Portage

Some wildfire evacuees staying at a shelter in northern Manitoba may be moved elsewhere as more communities return home and the government closes temporary evacuation centres.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said roughly 114 people have been staying at the shelter in Thompson for the past three weeks due to a shortage of hotel spaces.

"Folks have been there a really long time, and that was never the intention," Naylor told a wildfire briefing Thursday.

Rescue crews, police and paramedics scrambled to a remote region of Banff National Park late Thursday amid reports that a group of hikers were hit by a rock slide, causing possible injuries and deaths.

“The initial report indicated there were multiple hikers and there may be serious injuries and/or fatalities,” RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said in a news release.

Parks Canada, in a statement said, it is responding to a report of "a serious rockfall incident with involvement near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park."

The Rotary Club of Portage la Prairie served up community spirit alongside delicious seafood last weekend, marking another successful year for its annual Lobsterfest fundraiser.

Held as a convenient drive-through event, the 2025 iteration allowed residents to enjoy premium East Coast lobster or ribs while supporting vital local projects, with the catch having been caught fresh within 48 hours of the event.

The Central Plains U16 girls basketball club has wrapped up its season following the Central Canadian Championship over Father’s Day weekend.

Coach Dave McLeod says the team put together a strong showing at the tournament but ultimately fell short of advancing.

“We were literally a couple of baskets each way from actually winning the tournament. Certainly right there in the conversation,” McLeod notes. “We went two wins, two losses, and the two losses were really competitive games.”

After a year away from the Portage Terriers bench, Robby Moar is coming back to assist Blake Spiller with the squad.

Moar outlines why he was absent from the bench this past season.

Ottawa is giving no sign that it intends to amend existing legislation on medical assistance in dying — something a UN committee called for earlier this spring.

The federal minister responsible for disabilities spoke at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week, about two months after the committee called on Canada to repeal the 2021 law that expanded eligibility for assisted dying to those whose deaths were not reasonably foreseeable.

A downtown Portage la Prairie business owner and the city’s mayor are both calling for change after another brazen theft left staff shaken and frustrations mounting.

The latest incident took place on June 17 at 3’s Company Boutique, where a known repeat offender reportedly stole $450 worth of denim in under a minute. Store owner Janna Braaksma shares the experience in a public social media post.

“It’s not always sunshine & roses, as much as I truly wish it was,” notes Braaksma. “Enough is enough.”

Excitement is running high in Portage la Prairie as the Portage Stampeders prepare to compete in the 2025 Special Olympics Provincial Summer Games this weekend in Winnipeg. The team, led by head coach Deanna Talbot, was honoured earlier this week at a pep rally that brought together athletes, families, and community supporters in a show love and support.

"I am so proud," Talbot said. "This is my second provincial games as a coach, and I'm just so excited to see these athletes compete, make new friends, and be celebrated by their families and our community."

Portage la Prairie RCMP are investigating an incident of indecent exposure that occurred in a local park last week.

Just before 7 p.m. on June 13th, officers received a report of a man exposing himself in a park on Cambridge Street.

Police responded quickly, and witnesses at the scene provided a description. A short time later, officers located and arrested the man without incident. 

During the investigation, they learned the man had exposed himself to three girls at the park.

RCMP confirmed the victims were not physically harmed during the incident.

CPKC Railways will be rehabilitating the roadway pavement at the rail crossing on Provincial Road (PR) 305, located roughly one kilometre south of the Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 1 and PTH 16 intersection.

The work was scheduled to begin around 7 a.m. this morning and is expected to continue until around noon on Saturday, June 21st.

As a result, PR 305 will be closed to traffic in the area surrounding the rail crossing for the duration of the project.