PembinaValley

While wildfire smoke expected to blanket parts of Manitoba in haze and poor air quality on Saturday, the agricultural impact is only one part of a much more serious situation, says Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Jill Verwey.

Verwey, who farms near Portage la Prairie, acknowledges smoke-filled skies can sometimes reduce crop stress by lowering sunlight intensity and cooling temperatures during sensitive growth periods. But she says that benefit comes with a heavy cost.

It was an incredible season for the Altona Bisons, capping off the magical run with a U18 championship and coach Damon Thiessen still has a smile on his face.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers is urging workers to reject Canada Post's latest contract offer.

Union national president Jan Simpson says a strong no vote would not only reject the offer, but also protect the integrity of the bargaining process.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board will hold the vote on the proposed deal starting next week.

Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after more than a year and a half of talks.

The head of an Ottawa-based Canadian Army regiment has been temporarily removed as part of an investigation into alleged online behaviour that the commander of the army says disgraced the military.

The commanding officer of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa has been removed from his post in connection with a probe into the "Blue Hackle Mafia" social media group, Lt-Gen Michael Wright said in a statement to army ranks Wednesday and shared with The Canadian Press Thursday.

Systematic government collection and analysis of data about mysterious sightings in the sky could help Canada better prepare for incidents like the sudden appearance of several high-altitude balloons over North America two years ago, says a report from the federal science adviser.

One of the balloons, which wafted above western Canada in early 2023 before being shot down off the U.S. coast, apparently originated from China and carried sophisticated equipment.

The balloon episodes generated intense public speculation before fading from the headlines.

Close to 13,000 people in Manitoba were out of their homes Thursday due to wildfires, but hundreds were finding space in hotels rather than in congregate shelters, the province said.

Since Monday, officials said they've found spots for 705 more people in hotels, while others are staying with family and friends or in one of four shelters in Winnipeg.

As of Wednesday night, there were about 7,000 evacuees in hotel rooms and about 1,200 in shelters, a government spokesperson said. 

Ten hotels were added to a list of 58 across the province already offering rooms.

The search of a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two slain First Nations women has concluded with a new search soon set to begin at a different site for another victim.

The Manitoba government announced Thursday that crews finished looking last week through the Prairie Green landfill, just north of Winnipeg, for remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran. They were among four First Nations women murdered by serial killer Jeremy Skibicki in 2022. 

"Together, we brought Morgan and Marcedes home," Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said in a social media post. 

The City of Morden will be installing several Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers in the coming weeks.

"The City of Morden applied for funding through the Manitoba Climate Action Fund, and also through the Manitoba Motor Vehicle Dealers Association, and we received $156,000 towards these EV chargers," explained Mayor Nancy Penner who noted they are now in the midst of installing those units.

- One, 200 watt fast charger and Two Level 2 unit chargers are being installed at the Access Event Centre
- Two Level 2 unit chargers are being installed at 500 Stephen Street

The Morden Farmers’ Market is in full swing for its 2025 season. Open Thursdays from 4:00pm – 8:00pm from mid-June to early October, the market is already seeing a bumper crop of a season.  

Organized by vendors, for vendors, the market is held on 8 Street in Morden, between Stephen Street and North Railway Street. One of the organizers, Lorna Epp, shared what makes the market special is the sheer variety of vendors and product: “There’s fresh strawberries, there’s fresh vegetables, there is baking of every kind”.  

A great season for the U15 AAA Central Energy has coach Kevin Convery hoping to cap it off with a special run through provincials.