New federal disability payments roll out in July
Several Government of Canada payments are scheduled to roll out over the coming weeks, with eligible Canadians seeing multiple deposits land in their bank accounts throughout July.
Key benefit dates to watch
The first federal payment of the month is the GST/HST credit, which is set to arrive on Friday, July 4. This quarterly credit helps offset the cost of the goods and services tax for lower- and modest-income individuals and families.
Kids can run their own store this summer with Choice Realty's Mini Market
The Mini Market, a pop-up stand created by Don Martens and John Wiebe of Choice Realty, is helping kids across the area run their own small businesses with a little more style and a lot more support.
A better lemonade stand
Martens says the concept came from seeing kids trying to connect with neighbours through homemade stands on their front lawns.
Portage is days away from saskatoon berry season
Summer in southern Manitoba is about to get a whole lot sweeter as Riverbend Orchards prepares to open its berry fields for the season on Monday, July 7th.
Philip and Karen Ronald have been offering locals the chance to enjoy fresh, homegrown fruit straight from the source for 16 seasons. Philip says they specialize in saskatoons, a berry variety that keeps on giving.
Cemetery flags pay tribute to Portage’s fallen heroes
Volunteers gathered at Hillside Cemetery over the weekend to place Canadian flags beside the graves of local veterans in advance of Canada Day.
Bob Oldford says the group came together Saturday to recognize those who served.
“We had a group of folks came out and helped us put flags on the veterans’ graves,” notes Oldford.
Oldford estimates the number of veterans buried at Hillside is around 300, though not all are easily identified.
He adds that the section of the cemetery for the fallen is included in the effort.
Silver alert cancelled after missing senior safely located
The Winnipeg Police Service says a missing 82-year-old man has been found.
The man was last seen in the area of Windsor Park in Winnipeg at approximately 1 a.m. on July 3.
Police activated a silver alert around 4:30 a.m., asking the public for help in locating the man. About an hour later the WPS sent out another alert saying he had been safely located.
A silver alert is issued when a senior or vulnerable person goes missing.
Manitoba musician, partner dead in highway crash
The bassist for a Winnipeg band and his partner are dead after a Canada Day crash on a Manitoba highway.
Indie pop band Royal Canoe says bass player Brendan Berg died in the crash a day before his 43rd birthday, along with Olivia Michalczuk.
RCMP say they responded to a head-on crash on Tuesday afternoon north of Swan River, in western Manitoba.
They say a southbound vehicle veered over the centre line and hit another vehicle that's believed to have been parked, causing it to roll over.
Severe thunderstorm possible this evening, watch issued
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Moose Jaw and much of southern Saskatchewan.
Environment and Climate Change Canada says, ‘conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms that may be capable of producing damaging wind gusts, damaging hail and heavy rain.’
Earlier today meteorologist Brian Proctor said, ‘The biggest threat is really the possibility of hail in the two-to-three-centimeter range and some pretty decent wind gusts, between 90 and 110 kilometers an hour,”
Recovery efforts underway in fire-affected communities
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says it is working with communities and residents impacted by the early and challenging start to the 2025 wildfire season, helping them begin the recovery and rebuilding process.
The SPSA’s Recovery Task Team is coordinating the province’s efforts to assess community needs and provide support following wildfire damage. The team is made up of representatives from the SPSA as well as other provincial ministries, including Environment, Social Services, and Government Relations. Other ministries may be involved as needed.
Several SW Sask. municipalities declare states of emergency as drought intensifies
A growing number of rural municipalities in southwest Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency as relentless drought conditions continue to strain farms, ranches, and rural communities.
The RMs of Maple Creek, Fox Valley, and Enterprise have joined the RM of Big Stick in officially declaring emergencies due to extreme dryness, lack of feed, and increasing fire risk.
The unfolding drought has forced livestock producers to make difficult decisions, with many reducing herd sizes and stretching already tight resources.
Tornado watch ended for Ponoka County near Ponoka, Rimbey and Maskwacis
The tornado watch has ended for all areas of Central Alberta.
A severe thunderstorm watch is still in place for many areas including Ponoka County, Red Deer County and Clearwater County.
Thunderstorms continue over a large portion of Alberta. Some of these thunderstorms will continue to be severe this evening and tonight, giving very large hail, and strong wind gusts.