Portage

As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, the City of Portage la Prairie is reminding residents about a key tool to help them stay safe in a crisis: the Citizens' Emergency Quick Reference Guide.

Brad Bailey, fire chief, director of public safety and municipal emergency coordinator, says the guide offers essential information in a straightforward format.

The guide is available both in print and online.

A family-run flower shop in Portage la Prairie is preparing for its busiest time of year as Mother’s Day approaches. Mil-Jeanne Flowers & Axcenz, owned by Kyle and Alicia Pettinger, is working hard to meet the growing demand for flowers, gifts, and arrangements.

Kyle Pettinger, who co-owns the shop with his wife Alicia, says Mother’s Day is one of the most important holidays for their business.

“Mother’s Day is certainly up there." Pettinger says. “We get multiple siblings sending to mom. It’s grandma, it’s stepmoms. There’s all sorts of different dynamics.”

The Winnipeg Jets came up short in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Dallas Stars, falling 3–2 at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night.

Despite a late-game surge and pulling Connor Hellebuyck for the extra attacker, the Jets couldn’t find the tying goal and now trail the best-of-seven series 1–0.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) training program in Southport continues to build momentum. Its third class is now underway following the graduation of its first two cohorts in April 2024 and 2025.

As class coordinator and training leader, Corporal Derek Smoke says MFNPS has worked closely with Assiniboine College to develop a comprehensive program. The result is an intensive six-month course that condenses what was previously a ten-month training timeline.

This past weekend, the Carman Dufferin Fire Department had its hands full.  

“We had a grass fire call starting on Thursday, then we had another one on Saturday and then two on Sunday,” says Chief Chris Lemky of the department. 

The grass fires all had a similar cause — the dry, windy, and hot conditions that came along with the first weekend of May. 

The number of measles cases in Manitoba has jumped to 20, and health officials say some of the recent cases had no contact with previous ones.

Dr. Davinder Singh, a medical officer of health for the Southern health region, says that's concerning because it's unclear where those people became infected.

Most of the cases have been in the Southern health region and Singh says it is connected to the area's low vaccination rate.

Strong nitrogen fertilizer demand is butting up against tight supplies in some regions of the world, says an analyst.

India is the world’s top importer of the product.

Indian urea demand surged to 38.8 million tonnes in 2024-25, an eight per cent increase over the previous year, according to Argus Media.

That was due in part to tight supplies of diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer during the winter (rabi) crop season.

The Canadian Football League announced on Wednesday that it has suspended Zach Collaros of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers one regular-season game for failing to respond to requests for drug testing by officials from the Canadian Centre fo Ethics in Sports (CEES).

Following the league annoucement, the Blue Bombers released this statement:

Manitoba Environment and Climate Change is encouraging residents to test their well water or cistern to detect coliforms and E. coli in their water supply.

The ideal time to conduct these tests is in the spring, especially after a flood or heavy rainstorm.

Changes in the colour, clarity, odor, or taste of well or cistern water are also indicators that testing should be done. The Private Well Testing Subsidy Program, in collaboration with Duracan Laboratory in Winnipeg, offers these tests at a subsidized cost for private well and cistern owners once per year.

A 34-year-old man from Winnipeg has died following a head-on collision between an SUV and a semi-truck on Highway 67 in the RM of Rockwood.

Stonewall RCMP responded to the scene at approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 4th, just east of Highway 7. Investigators say the eastbound SUV crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a westbound semi-truck.

The driver of the SUV was transported to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The driver of the semi-truck, a 41-year-old man from Selkirk, was not injured.