Portage

Two local bursaries are helping Portage District General Hospital staff and their families take the next step in healthcare education, with applications open now and a fast-approaching deadline.

The Bailes Bursary is open to staff or their immediate family members, while the Roberta’s Dream Bursary supports hospital employees pursuing university-level healthcare programs.

Tara Pettinger, executive director of the Portage District General Hospital Foundation, says the bursaries offer meaningful support to those looking to advance their careers in the healthcare field.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has named 73 MPs to his party's leadership team and critic roles ahead of next week's return to the House of Commons.

He has named 48 Conservative members of Parliament to critic roles, while another 14 will become associate critics.

Most of them are returning MPs, though some have been shuffled to new positions left by people who were not re-elected on April 28. 

Canadians could soon find out if there will be another labour disruption at the national postal operator.

The union representing about 55,000 Canada Post employees has said it is reviewing a set of proposals for urban workers, along with rural and suburban carriers.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers issued a 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday, and the deadline is Friday at midnight.

Canada Post says the new offers address several concerns, and it is offering a wage increase of 13.59 per cent over four years.

Top economic officials from the G7 were locked in a full day of closed-door discussions Wednesday to examine pressing topics, including the global economy and the war in Ukraine. 

The meeting between the group's finance ministers and central bank governors in Banff, Alta., is a prelude to the G7 leaders summit in June in nearby Kananaskis. 

It comes in the wake of the U.S. imposing global tariffs that have resulted in many countries reconsidering their trading relationships. 

A small community initiative in Oakville is facing setbacks after its "Little Free Pantry" was recently vandalized. Georgina Trusty, a board member for the Oakville Tiny Tots preschool program, explains the pantry, located outside Knox United Church on Main Street, was established several years ago as part of a larger effort to give back to the community.

“We give a community gift every year, something to serve everybody, and the Little Free Pantry was our first gift after we revamped the program,” Trusty says.

Canada Post says it’s made significant concessions in a new contract offer to its workers, but the local postal union leader for Portage and Neepawa says concerns remain, especially around how new hires are treated.

Local 802 president outlines key issues

David McLeod, president of Local 802 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), says the union is currently reviewing the latest global offer from the Crown corporation.

Two 25-year-old men face assault-related charges following a weekend altercation in a residential area, say Portage la Prairie RCMP.

On May 11, 2025, at approximately 11:30 p.m., officers responded to reports of a fight on Oak Bay.

Upon arrival, police identified and arrested a man outside the scene, later determined to be a resident of Long Plain First Nation.

A second suspect was located inside a nearby residence and taken into custody without incident.

The Long Plain First Nation man has been charged with assault.

Farmers have been experiencing rain delays as they work to complete their seeding operations.

Oilseed Specialist Sonia Wilson reports that recent rain events in Manitoba over the past eight days have brought much-needed precipitation to many areas. However, she remains hopeful that producers will soon be able to return to the fields.

Former Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson and two of her Progressive Conservative cabinet ministers acted improperly by pushing for the approval of a silica sand mining project and should be fined, says a report by the province's ethics commissioner.

The report says Stefanson, then-deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then-economic development minister Jeff Wharton tried to get approval for the Sio Silica project after the Tories lost the 2023 election, but before the new NDP government was to be sworn in.

Canada Post has issued a new set of offers to the union representing postal workers as the clock ticks down to a possible strike.

The Crown corporation confirmed Wednesday it has filed a new set of proposals for workers in the urban bargaining unit and the rural and suburban units.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said its negotiating team was set to examine the proposals this afternoon.

The new offers come days after the union issued a strike notice that could see postal workers back on the picket line on Friday.