Portage

Harvey Watson

It is with deep sadness that the family of Harvey Wayne Watson of Rossendale, Manitoba, announces his peaceful passing on May 5, 2025.

Born on February 22, 1941, in Portage la Prairie to John and Bertha (Orton) Watson, Harvey was raised in Rossendale where he developed a deep connection to his community, the land, and a lifelong appreciation for life’s simple joys. Dad was a devoted family man, who lived a full and meaningful life surrounded by the love of those closest to him.

Gaby Chappellaz recently visited the offices of Central Plains Cancer Services (CPCS) with a donation in hand—$850.55 raised during the Annual St. Claude Garage Sale held May 3, 2025.

Chappellaz and her team set up a lemonade stand and bake sale at the community event, with all proceeds directed to CPCS.

This marks the fourth year the group has raised money for various charities within their communities.

TUESDAY, MAY 13TH

NHL
Playoffs - Round 2
Game 4
Dallas 3 Winnipeg 1
Dallas leads series 3-1

PWHL
Playoffs - Semifinals
Best of 5
Game 3
Ottawa 1 Montreal 0
Ottawa leads series 2-1

MLB
Tampa 11 Toronto 9

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14TH

A global study from UNICEF suggests many Canadian kids are unhappy, with social struggles such as bullying and difficulty making friends among the sources of their anguish. 

UNICEF’s 19th Report Card suggests one in five youth in Canada face frequent bullying, one in five are lonely and one in four struggle to make friends.

It blames bullying in particular for a drop in life satisfaction reported by 15-year-olds, down three percentage points to 76 per cent since 2018.

Prime Minister Mark Carney shook up his cabinet Tuesday by moving some key players involved in Canada-U.S. relations into new positions and promoting 24 new faces in a move meant to signal change at the top.

While some were prominent figures in former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government — including Dominic LeBlanc, Mélanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland and François-Philippe Champagne — Carney froze out other prominent members of his predecessor's team.

Carney named 28 full ministers to his cabinet, which will meet for the first time on Wednesday.

RCMP in Manitoba have recovered approximately $45,000 worth of stolen property after executing a search warrant in the community of Wheatland.

On May 7, 2025, around 6:30 p.m., officers from the Brandon, Carberry, and Souris detachments launched an investigation following reports of stolen items in the area. The joint effort led officers to a property in Wheatland where the search took place.

The investigation uncovered a cache of stolen goods, including John Deere equipment and an enclosed trailer believed to have been taken from Steinbach.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is expanding its Driver Z high school education program with condensed summer courses aimed at rural communities like Portage la Prairie. The initiative, which compresses 12 weeks of training into five, aims to address high demand and limited capacity outside Winnipeg.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) has finished its review of an officer-involved shooting that left a man seriously injured near Sanford in the RM of Macdonald.

The incident happened late on Sept. 4, 2024, when RCMP officers were called to a rural property following reports that a man had assaulted a woman and was setting vehicles on fire. When the police arrived, the man had fled into a nearby wooded area. Officers began searching the area, and during the search, the man came out of the woods armed with an edged weapon.

Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza endorsed new Progressive Conservative leader Obby Khan during a recent discussion, highlighting Khan’s work ethic and collaborative approach. Bereza recalled Khan’s rapid transition into leadership after winning the party’s top role through a membership-driven points system.

“He has a drive like that”

Bereza notes Khan mentored him early in his political career. The two collaborated on challenging the provincial carbon tax’s impact on municipalities and farmers.

The Winnipeg Jets find themselves on the brink of elimination after a 3–1 loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday night.

Despite another strong start and a solid performance through much of the game, Winnipeg was once again stymied by Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger and undone by a Mikael Granlund hat trick. With the loss, the Jets now trail 3–1 in the best-of-seven series.

The series shifts back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. CDT.