Portage

Portage la Prairie RCMP are investigating an incident of indecent exposure that occurred in a local park last week.

Just before 7 p.m. on June 13th, officers received a report of a man exposing himself in a park on Cambridge Street.

Police responded quickly, and witnesses at the scene provided a description. A short time later, officers located and arrested the man without incident. 

During the investigation, they learned the man had exposed himself to three girls at the park.

RCMP confirmed the victims were not physically harmed during the incident.

CPKC Railways will be rehabilitating the roadway pavement at the rail crossing on Provincial Road (PR) 305, located roughly one kilometre south of the Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 1 and PTH 16 intersection.

The work was scheduled to begin around 7 a.m. this morning and is expected to continue until around noon on Saturday, June 21st.

As a result, PR 305 will be closed to traffic in the area surrounding the rail crossing for the duration of the project.

Residents in parts of northeast Portage la Prairie will experience temporary water shutoffs and road closures on Thursday, due to a planned fire hydrant renewal.

City crews will be working in the areas of 4th Avenue NE, 5th Street NE, and 6th Street NE throughout the day.

Road closures will take effect on:

• 4th Avenue NE between 5th Street NE and 6th Street NE
• 6th Street NE between 4th Avenue NE and 6th Avenue NE

Water service disruptions are scheduled in the following areas:

The Sioux Falls Canaries (20-16) evened their series with the Winnipeg Goldeyes (16-19) Wednesday evening, using a nine-run fourth inning and five total home runs to secure a 15-2 win at Blue Cross Park.
 
The Canaries opened the scoring in the first inning after a dropped fly ball in left field allowed Mike Hart to score. The Goldeyes answered immediately in the bottom half of the frame, as Tanner O’Tremba delivered a two-run double to left-centre, scoring Ramón Bramasco and Roby Enríquez to briefly put Winnipeg ahead 2-1.

After nearly two decades of bringing people together, the Portage Potato Festival will not go ahead in 2025.

The decision comes from the festival’s small volunteer team, who say they’ve struggled to secure both sponsorship and helping hands this year.

“It was a tough decision to make this year,” notes the committee in a social media post. “But due to little to no sponsorship this year and lack of help and volunteers, our tiny committee of 3 has made the decision to cancel the 2025 Portage Potato Festival.”

Starting Wednesday, Southern Manitoba entered a much more active weather pattern than in recent weeks. That from CMOS Accredited Weathercaster Chris Sumner.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18TH

Santa Clara Baseball League
Portage at Austin - 7:00 PM (CANCELLED)

Manitoba Junior Baseball League
Pembina Valley 8 Altona 3

American Association Baseball
Sioux Falls Canaries 15 Winnipeg Goldeyes 2

Portage la Prairie and the Southport Aerospace Centre are joining forces for the first time to compete in Manitoba's Communities in Bloom contest, aiming to showcase their shared commitment to beautification, environmental action, and community pride.

This innovative partnership marks a new chapter for the contest locally, combining city charm with aerospace heritage under the summer sun.

Cathie McFarlane, chair of the Communities in Bloom Committee for the City of Portage and Southport, explains the contest's broad scope.

With bike lanes freshly completed across the city and more people hopping on two wheels for summer, Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is reminding both drivers and cyclists to prioritize safety on the roads.

Tara Seel, Media and Public Relations Lead for MPI, says the growing number of serious incidents involving bikes shows why consistent education and respect on the road are critical.

“We want everyone who uses the road to be safe, and we recognize that cyclists are very vulnerable road users because they don't have the structural protection of a vehicle,” Seel says.

On June 11, 2025, Portage la Prairie RCMP received a report of a theft at a business on the 100 block of Saskatchewan Avenue West.

The complainant provided officers with a detailed description of the suspect and the stolen merchandise.

While en route, an officer spotted a person on a bicycle matching the description.

The individual attempted to conceal the merchandise as the officer approached, but was observed in the act and promptly arrested.

Forty‑one‑year‑old Michael Bernardin of Portage la Prairie faces charges of: