Portage

The RM of Portage la Prairie achieved several key accomplishments in 2024, which Deputy Reeve Roy Tufford says the council is proud of. With Reeve Kam Blight retiring from politics and stepping down as president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, Tufford has taken over leadership for the time being.

He highlights some of the year’s major developments.

A pickup truck and a smaller car collided in somewhat of a serious accident on Sunday, December 22, with heavy damage done to both vehicles. It appeared that no one was seriously injured. It occurred at the intersection on Saskatchewan Avenue east and 5th St. east. It's not known who is at fault. 

It happened at about 1 p.m or earlier, and the area was cleared by 1:30.  The pickup had a front passenger side wheel seriously angled from the hit and the front of the smaller car was seriously damaged.

No further information is currently available.

Cole Perfetti recorded three points and Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves for his 41st career shutout in a dominant win over Central Division rivals in Winnipeg on Saturday night.

The Jets were unwelcoming hosts for the Minnesota Wild, putting up two goals in the first period. Nikolaj Ehlers opened up the scoring for the Jets at 6:51 on the power play, with Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey picking up the assists. Ehlers has now logged a goal and an assist over the two games since his return from an injury that sidelined him for nearly a month.

A British Columbia community's "out-of-the-box" plan to ease its family doctor shortage by hiring physicians as city employees is sparking interest from across Canada, says Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi.

The mayor said the community has hired its first family doctor for a city-operated medical clinic, and the Victoria-area city is looking to hire seven more under the first-in-Canada pilot project.

The family doctors will be paid as community employees, receiving full medical benefits, vacation and a pension, he said.

An "overheated" immigration system that admitted record numbers of newcomers to the country has harmed Canada's decades-old consensus on the benefits of immigration, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said, as he reflected on the changes in his department in a year-end interview.

The system, he said, needed some discipline to get the country back on track.

Children throughout Portage la Prairie had the chance to receive gifts before Christmas this year, thanks to the Portage Friendship Centre’s Children’s Gift Giveaway. The event was an evolution of a program that began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employment and training consultant Jeanna Emms explains how the initiative developed over time.

An outstanding performance in goal and some timely scoring were the difference as the Portage Terriers took down the Winnipeg Freeze 3-0 in their final game before the Christmas break.

A couple of penalties were all that would hit the scoresheet in the first period, as Portage's powerplay put several good chances to the net, but were unable to capitalize. The shots were 14-3 for Portage but the score remained 0-0 after 20 minutes.

A cheque presentation was made Thursday to PAWS in Portage la Prairie following a fundraiser by a couple of local business owners.

Lynn Bereza is owner of Breeze Yoga and explains she wanted to have a Christmas offering for yoga students and anyone who just wanted an evening to relax.

Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) has seen remarkable progress in 2024, with a focus on youth engagement, affordable housing, and cultural events. Executive Director Mary Kozar shared her excitement about the year's successes.

One of the standout achievements of the year was the completion of the Communities Building Youth Futures (CBYF) pilot program, which laid the foundation for PCRC's new Youth Hub Project. 

The Portage Terriers will play one final game before the Christmas break will take players home for the holidays.

The Winnipeg Freeze come to town to face the Terriers for the fourth time this season, having lost all three previous contests by a combined score of 16-3.

The Dogs will look to extend the win streak against the Freeze with a sixth consecutive win over the last two seasons. Portage has only lost one game to the Freeze in their history, a 4-3 extra-time affair which saw the Terriers give up a goal late in the third period to tie it.