Portage

The Canada Revenue Agency has offered contract extensions to around 850 call centre employees as their union sounds the alarm over staffing levels. 

CRA spokesperson Etienne Biram says the workers, whose contracts were set to expire in September, were contacted about the decision last week.

The federal union representing workers at the tax agency recently launched an online campaign denouncing staffing cuts. 

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is set to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington this week after Ottawa announced it would be lifting some retaliatory tariffs.

LeBlanc's office said he will travel to the United States capital on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced last Friday that Canada will drop some retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products to match American tariff exemptions for goods covered under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA. .

Heading into the 2025-26 minor hockey season, Hockey Manitoba has announced they will be launching the 'Green Armband Initiative', a program designed for younger officials, starting in the Pembina Valley with plans for it to expand province wide in the future.

For all officials, every level

The 2025 National Pickleball Championship has wrapped up in Winnipeg, and at least one competitor from Portage is returning home with a bronze medal.

This year’s nationals, held August 19–24 at the Taylor Tennis Centre, drew more than 700 athletes from across the country. It took about 250 volunteers to run the week-long tournament, which featured skill and age-specific doubles and singles play in junior, para, men’s, women’s, and mixed divisions.

Sue Davidson, vice-president of Pickleball Manitoba and a member of the Portage Pickleball Club, took part in five events.

The expansion of Community Safety Officer hours in Portage la Prairie is earning praise from downtown businesses, who say the change is making a noticeable difference.

Keystone Sports Excellence manager Dylan Lee says the officers’ presence later in the day has been especially important.

Abtshof Farms owner Alex Boersch says Manitoba’s drainage improvements have had unintended consequences for farmers downstream, which became vividly apparent after the August 20 heavy rains that brought severe flooding to his farm. With GPS-guided systems perfected over the past decade, water now flows off fields faster than ever, overwhelming rivers that can no longer handle the sudden volume.

The dates are set Premier Scott Moe's trade mission to Asia runs September 6th to 12th.

It's a very important region for the province ... In 2024, Saskatchewan exported over $10 billion to Asia—$4.4 billion to China, $929 million to Japan and 162 million to South Korea.

The goal is to reinforce future trade opportunities and engage with China on their temporary duties on peas and canola.

The Premier has invited Prime Minister Mark Carney and any other federal ministers  to join the trade mission.

Portage–Lisgar MP Branden Leslie is preparing to head back to Ottawa as the fall parliamentary session begins, and he says his priorities remain squarely on the concerns he’s been hearing from constituents over the summer.

Leslie spent much of August connecting with his family and with residents, including at the Morden Corn and Apple Festival this past weekend. He says while many are trying to enjoy the last days of summer, the economic pressures facing farmers, manufacturers, and families continue to dominate conversations.

Alberta Agriculture's latest crop report shows two per cent of the crop has been combined. That's down from the 5-year average of eight per cent and the 10-year average of six per cent.

Warm, dry conditions in the Southern part of the province are helping with the harvest, while the cooler temperatures in the North West, North East, and Peace regions are slowing crop maturity and delaying harvest.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) are calling for swift action to address ongoing trade tariffs that continue to impact farmers.

APAS met with Kody Blois, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister when he was in Saskatoon for last week's canola meeting. 

APAS President Bill Prybylski emphasized the urgency of resolving tariff disputes with China and the United States, which have disrupted normal trade flows and hurt our agricultural economy.