Shelby Proznick

With the election quickly approaching, the community is getting their first opportunity to vote! The advance polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. You can go to the Herman Prior Activity Centre to cast your vote. Here in Portage la Prairie, we have 4 candidates for mayor, 14 for city council, and 14 for school board trustee. Diane Van Aert, the Senior Election Official for the City talks about why advance polls are important. 

One of Portage's own will be singing us a tune this weekend when the Central Manitoba Youth Choir comes to town.  

According to one of the local members, Tiarra Yanchuck, the choir's purpose is to bring together some of the finest high school singers in the region. She says that she is so thankful to be a part of this group and is so excited for the upcoming tour. 

"It is so fun! The community and fellowship that you get through choir is so awesome." 

With school being back in session for about a month now, and flu season now approaching, the Portage la Prairie School Division is now looking for more spare bus drivers.  

Shelley Anderson, Supervisor of Transportation, says that after two years of not needing as many bus drivers, there is a shortage of spare bus drivers. She notes that they are needed if one of the regular bus drivers get sick. She says that spare bus drivers are just as crucial as the usual drivers.   

October is not only for falling leaves and halloween, it is also Dyslexia Awareness Month.

Dyslexia is one of the most common disorders. Vicky Carnegie, Literacy Coordinator with the Portage Learning and Literacy Centre says one in five people are impacted by dyslexia.  

"Dyslexia affects people in many different capacities. It can take their organization skills; their time management and it also impacts their ability to read."

Now that fall is here and winter is approaching possibly faster than we thought, as some surrounding areas may have received snow earlier this week. 

You may be wondering what to do with your garden. Shea Doherty, Operations Manager at Our Farm Greenhouse, says that there are lots of things that you can do to help your plants this winter. Even if you are afraid that some little critters may be on the rise there is a solution.

Interested in aviation and can't find a place to learn more about it? Southport Aerospace Centre Inc. is holding a Careers in Aviation Expo with Wings & Helicopters magazines.

Jon Robinson, an editor for Wings and Helicopters, based out of Toronto, says this Expo is a once-a-year event perfect for anyone interested in aviation.

"The Expo is targeted to young professionals and aspiring aviators who might be looking for a career change."

Robinson notes how excited they are to host this Expo in Southport.  

Have you considered becoming a member of the Rotary Club? Do you know what they do? That's a question the local group wants to answer as they hope to bring in more members.

Fred Wright, the District Governor of District 5550, was the speaker at Tuesday's Portage Rotary Club meeting and talked about how he is looking forward to the year ahead.

"The action plan is about strengthening all of our clubs and ensuring that rotary is viable and thriving into the future."

A city-wide garage sale is about to take place here in Portage la Prairie.

The sale is being hosted by the Portage Heritage Committee organization, they are asking community members to drop off their items in order to raise some funds. President of the Heritage Club Tom McCartney explains what the sale is all about.

Portage la Prairie's MCC days gave back to the Herman Prior Activity Centre last week.

On Wednesday, MCC raised $3000 to help finish renovating the back offices of the Activity Centre.

PortageOnline caught up with Executive Director Kathy Bryce, who says that she could not have asked for a better day.

"Well, there was quite a few people that went through. We had all of our board members there actually for the day and they were the ones volunteering over there. So, they did a wonderful job. "

You will notice the Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment Building is a lot more flashy. They have officially added three new billboards. 

Stefanie Dunn, executive director at Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment, talked to PortageOnline about how amazing it is to have something like this attached to their building.