Portage

The City of Portage la Prairie is making what they term a meaningful investment into maintaining greenspaces they currently provide, as well as improving them and creating more. Councillor Ryan Espey says this hasn't been done to the extent that it now will be.

"Back in all my time on council, there was a real resistance to any of this kind of investment based on us historically putting so much money into the new Multiplex, which is, of course, now known as Stride Place."

A specific and structured three-year plan has been presented regarding this effort.

Manitoba RCMP are sharing details of a traffic stop in the RM of Portage la Prairie which resulted in the arrest of a 65-year-old man.

On September 4, officers in the Roving Traffic unit say they stopped a commercial truck on Highway 1 and arrested a man from Toronto after his load was inspected and weeded with controversial items.

Officers discovered over 600 kilograms of illicit cannabis in the truck and the man will reportedly face charges under the Cannabis Act, Excise Act, and Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act.

Motorists have one less obstacle to deal with on Portage la Prairie roadways.

Due to construction, a detour was in place for over a month on Crescent Road and finally cleared Thursday morning.

The road closure was Crescent Road W from Royal Road S to 4th Street SW.  The completion plan was originally for August 30, but delays took the project further into the calendar.

The Portage Terriers locked up win number one on the road this preseason thanks to a come-from-behind victory against the Neepawa Titans 4-3.

The Dogs and Titans were deadlocked at one goal apiece following the first period, with Portage's Evan Lachimea and Neepawa's Colton Alexander finding the back of the net. The second period saw Neepawa start to figure out the Terriers, as Mason Hartley and Logan Paquette scored for the Titans. Scott Cousins was able to keep the game close for Portage, meaning the Terriers needed to dig a bit to escape the 3-2 hole they found themselves in.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his inner circle are slated to return to a federal inquiry into foreign interference in coming weeks.

A newly published provisional witness list for the next phase of the inquiry's public work indicates senior government bureaucrats and members of national security agencies will also testify.

Trudeau and key government officials took part in the commission's initial hearings earlier this year on allegations of foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza met and spoke with Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick on August 12, almost a month before her passing. He notes that news of her death impacted him significantly, recalling how she welcomed him with open arms, hugged him, and how it was only the second time he had the chance to speak with her. Their first meeting had been during the City of Portage la Prairie's apology in Dakota Plains for the 1910 ruling that ousted Dakota people from Portage la Prairie, and the official overturning of that policy.

It's been in the planning stages since before Christmas last year, and it's going to be a big celebration! The Village of St. François Xavier is holding its 200th anniversary this month, on September 21 and 22.

Reeve of the RM of St. François Xavier, Delmer Nott, says they have a great lineup of events and outlines the schedule.

A battle is heating up between Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh ahead of the return of the House of Commons next week, as the Conservatives challenge the NDP to help them bring down the government.

Singh said Wednesday he won't be taking advice from Poilievre, while sidestepping questions about whether the NDP would vote in favour of a non-confidence motion, as Poilievre challenged him to do.

If those at Sissons Farm get their way, expect mostly warm weather for the rest of the harvest season.

Sissons Farm, located just behind Walmart in Portage la Prairie, has wrapped up its canola and cereals for the year. Their focus has now shifted to edible beans. Blye Sissons says this year's weather has done more good things for them than bad.

Sanjeet Grewal acknowledges that there are several perspectives on the challenges faced by foreign workers in Canada and notes he understands the viewpoint of Canadian citizens.

We spoke with Grewal in a previous news story, and in this article, he focuses on some perspectives from his point of view that may surprise many Canadians.

Grewal, who recently moved to Portage la Prairie, recognizes that some foreign workers may have caused Canadians to feel uneasy about their presence.