Portage

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called a byelection Friday that will test whether his NDP government’s popularity can spread to a longtime Progressive Conservative stronghold.

Voters in the Spruce Woods constituency will go to the polls Aug. 26 to choose a replacement for Grant Jackson, a Tory who resigned in March to run federally. Jackson garnered more than double the votes of his closest opponent in 2023, and the Tories normally get well above 60 per cent of the vote in the area.

The Manitoba government says it has settled a lawsuit with the family of a woman who died during the COVID-19 pandemic while in the process of being transferred out of province due to a shortage of hospital beds.

Matt Wiebe, minister of justice and the province's attorney general, confirmed a settlement was recently reached with the family of Krystal Mousseau more than two years after Mousseau's mother first sued the provincial government and health agencies. 

Every summer, the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede celebrates agricultural innovation. This year, one of the world’s most iconic brands – John Deere – is in the spotlight. Visitors can explore a sweeping array of machinery, from horse‑drawn implements of the late 1800s to today’s X9 combine at the Enns Brothers John Deere Exposition.

A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the federal public service could shed almost 60,000 jobs over the next four years as Ottawa looks to cut costs.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne sent letters to multiple ministers asking them to identify cuts to program spending at their departments of 15 per cent by 2028-29.

The report, written by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives senior economist David Macdonald, says the federal public service could lose up to 57,000 employees by 2028.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada's new Arctic ambassador will play a key role in preserving sovereignty in the region as the military closely watches the movements of a Chinese icebreaker.

Iqaluit resident Virginia Mearns will be Canada's senior Arctic official on the world stage, following a career with local Inuit governments.

"Canada's Arctic ambassador is going to advance Canada's polar interests in multilateral forums," Anand told The Canadian Press in an interview from Inuvik, N.W.T.

The highly anticipated Men’s Open golf tournament at the Portage Golf Club tees off today, and all eyes are on a potential rematch between defending champion Kenny Keeler and rising star Carson Inman.

Keeler, a longtime participant in the event, is looking to defend his title after a dramatic win last year, his first championship after multiple runner-up finishes.

"I've been doing it for years," said Keeler. "It's just a good weekend with friends and I get to see some old faces I might only see at this tournament."

With the Rotary Duck Pond now complete in Island Park, it’s quickly becoming one of Portage la Prairie’s most popular summer destinations. But as more people stop by to relax at the edge of the water, a local wildlife expert is reminding visitors to admire the ducks, without feeding them.

Amy Wilkie, education program manager at Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre, says that feeding ducks and geese, especially with bread, is harmful to the birds, even when intentions are good.

The U.S. has imposed general tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles and copper tariffs will begin in early August

In order to provide some relief from the threat of 35 per cent tariffs, Bangladesh has decided to sign a memorandum of understanding on wheat trade with the U.S. The country has agreed to purchase 700,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat annually for the next five years. Photo: file

Tariffs, trade top of mind at recent Agriculture in Motion show

While there’s more to be done, Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe says he’s hopeful trade relations with China can be mended.

“I’ll give credit to prime minister Carney for the engagement that he has undertaken,” Moe said in an interview at the recent Ag in Motion farm show near Saskatoon.

The invasive weed is now being spotted further north than ever before

Farmers in Alberta have a growing problem on their hands, as a notorious weed has started making its way north through the province.

The rapid and relentless spread of kochia, the highly adaptable and increasingly resistant weed, is moving north and taking root in places scientists thought it never would.