Portage

Residents of Portage la Prairie gathered earlier this week at the Portage Legion Branch #65 for a Will Planning seminar hosted by Joy Bowman, a nationally certified executor advisor and funeral pre-planning specialist. The event highlighted the importance of finalizing wills, arranging funerals, and easing the burden of loved ones, while raising funds for the Legion through attendee donations.

Immediate funeral decisions and executor challenges

Bowman stresses the urgency of funeral planning, noting families often face critical choices mere minutes after a death.

Cora Pohl runs the Portage Work Experience Program at the Portage Learning and Literacy Centre. The program helps people who face challenges finding work. It offers four weeks of paid training with certificates like First Aid and Food Handlers. After training, participants complete a 10-week work placement.

Program benefits for employers

We pay the employer back for wages up to minimum wage," Pohl says. "We also cover costs like work boots and background checks. There's no risk for the employer."

Prime Minister Mark Carney had a brief audience with Pope Leo XIV Sunday afternoon at the Vatican following the pontiff's inaugural mass in St. Peter's Square.

Carney was seated in the second row with his wife Diana for the mass, in a section amongst other world leaders and heads of state.

The prime minister, who is a devout Catholic, was one of the few world leaders to kneel during the blessing of the Eucharist, and was spotted at two instances taking a picture of the Pope on his phone to mark the occasion — before the mass started and after it had concluded. 

As the first Indigenous person ever to lead the federal department responsible for delivering services to First Nations, Inuit and Métis, Mandy Gull-Masty knows she has a daunting task ahead.

But the newly-appointed Indigenous services minister also knows what it's like to sit at both sides of the table — as a cabinet minister now and, until recently, as the grand chief of the political body representing 20,000 Cree people in northern Quebec.

Jane Thornton, a member of the Blue Hills Fibre Festival committee, describes the upcoming event as a celebration of creativity and community. The June 7 festival at Carberry Memorial Hall will feature workshops, vendor markets, and mill tours, showcasing Manitoba’s thriving fibre arts scene.

A passion-driven committee

The volunteer-run festival, first launched in 2013, transitioned to a new committee in 2019. Thornton notes the team includes sheep producers, felters, and textile artists united by their love of fibre.

A family-friendly future is taking shape in Carberry, where a grassroots effort is turning a splash park dream into a reality, one fundraiser at a time.

Karra Burney, Carberry’s Economic Development Officer, says the idea for the splash park grew out of a community survey issued a few years ago, asking residents what they’d like to see in the town’s future to help drive growth and attract new families.

"One of the top things was that there wasn't too much available for our young kids in town. So, parents and family members suggested a splash park," Burney says.

The Winnipeg Jets’ record-setting season came to a sudden end Saturday night in Dallas, as Thomas Harley scored the series-winning goal in overtime to lift the Stars to a 2–1 victory in Game 6.

Communities across Canada are again participating in Communities in Bloom — a national program encouraging civic pride through beautification, environmental efforts, and community involvement. Each summer, judges evaluate participating communities and award bronze, silver, or gold ratings, along with a score of one to five Blooms — the higher the number, the greater the community's achievements in beautification and sustainability.

Brad Scheifele, the father of Winnipeg Jets’ star Mark Scheifele, has unexpectedly died according to the team. 

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff told reporters in Dallas on Saturday morning that Brad died on Friday night. 

We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Scheifele family.

We're a family and we're going to do everything we can to support our family. pic.twitter.com/zEJHcM66WB

As summer arrives in Portage la Prairie, the Family Resource Centre (FRC) is swapping its indoor routines for sunshine-soaked adventures. The centre’s annual summer programming, running June through August, shifts focus to outdoor park-based activities designed to engage families and kids while fostering community connections.