Portage

Chase Stegall, the 20-year-old son of Winnipeg Blue Bombers legend Milt Stegall, has died.

The Blue Bombers confirmed the news in a statement shared Monday by team President and CEO Wade Miller.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the sudden and tragic passing of Chase Stegall, beloved son of Blue Bombers legend Milt Stegall,” said Miller. “Chase was a bright and talented young man with a promising future, and his loss is felt deeply across our entire Blue Bombers family.

Donald Neil McDougall

On May 29th, our beloved husband and father, Donald Neil McDougall, passed away peacefully at St. Claude Health Care Centre at the age of 88 years.
Neil will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife Sharon, and his children Donald and Susan. He was predeceased by his parents Donald & Dorothy (Toucher) McDougall, along with his seven siblings.

Busses were seen outside of CanadInns Portage around 4PM this afternoon.

Some evacuees appeared to be waiting on board, with more waiting outside the front entrance of the hotel.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Monday hotels in Winnipeg are opening up to thousands of evacuees who have fled their homes due to raging wildfires.

Speaking ahead of the premiers' conference in Saskatoon, Kinew said some 1,000 hotel rooms are being made available for evacuees in the province's capital city.

"Nobody wants to sleep on a cot for more than a day or two, even in an emergency," Kinew said.

"We're connecting folks who need those enhanced accessibility supports first and then broadening it out to everybody else who needs help, too."

Four medical students from the University of Manitoba recently spent a week in Carberry as part of their Rural Week program, gaining valuable insight into rural healthcare and community life.

Rural Week is a one-week learning experience for all first-year medical students enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. It provides an opportunity to get first-hand experience and exposure to not just rural and northern medicine but also rural and northern life.

A 47-year-old Winnipeg man has died following a two-vehicle crash late Saturday afternoon on McGillivray Blvd. in the RM of Macdonald.

Emergency crews from the Stonewall/Headingley RCMP detachment responded just after 4 p.m. to the scene near Road 8E, where a motorcycle and an SUV had collided.

RCMP say the crash happened when a 17-year-old driver of a westbound SUV attempted to pass another vehicle and collided with an oncoming motorcycle heading east.

As northern wildfire evacuees continue to settle in Portage la Prairie, Mayor Sharilyn Knox is calling on residents to help meet some immediate, critical needs. A new donation drive is now underway at City Hall to collect essential items for families who were forced to leave their homes behind.

In a public notice issued this afternoon, Mayor Knox outlined a list of urgently needed supplies. All donations must be new, unopened, and have original tags to ensure the health and safety of the recipients.

Urgently needed items include:

Alberta is working on strengthening its market presence in Southeast Asia.

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson is in Southeast Asia to promote Alberta as a reliable supplier of agricultural products.

The overall goal is to strengthen relationships with Vietnam and the Philippines to increase trade and investment opportunities that 
will directly benefit producers and processors by opening new markets for Alberta agriculture and food products.

Portage la Prairie residents are seeing some relief as the thick wildfire smoke that shrouded the area over the weekend is beginning to clear.

Shannon Moodie, meteorologist with Environment Canada, says the air quality started improving early Monday morning.

"There’s some heavier smoke lingering in the eastern part of the region, just closer to Winnipeg,” she noted.

Environment Canada and Manitoba Health have issued a special air quality statement for Portage and areas east. In addition, an air quality warning is in effect for areas of the Interlake.

What started as a simple sketch on the back of a napkin has turned into a major recreation destination, according to the Portage Junk Yard Dogs Cycling Club.

A grand opening celebration was held Saturday, May 31 for the club's new Bike and Activity Park.

“I’m very thrilled and very relieved that this could all happen,” notes Gary Bergen, president of the Junk Yard Dogs. “Three years ago this was some sketches on the backside of a napkin. And that idea just kept growing.”

Bergen says the group felt it was finally time to celebrate the milestone.