Michael Blume

Branden Leslie was sworn in at the House of Commons on Monday morning and entered into his first day on the job as the freshman Member of Parliament for Portage-Lisgar on Parliament Hill. 

They day began with his swearing-in ceremony, surrounded by many family members and friends who helped in his campaign. 

Southport Aerospace's first Commercial Tenant Grant Award was presented on July 7th to Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) Canada.  Southport’s Director, Business Development, Deanna Talbot, presented ACE’s Manager Alfred MacLaren with a $2,500 cheque.

MacLaren says they put the money toward a project to upgrade their lighting system.

The Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion & Stampede is ready to kick off once again with its 2023 edition -- the 67th. It's Canada's largest farm heritage festival and begins this Thursday, July 27th, at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum near Austin.
 
Museum Board Secretary Gordon Goldsborough explains the event's biggest highlight is the International Cockshutt Club's Exposition.

The federal government has committed to plant two billion trees over 10 years. 

Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South and parliamentary secretary to the minister of environment and climate change Terry Duguid announced Manitoba's multi-year tree-planting agreement Wednesday afternoon. He notes this benefits from a federal contribution of $8.85 million under the 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program. 

Premier Heather Stefanson was in Portage la Prairie Tuesday to announce plans moving forward to bring a first in Canadian industry to our area, and boost our local economy as well as help decrease greenhouse emissions.

Premier Heather Stefanson was in Portage la Prairie today to announce plans moving forward to bring a first in Canadian industry to our area, and top boost our local economy as well as help decrease greenhouse emissions.

Portage-Lisgar post-by-election celebrations took place Monday night at Branden Leslie's office in Portage la Prairie. Larry Maguire, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, introduced Leslie to cheering supporters. 

A University of Wisconsin River Falls professor and seven of her students have given back after learning about the former residential school in Portage la Prairie.

National Indigenous Residential School Museum executive director Lorraine Daniels received a call from Kirsten Lindbloom, who originally hails from Portage la Prairie and now teaches at the UWRF, and says the team south of the border is giving the Museum a community garden.

(Title of this story has been changed in consideration of the local family at request of Museum)

Kirsten Lindbloom is a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin in River Falls but was born in Portage la Prairie. She says circumstances allowed her to connect some dots from her childhood, and she realized that her grandfather, W.C. Warren, was the principal of the Portage Residential School in 1958. 

The school has since been converted to the National Indigenous Residential School Museum and is a work in progress.

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities is encouraging municipalities to send in their concerns.

Executive director, Denys Volkov, says resolutions are one of the ways the Association hears from its members throughout the year.