Portage

Liberal Leader Mark Carney's French language skills will be put to the test, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will seek to turn his numbers around, when the five main federal party leaders square off in Montreal tonight in the first of two debates ahead of election day on April 28.

The two-hour French-language debate will be moderated by Radio-Canada's Patrice Roy and will focus on five themes: the cost of living, energy and climate, the trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration and foreign affairs.

The chief of a Dakota Plains First Nation is facing sexual assault charges following an investigation by Saskatchewan RCMP.

Donald Smoke, 53, currently the acting chief of Dakota Plains First Nation located southwest of Portage la Prairie, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault in connection with an incident reported to police in June 2024.

According to RCMP, investigators determined the alleged offences occurred in February 2024 in Kindersley, Sask. The complainants are both adult women.

Manitoba’s provincial and municipal leaders united at Tuesday's Association of Manitoba Municipalities Spring Convention to demand stricter federal bail reforms, citing preventable tragedies and systemic failures. The call follows high-profile cases like the killing of a young Portage la Prairie woman by a repeat offender released on bail.

A police pursuit near Sandy Bay First Nation has resulted in multiple weapons charges being laid against a 17-year-old after officers recovered firearms from a stolen vehicle. 

On April 6th, the Manitoba First Nations Police Service (MFNPS) was alerted by the RCMP to be on the lookout for two stolen trucks believed to be traveling toward the Sandy Bay community. Officers soon located the suspect vehicles — a white Ford truck and a Dodge truck — on Highway 50 near Langruth. 

Authorities have identified two persons of interest in connection to last month's fire at Grace St. John's Anglican Lutheran Church in Carman.
    
It didn't take long for Pembina Valley RCMP to declare the devastating early-morning March 13th blaze as suspicious and appealed to the public for any video surveillance footage that could help in the investigation.

Now, RCMP has released two photos from video surveillance depicting the persons of interest and are once again looking to the public, this time to help figure out who the pair is. 

The 2025 Manitoba Anglers Guide is now available, and Portage la Prairie anglers will notice significant updates, including increased fines aimed at safeguarding the province’s waterways and fish populations.

Tylor Duncan, manager of MacDonald’s Sporting Goods, voiced strong support for the changes, emphasizing their role in preserving local fisheries for future generations.

Portage la Prairie is one step closer to having wheelchair-accessible playground equipment which would make Island Park a more inclusive play space for everyone.   

At the centre of the initiative is Kim Wikdahl, volunteer and co-chair of the Parks Committee. She says the idea was sparked years ago after watching a local family help their child, who uses a wheelchair, on and off a school bus — and noticing the lack of accessible options in the city’s parks. 

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has discussed increased trade with representatives from Europe and appears open to having a second port on Hudson Bay.

Kinew met this morning with ambassadors and high commissioners from the European Union and 18 member countries.

He says the meeting was a chance to show the countries, which represent a market of 450 million people, that Manitoba is open for business.

Canadians got a break on inflation in March as gas prices fell and a slowdown in travel to the United States helped cool airfare costs, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.

The annual rate of inflation slowed to 2.3 per cent last month, down from 2.6 per cent in February. A poll provided by LSEG Data & Analytics ahead of Tuesday’s release had expected yearly inflation to hold steady month-to-month.

StatCan said gas prices fell 1.6 per cent year-over-year in March, coming off a hike of 5.1 per cent in February.

James Joseph Mulligan

July 19, 1926 – April 12, 2025

Peacefully, with family by his side, Jim Mulligan, beloved husband of the late Helen Mulligan, passed away at Lions Prairie Manor at the age of 98 years.