PortageOnline Newsroom

Operation Christmas Child gathered 11,330,126 gift-filled shoeboxes globally over the 2023 holiday season, 425,209 of which were packed in Canada, and 1,833 of those were filled in Portage la Prairie.

An unexpected widespread power outage occurred in Portage la Prairie for about an hour Friday morning.

Manitoba Hydro had no plans for this power outage; when viewing the Manitoba Hydro map at 10:30 a.m., it appeared more than half of the city was being impacted.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, Portage la Prairie Firefighters had responded to three accidents in 12 hours as road conditions continue to be unfavourable.

"Be aware of the traffic; it's very, very slippery," Fireman Don Robertson told PortageOnline. "Collisions are mostly due to the weather, and it's very icy. We recommend that you don't go out on the roads if you don't need to. If you do need to travel, drive safe."

The Manitoba RCMP sent a media release to the public on Wednesday following a rental scam that made its way around Portage la Prairie on Monday. 

According to the RCMP, a local realty company contacted officers on February 5 after receiving concerning emails about properties listed for sale on its website. 

Portage la Prairie RCMP are sharing details regarding the alleged bear spray incident that occurred Saturday at Stride Place during the Portage Terriers game.

On February 3rd at 8:20 p.m., police attended a call at 245 Royal Road S (Stride Place) for a weapons call.  The RCMP said that the caller reported someone using bear spray in the arena. Police arrived and arrested two youths, who were later released. 

Safer Internet Day is observed on Tuesday in the second week of February every year, and this year, the Manitoba RCMP is passing along a message to the public and parents about a growing concern being observed by the officers from the Internet Child Exploitation unit (ICE). 

The RCMP says self-exploitation is generally defined as youth creating, sending or sharing sexual images and/or videos of themselves with peers online (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc) or through electronic devices. 

The Pink Ladies Snow Ride for the Cure wrapped up for 2024 in their battle against breast cancer. 

There hasn't been an in-person event since 2020, with only a raffle being held, as well. The raffle still snowed enduring support for the cause. Tammy Hammersley is chair of the committee and describes what it was like this year to be back together again.

Records continue to fall regarding how warm Portage la Prairie has been. 

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Portage broke a 131-year record on Thursday when the temperature reached 8.1 degrees, surpassing the 6.7° mark set back in 1892. Things will be historic on Wednesday as well, as by 11 a.m., Portage had already flown by the January 31 record of 6.0° set back in 1993, with our daytime high supposed to reach 9° throughout the day.

Portage la Prairie RCMP responded to a report of a disturbance on 5th Avenue NE that led to the seizure of drugs and weapons.

Last Tuesday, at 8:20 p.m., officers attended and were advised that a 31-year-old woman from Winnipeg had been assaulted by a 53-year-old man from Portage, who a 37-year-old man from the RM of Portage then assaulted. Police reported no injuries.

The Manitoba RCMP have tacked on a new member to their most wanted list; this time, the suspect could be in Portage la Prairie.

James Arthur Borden was added to the West district most wanted list on January 19.

Borden is 41 years old, 5' 9", 171 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes. He wears a full sleeve to his right elbow and a full sleeve on his left shin.

He has a warrant for Failing to Comply with a Probation Order x3.

The RCMP says that you should take no action to apprehend this person yourself.