Portage

With harvest just getting underway across the Prairies, farmers are being reminded to think about safety when working with grain. The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) is urging farmers to prioritize safety around grain handling with the launch of its fifth annual Be Grain Safe Week.

The Portage la Prairie Lions Club collected essential donations for the local Salvation Army Food Bank during a Sunday food drive at the Portage Homestead Co Op.

Club President Robert Martin oversaw the four-hour effort from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM yesterday, where community members dropped off non-perishables and cash donations.

Regular support for essential services

The Lions Club has organized these drives every few months since launching them in 2020 to address pandemic-era food insecurity.

Recently, three community organizations came together in Carman for a common purpose.  

The Town of Carman, Carman Area Foundation, and Carman Collegiate joined forces to build a shed at the local pool designed to improve the safety and quality of swimmers’ experiences there. 

A new memorial garden is set to bloom in Portage la Prairie, one dedicated to the quiet grief of families who have lost a child far too soon.

The Portage Infant Memorial Garden, spearheaded by resident Angie Steinke in memory of her grandson, Wells Robert Blatchford, will be built in a peaceful green space near the existing Sunset Palliative Care Memory Garden at Island Park. Construction is scheduled to begin next spring, with an official unveiling expected in the summer of 2026.

Air Canada flight attendants are expected to picket at airports in four major Canadian cities on Monday in what their union is calling a national day of action.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says demonstrations are expected to take place at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET. 

Heartland Livestock Services announced the closure July 25; the Brandon auction mart has been a historic standby for Manitoba beef producers selling their cattle

Manitoba’s livestock producers have one less place to sell their animals.

Heartland Livestock Services announced July 25 that they are closing their Brandon location.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's popularity may be cooling off in the summer but remains broadly positive, a new poll from Abacus Data suggests.

The Carney-led Liberal government's approval rating dipped to 50 per cent in the firm's latest polling, down two percentage points compared to mid-July and the lowest level since March.

With 48 per cent viewing Carney favourably and 19 per cent disapproving, the prime minister maintains a positive net approval. That figure is a couple percentage points lower than in Abacus's previous poll.

The Portage Padres fell short at the Manitoba Senior Double-AA Provincial Tournament this weekend, after playing three games, including Elmwood, Cartwright, and Oak River.

All three games were won by a single run. The first game was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Elmwood, that the Padres could only muster a pair of hits in the game. Manager Andrew Moar notes that Nolan Mariott, a pick-up from the Austin A's pitched a great game, but couldn't get the run support.

As the summer months continue, the City of Portage la Prairie looks to be taking full advantage of the good weather by continuing construction projects across the city.

Unfortunately for drivers, however, that means road closures and detours are being added to their commutes.

One such project starts work Monday, shutting down the westbound lane of Saskatchewan Avenue between Tupper Street and Third Street.

Thankfully, though, it won't be for an egregious period, and is part of crucial municipal infrastructure repairs.

Portage la Prairie’s Public Works department is dealing with more cases of unauthorized dumping at the city’s tree disposal site, Superintendent Paul Ziesmann says.

“We've been obviously noticing some of those social media posts, but we've also received a few inquiries and phone calls here at our operations department within probably within the last week and half or so. We've got a few more than normal,” Ziesmann notes.

He adds that some of the dumped materials include tires, concrete and engineered wood.

That creates extra work for staff.