Portage

Former federal environment minister Catherine McKenna says the Justin Trudeau government's efforts to explain the consumer carbon price to Canadians were "half-hearted" — and just getting a meeting with the prime minister to discuss it "seemed impossible."

McKenna offers those behind-the-scenes details in her new autobiography, Run Like A Girl, which is being launched next week.

At 1680 Saskatchewan Avenue West, the smell of a warm meal and the sound of friendly conversation fill the hall three days a week. The Highway Community Kitchen, run out of the west entrance of the Highway Pentecostal Church, has become a lifeline for many in Portage la Prairie, and organizers hope to grow it even further.

Trevor Hadwen, an agroclimate specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Regina, says the most significant improvements this month have come in the southern Prairies. He explains that recent rainfall brought much-needed relief to southern Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the southern edge of Manitoba, where drought conditions have eased.

“There’s been significant change in a number of regions across the country this month,” notes Hadwen.

“The greatest improvement has been throughout the southern Prairies,” says Hadwen.

As students head back to school this September, West End Daycare is also settling into a new routine after a lively and successful summer season. Director Janice Delf says the centre was "fully utilized" during the break, with a notable increase in school-aged children.

"We had a very busy summer," said Delf. "We got to be outside lots. We had lots of fun, lots of excursions outside of the centre fun days of water play, theme weeks, so lots of fun overall."

La Verendrye School (LVS) is off to an exciting and vibrant start this school year, with new programs, leadership changes, and a renewed focus on cultural inclusivity and student wellness.

Principal Al Patterson, who is entering his third year at the school but his first in the principal's role, says the beginning of the year has been "hectic but exciting."

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are bleeding out right now and — in a storyline that was old weeks ago — the gruesome wounds continue to be primarily and frustratingly self-inflicted.

The Blue Bombers dropped their third straight contest in a 32-21 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of 22,913 fans at Hamilton Stadium Friday night, falling to 6-7 and under .500 for the first time this season, in a game that was again pockmarked by costly mistakes and an anemic passing attack.

Global Affairs Canada summoned Russian ambassador Oleg Stepanov over the incursion of Russian drones into Poland this week, as Ottawa looks to help a new effort by the NATO military alliance reinforce its eastern flank.

The summoning occurred hours after Poland reported multiple Russian drones had entered Polish territory between Tuesday and Wednesday. NATO allies shot down some of the devices.

As Ottawa gears up to launch a new agency to build homes faster, internal government documents describe how dire the housing situation has become in Canada.

Briefing materials prepared for incoming Housing Minister Gregor Robertson this past May and released this week acknowledge that costly housing is hurting the economy and making it difficult for people to find places to live.

"Vulnerable populations and lower-income households are struggling to have their basic housing needs met due to a lack of suitable affordable housing," the documents say.

Ottawa's chief data officer says he thinks the introduction of artificial intelligence to federal government operations will lead to "some" job cuts in the public service.

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Stephen Burt said he thinks the impacts are going to vary widely and will be job-specific, with different outcomes in different areas.

While he wouldn't identify the risk of job losses in specific areas of government, Burt said the goal will be to ensure employees receive opportunities to retrain and change jobs.

The owner of Prairie Sky Crop Solutions south of Niverville says there will be damage to crops in the area from Thursday night's rain event. 

Reg Friesen says that though an awful lot of rain fell, the storm was very localized. For example, he says areas south of St. Pierre received about an inch of rain, while up near St. Adolphe and Ile des Chenes, it rained only about half an inch. However, areas in between received a lot more. Friesen says his gauge south of Niverville showed three inches, and he knows that five inches fell south of Tourond.