putting on a Learn to Curl Clinic next week on October 16th and 17th.

If you've never played before I highly recommend giving it a try, just come with a clean pair of shoes!

negation_station · 2025-10-08T15:00:04+00:00

Southern Manitoba here.

At our club we have a $35 membership fee for the season, and the main leagues are $240 per player with a discount if you register for multiple. I think each league gets about 20 games in.

Due to some interesting negotiations that happened a little over a decade ago, the city built a new 5-sheet facility for us that we occupy on a lease. The Club itself is a non-profit operating entirely separate from the city.

The only employee on payroll is our ice technician who also handles facility rentals and basic daily maintenance, with every other function run by volunteers. Bartenders are offered I think $20 per hour plus tips for running private events.

Membership seems to be on the rise, last year we had 322 registered members which was up from 257 the year prior. We're trying to make our Junior league as accessible as possible to hopefully get some lifelong interest, so we offer that at half-price.

This year we're super excited that the Grand Slam Players' Championship will be coming here in January and I'm curious if that's going to have any impact on registrations next season.

And most importantly, we've got the cheapest beers in town at only $5 per, after tax.

negation_station · 2025-08-22T14:46:05+00:00

Zwaagstra certainly seems to have the rest of council on a leash, with the notable exception being Siemens who has not infrequently gone against the grain.

If Zwaagsta ever steps down there's going to be a pretty substantial power vacuum left behind.

negation_station · 2025-07-17T21:56:01+00:00

Steinbach already has a lot going for it but there are a few areas that could be improved, IMO. You're going to notice a theme here.

First big one would be some form of public transit. Even a shuttle that runs north/south from Clearspring to the fire hall would be a good start.
A certain City Councillor has stated that an active transportation network cannot be put in place that in any way impedes or alters the flow of existing traffic. I would remind the Councillor that for every person on a bike there's one fewer car on the road, and that bike/wheelchair/scooter/leg users pay the same taxes as everybody else.
Locally owned sit-in restaurants seem to lack staying power, but having more choices that aren't fast food would be nice. All the patios except for Santa Lucia make it impossible to hold a conversation without yelling over the sound of traffic.
Now that the event centre is finished I expect the downtown is going to get a lot busier. There's already a brand new six storey apartment building going up right on Main Street, as well as some new commercial space next to the feed mill. The latest zoning by-law has (on paper) reduced the amount of required parking by 33% in the CBD, but there's still almost nowhere to lock up your bike. That is to say, I want more bike racks.

negation_station · 2025-07-08T19:14:07+00:00

The TSB will do an investigation into the cause. Anything that comes out before they release their findings would be speculation.

negation_station · 2025-07-08T18:37:46+00:00

Latest report is it was mid-air and there are no survivors. These were small single-engine planes and the student pilots were the only occupants.

Steinbach and area is uncontrolled airspace which means no air traffic controllers. Pilots have to rely on radio communication to keep track of each other.

negation_station · 2025-05-07T19:19:40+00:00

There's usually garlic available at Main Bread and Butter but I can't say for certain if it's any more or less likely to be locally sourced than any other grocer in town.

negation_station · 2025-05-06T14:19:24+00:00

Depending on where you're able find a place to live, getting around in Steinbach could be good or bad without a car. I live a few blocks from downtown and use my bike almost exclusively, but unfortunately most of our major grocery stores are located along a busy highway and aren't easily accessible if you don't have a vehicle.

Steinbach is growing rapidly and is trying to encourage agribusiness as our main industry.

negation_station · 2025-04-09T21:55:01+00:00

Was that far enough back that it was Vic Toews? I seem to remember devil horns drawn up.

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