Portage

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.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe wrapped three days of meetings with his fellow premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday with a message he admitted he wouldn't have sent over the past decade.

"We can be proud of the work our federal government is doing, in fairness," Moe said.

Moe has been one of the federal Liberal government's most vocal critics in recent years — and criticism of Ottawa is usually guaranteed when provincial leaders gather.

It was during the time of her mother's passing that Colleen Flynn discovered the invaluable assistance a funeral director can provide.  

“I recognized then all the aspects associated with a death in the family,” she remembers. “While there was the emotional side to consider, I also came to value how crucial it was to have someone manage those details for us during that very difficult time.” 

For more than seven years, Flynn looked to provide the same help, compassion and resourcefulness as funeral director at Omega Funeral Home.  

City crews in Portage la Prairie are keeping a close eye on mosquito populations following recent rainfall, but so far, there’s no reason to worry.

Paul Ziesmann, Superintendent of Public Works, says the city hasn’t seen a major spike in mosquito counts yet.

“We are at about 50 percent of the threshold that is required for female mosquitoes in order to be spraying,” Ziesmann notes. “We are still quite a ways away.”

Longtime Métis fiddler Melissa St. Goddard will bring her toe-tapping tunes to the stage this Thursday evening as part of an all-female line up at Music in the Park.

The event, a part of a summer line up of different performers every second Thursday in July and August aims to spotlight local talented artist in the region. St. Goddard, a local favourite known for her traditional Métis fiddle style, will close the night with a 7:30 p.m. performance.

The Heritage Harvest Growing Project is back for its ninth season, and volunteers say the mission remains just as strong: grow food, raise funds, and honour Manitoba’s farming legacy.

Secretary Elliot Sims says the project is a community-driven partnership with deep roots.

“The Heritage Harvest Growing Project is a joint fundraising partnership between the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Manitoba Agricultural Museum,” notes Sims. “The museum provides the land and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank local committee farms it, and then we split the proceeds.”

City officials and representatives from MWM Environmental welcomed residents to an open house information session Tuesday evening, providing crucial details about the new automated waste collection system launching August 1st.

The event, held at the Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment Centre, aimed to educate homeowners, landlords, and renters on the transition from the current manual pickup to the new cart-based system, addressing questions and easing concerns ahead of the rollout.

Manitoba is continuing to work on growing the agri-food sector. 

Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced over $6 million in funding from the province and the federal government to increase food processing opportunities.

The announcement was made at Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon, one of the recipients of the funding. 

Maple Leaf's President of Pork Operations Dennis Organ says the investment will help modernize the Brandon pork facility with state-of-the-art equipment, improving reliability, efficiency and production quality. 

Communities across Manitoba are set to benefit from over $6 million in new funding aimed at strengthening the province’s food processing industry and supporting local jobs, thanks to a joint investment from the federal and provincial governments.

Announced Wednesday by Heath MacDonald, the federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn, the funding is part of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The five-year initiative will support innovation and growth in the agriculture and food sectors.