Portage

Portage la Prairie families looking to enroll in Manitoba Public Insurance’s (MPI) popular Driver Z program can now register.

Tara Seel, Media and Public Relations Lead with MPI, says planning ahead will help families secure one of the coveted fall spots.

The new Portage Regional Health Centre is on track to complete construction by late 2025 or early 2026, with staff training, equipment setup and final preparations scheduled to follow in the months ahead. 

"We expect to have operational control by early 2026," says Implementation Lead Kyle MacNair. "That’s when we’ll begin training staff, installing equipment, and preparing the site for patient care." 

The full transfer of services from the current Portage hospital to the new facility is scheduled for mid-October 2026. 

Fire crews returned to the town of Leaf Rapids Thursday morning after a wildfire burning close to the community jumped the Churchill River and entered the industrial area of town, forcing emergency crews to flee.

In a post made on social media, officials say that so far, only one house has been damaged. 

 AgraCity - a generic crop input supplier - sending out an important notice yesterday to its clients thanking them for their patience while they work through their operational restructuring after experiencing cash flow problems.

AgraCity owes product to a number of farmers and is attempting to reimburse growers for crop inputs they bought but did not receive.

The company announced they have restarted their packaging and product fulfillment operations and will be making products available to customers soon.

 Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation will provide support measures through its AgriInsurance program, improving cash flow for livestock producers needing to secure additional feed.

MASC will be applying a quality adjustment factor to reduce yield appraisals by 40 per cent for drought-stricken cereal crops that are converted to livestock feed. 

A new agreement will open up more opportunities for moving products from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the world.

This week, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and the Arctic Gateway Group (AGG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will create a northern trade corridor through the Port of Churchill.

Moe says Saskatchewan remains committed to strengthening trade across Canada by supporting and developing new transportation corridors

Livestock producers in drought-stricken areas of Manitoba, including the Interlake, are getting new support from the provincial and federal governments.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced new measures Wednesday through the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC), aimed at easing the financial pressure caused by extreme dry conditions.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23RD

Santa Clara Baseball League
Playoffs - Best of 3
Game 3
Carberry 8 Minnedosa 3
(Carberry wins series 2-1)

Manitoba Junior Baseball League
Playoffs - Best of 5
Game 4
Pembina Valley 6 Elmwood 5 (Game postponed after 7 innings, will pick up from there)
Series tied 2-2

Firefighters battling a wildfire near the town of Leaf Rapids were forced to evacuate the community late Wednesday evening. 

In a Facebook post, the Town of Leaf Rapids informed its residents that one of the fires in the area had jumped the Churchill River and entered the town through the industrial area. 

A lawyer for one of two leaders of the Freedom Convoy facing sentencing told an Ottawa court Wednesday her client should not be left with a criminal record.

Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher said Wednesday she is seeking stiff sentences for convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber because of the broad community harm caused by the three-week 2022 protest in Ottawa's downtown core.