Portage

Peacefully on August 18, 2025, Wilmer Fingas passed away at the Portage and District Hospital at the age of 92 years.

Wilmer was predeceased by his wife, Victoria. He is survived by his son Cameron and wife Diane, son Kim and wife Kimberley, daughter Michelle and husband Dwight; his grandchildren Jarett (Jacqueline), Dana (Jordy), Tracey (Blaine), Kelley (Brook), and Taylor (Joelle); as well as his great grandchildren Lane, Quinn, Ellie, Florence and Attley.

A severe overnight storm has left Portage Golf Club dealing with significant flooding, forcing staff to scramble to restore the greens and fairways.

Superintendent Farrol Asham says the storm caused widespread disruption across the grounds.

“We have about 30 bunkers on the golf course that are washed out. We have nine of our fairways that are underwater. We will be spending all day today and tomorrow removing the water, rebuilding some bunkers. I have a great staff here and we'll get it open. Hopefully we can get it open for walking tomorrow (Friday),” he notes.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20TH

American Association Baseball
Winnipeg Goldeyes 3 Kansas City Monarchs 3 (13 Innings)

MLB
Pittsburgh 2 Toronto 1

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21ST

CFL
Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Montreal Alouettes - 6:30 PM

A severe thunderstorm system left its mark across southern Manitoba overnight, bringing heavy rain and hail, and causing flooding in parts of Portage la Prairie.

The Manitoba Ag Weather Network reports the following amounts up until 5 a.m. this morning:

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to meet today with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, along with industry groups, to discuss the steep Chinese tariff on Canadian canola seed. 

Kody Blois, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison are also to attend the meeting in Saskatoon.

A press conference is scheduled following the discussion. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to have her first official meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today amid ongoing tensions in the bilateral relationship.

Anand and Rubio have previously spoken by phone, including in June ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc cycled through Washington in July looking for a tariff offramp but instead U.S. President Donald Trump boosted duties on Canada to 35 per cent.

With the rollout of Portage la Prairie’s new automated garbage collection system this month, some residents may find themselves making more trips to the Portage Regional Landfill. But if you’re planning to haul extra waste yourself, city officials have a clear message: tarp your load or be prepared to pay.

City councillor Terrie Porter, Director of the Portage Regional Landfill Authority, says the rules around landfill use aren’t new, but more important than ever as residents adjust to stricter curbside collection limits.

Portage–Lisgar MP Branden Leslie is encouraging seniors’ groups and municipalities across the riding to apply for funding through the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors program. The annual initiative is designed to increase social inclusion and help older Canadians remain active in their communities. 

A new Habitat for Humanity home in Portage la Prairie is ready to move forward, but organizers are calling on more families to apply.

Christina Falk, manager of chapter support for Habitat Manitoba, works with local groups outside Winnipeg to guide them through the process.

She notes that in Portage, “house plans are all ready to go. They’re ready to get in the ground and build. But we’ve had a bit of a struggle getting applications in.”

Agriculture Canada modelling expects above average yields for most crops

 Agriculture Canada is predicting solid yields for most crops on the Prairies, based on computer modelling that was done at the end of July.

“At the national level, the CCYF (Canadian Crop Yield Forecaster) model predicts above-average yields per unit area for 11 of the 12 spring-planted crops compared to the average yields of 2020-24,” says an executive summary of the Agriculture Canada predictions, published on a website called Canadian Crop Metrics.