High River, Alta.-based Western Financial Group announced on Friday that it is acquiring Winnipeg-based property and casualty insurance brokerage Orion Insurance Brokers Ltd.

Orion, a small firm founded in 1993, is located in the Transcona suburb of Winnipeg. In 2008, it was purchased by P.M.C. Insurance Brokers, which operates three branches in Winnipeg.

The Orion office, now under the Western Financial Group banner, will continue to operate with the same staff out of its same location.

“As Transcona and eastern Winnipeg grow, so do we, and joining Western Financial Group was a natural step in that process,” said Sheryle Lazaruk, office manager at Orion. “This allows us to continue expanding our business right here in Transcona, because we can now offer Western’s greater range of services and products to our customers.”

“We’re very pleased to add to our growing Winnipeg operations,” said Scott Tannas, president and CEO of Western Financial Group. “Winnipeg is one of our major places of business. We already have approximately 380 employees in the city and expect to hire more as we expand our retail network and our back office support teams. We’re excited to welcome the Orion staff to our team, and to offer the benefits of our large network and wide range of products to the citizens of Transcona.”