Portage

Major institutional investors are asking the federal government to give them a reason to invest more at home in the upcoming fall budget, says the Liberal MPs leading budget consultations across Canada.

The federal Liberals are in the midst of consultations on the upcoming 2025 budget. While federal budgets typically are tabled in the spring, this one is set to land during the fall session of Parliament.

The RCMP is introducing a drone corridor along part of the Canada-U.S. border in an effort to boost security.

Drones are to patrol the border in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba in what the RCMP says is a trial.

The force says the corridor has been established with help from Transport Canada and drone patrols will target illegal activity including smuggling and drug trafficking.

It says the corridor extends from the ground to 500 feet in the air and one nautical mile north of the border, or just under two kilometres.

Portage la Prairie residents are embracing the city’s new automated garbage collection system, but many now wonder what to do with their old plastic trash bins.

Christine Major, General Manager of Portage and District Recycling Inc. (PDRI), offers practical solutions for reusing, repurposing, or recycling these bins, while also shedding light on the potential future of automated recycling pickup and its challenges.

There’s a fresh reason for tails to wag in WestLake-Gladstone. After years of wishing for a safe, open space for dogs to run, sniff, and socialize, the municipality has officially opened its first dedicated dog park, a place designed with both pets and people in mind.

If the conditions are right, a lot of shooting stars will be visible tonight, and one good local viewing spot is Delta Beach, where the dark skies make for ideal stargazing.

Scott Young, a Planetarium Astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, says this will be the peak night for the Perseids meteor shower. 

Young explains that meteors are commonly referred to as shooting stars or falling stars. These streaks of light in the sky are caused by little pieces of dust, sand, or rock in outer space, which burn up in our atmosphere. 

Livestock farms often need to use their land carefully in order to get the best results for their animals, which is why the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment is sharing some tips on good grazing practices. Trevor Lennox, a Range Management Extension Specialist, talks about one of the biggest potential mistakes a farm operation can make: overgrazing.

Portage Mayor Sharilyn Knox shares an update on the city’s support for wildfire evacuees arriving at the former Manitoba Developmental Centre (MDC), as part of the province’s wildfire emergency plan.

“Over the past few days, evacuees have been welcomed to site 840, the former MDC. This is part of the province's wildfire emergency plan." revealed Knox. “These new evacuees are in addition to those already placed in Portage hotels by the Red Cross.”

The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) has confirmed three weak tornadoes touched down in southern Manitoba during severe storms on Aug. 5 and 6.

"All three tornadoes were weak by EF-scale standards, but still capable of causing minor damage," NTP noted in its event summaries.

The first occurred the evening of Aug. 5 near Grande-Clairière, southwest of Melita. NTP assigned it a "default" EF0 rating, the lowest on the Enhanced Fujita scale, as no damage was reported. A witness captured video of the twister, and satellite imagery analysis is still pending, according to NTP.

Westman Wildcats coach Karissa Kirkup, was named the BFL Women in Coaching Award, the national competitive winner, and on top of that, she's looking forward to tryouts and camp, which is right around the corner.

Kirkup grew up playing minor hockey in Portage la Prairie before her family moved to Virden for high school.

From there, she would play U18 with the Wildcats of the Manitoba Female Hockey League before moving on to a successful career with the U of M Bisons.

Along with coaching, she is a Grade 6 teacher and is working on a master’s degree in education.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes (36-46) combined dominant pitching with a power surge at the plate to claim a 7-2 victory over the Lincoln Saltdogs (31-49) Sunday afternoon at Blue Cross Park, securing the three-game series win.
 
Winnipeg struck early in the bottom of the second inning. Matthew Warkentin launched his 12th home run of the season over the right-field wall, and moments later, Keshawn Lynch delivered a two-run blast to left with Tripp Clark aboard to make it 3-0.