Portage

Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza joined Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko at the Manitoba Legislature on Tuesday to highlight homelessness and housing safety issues. Speaking on the front steps, Bereza said the situation requires more attention, especially in Winnipeg and in Manitoba Housing complexes across the province.

“We did it as a press conference on the stairs because of the homeless situation that is going on in Winnipeg right now,” notes Bereza.

Politicians and hockey stars are mourning the loss of hockey legend and former federal politician Ken Dryden, who passed away Friday at age 78 after a battle with cancer.

Dryden, 78, was a Hall of Fame goaltender who won six Stanley Cups backstopping the Montreal Canadiens as well as minding the cage during Canada's generation-defining victory at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

Air Canada flight attendants have massively rejected the employer's wage offer following a vote on a new contract that ended Saturday.

Flight attendants at Air Canada wrapped up voting at 3 p.m. ET  on the tentative new contract, with 99.1 per cent voting down the airline's wage offer. 

The airline says the wage portion will now be referred to mediation as previously agreed to by both sides.

A fire at Tallboys in St. Claude on July 25 has left the popular local business working hard to recover.

Manager Madison Major says the blaze started in an electrical room at the northwest corner of the building and spread to the roof, causing major heat damage to the restaurant, lounge, and kitchen, as well as smoke damage throughout the property.

Convenience store reopens quickly

Despite the extensive damage, parts of Tallboys are already back in operation.

Dakota Tipi First Nation is exploring a possible connection to the City of Portage la Prairie’s wastewater system after holding an initial meeting with city officials last week.

Both sides stress that the talks are preliminary, but describe the discussion as positive.

Chief Dennis Pashe says the need for a long-term solution has become urgent.

Fifteen-year-old Aiden Hustins of Portage recently spent four weeks at the Vernon Cadet Training Centre taking part in the Fitness and Sports Instructor Course.

The program brought together roughly 400 cadets, all learning the skills needed to lead fitness activities and sports for their peers.

The course focuses on practical instruction and leadership development.

Pastor Edgardo Lacida says the Jesus Reigns Ministries (JRM) church’s third anniversary will be different this year in Portage la Prairie. Instead of gathering indoors, the celebration will take place outdoors so the public can join in as they walk through Island Park.

“This is our third anniversary, and we want to do something different instead of just holding an in-house celebration,” notes Lacida.

Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender whose long resume in and out of hockey included six Stanley Cup victories and helping backstop Canada's generation-defining victory at the 1972 Summit Series, died Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.

A key member of the Montreal Canadiens' 1970s dynasty, Dryden's career in the spotlight was only just getting started when he retired from the game — and while at the top of his own game — in his early 30s.

A new report argues the rise of gig work, artificial intelligence and rapid population growth are souring job prospects for Canada's youngest workers.

The Desjardins Economics report, released Thursday, comes as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre cites decades-high youth unemployment levels to attack an immigration program for temporary foreign workers.

Statistics Canada's latest labour force survey shows the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24 hit 14.6 per cent in July — a nearly 15-year high outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Drought-stricken parts of Canada could be in for some underwhelming fall foliage if stressed trees lose out on the energy needed to generate some of the season's most brilliant colours, experts say. 

Biology professor Susan Dudley at McMaster University says trees in dried out parts of the country could see their leaves die off rather than turn red. 

"I can't look at it and make a prediction for a good fall foliage season at all," she said.