Westman

Farmer Bill Prybylski says China’s planned tariff on canola seed wasn’t factored into his business equations this year.

The president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan says the 75.8 per cent preliminary duty, announced Tuesday, has already caused canola prices to fall by $1 per bushel.

That translates to a loss of about $200,000 for his farm. 

“That’s a pretty significant financial hit,” said Prybylski, who farms northeast of Regina near Yorkton.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service advises there is a low fire danger in the majority of the province, with pockets of moderate fire danger in the southern and central areas, and a mix of moderate and high fire danger in the northwest areas of the province.

The evacuation order for Cormorant was lifted on Aug 11. Evacuation orders for Kistiganwacheeng (Garden Hill Anisininew Nation), Island Lake (Stevenson Island) and Little Grand Rapids were lifted on Aug. 12, and evacuees have started to return home.

The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) has a new chair, elected into the position earlier this year. Scott Hepworth, who farms near Assiniboia with his farmer, moved into the role after the previous chair stepped away from the position.

Having previously been the vice chair at the GGC and currently a director with Sask Wheat, Hepworth is confident they'll be able to meet some of the goals he wants to solve.

This year the Manitoba Association of Fire Chiefs (MAFC) is celebrating 75 years of supporting their firefighting team across the province.

Crop Residue Burning Restrictions in Manitoba

August 1 – November 15, 2025:
Crop residue burning is not authorized without a permit in the following municipalities:
Rosser, Headingley, St. François Xavier, Cartier, Macdonald, Ritchot, Taché, Springfield, East St. Paul, and West St. Paul.

August 13–14, 2025:
Crop residue burning is not authorized in any municipality or zone across Manitoba due to poor air quality caused by forest fire smoke.

Funeral For:  Susan Walker 
Funeral Date: August 16, 2025 
Susan Walker, 93, of Killarney passed away Sunday, August 10th at Bayside Personal Care Home. She is survived by 3 brothers, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Les, and 4 brothers. 
The funeral service for Susan Walker will be held Saturday, August 16th at 2pm at Lakeview Community Church, Killarney with burial at Killarney Cemetery. 
Viewing will be at the church one hour prior to the service. 
Donations may be made to Turtle Mountain Bible Camp. 

Air Canada says it will begin a gradual suspension of flights to allow an orderly shutdown as it faces a potential work stoppage by its flight attendants on Saturday.

The airline says the first flights will be cancelled Thursday, with more on Friday and a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend.

Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines will continue to operate as normal. 

Air Canada says customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund.

China has hit Canada with a new round of canola tariffs, threatening one of Western Canada's biggest cash crops and causing potential issues for farmers looking to sell their crops. The tariffs were announced overnight Monday in China, meaning that people watching the agriculture markets were in for quite the shock Tuesday morning.

Chuck Penner, founder of Left Field Commodity Research, was watching the markets and says much of the agriculture sector saw this coming.

This evening is the first of 2 debates between the three candidates for the position of MLA for the Spruce Woods Riding.  This first debate takes place in Souris at the Avalon Theatre 7 pm, August 13th.  The second debate takes place next week Wednesday, August 20th at the Sprucewoods Community Hall in Sprucewoods.

The two debates are expected to be quite different from each other, the first being hosted by the Souris-Glenwood Chamber of Commerce.

The second debate, on August 20th, will be hosted by Brandon University, the Brandon Sun and Westman Communications Group.

National galleries and museums across the country have seen a 15 per cent increase in attendance so far this summer, after the federal government introduced free or discounted admission through the new Canada Strong Pass.

The Canada Strong Pass, which took effect on June 20 and is available until Sept. 2, offers free national museum admission to children 17 and under, and a 50 per cent discount for those aged 18 to 24.

The pass also offers free admission to national parks and sites maintained by Parks Canada.