Portage

The City of Portage la Prairie council meeting Monday night welcomed Francois Barnachea and Yuvan Ramachandran, who attended for the first time as youth councillors.

Barnachea says it was exciting and adds that he was able to see how council works and how laws and changes are passed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked national security services to find a way to share information with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about foreign interference affecting his caucus, he said Wednesday. 

Earlier this month, Trudeau told a public inquiry that he has been given the names of past and present Conservative parliamentarians and candidates who are linked to foreign interference. 

Trudeau said members from other parties, including the Liberals, have also been flagged.

A senior from Portage la Prairie narrowly escaped a major financial scam by putting on her detective hat. The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that she received a call on her landline from a private number.

Rash of reports in Portage la Prairie

Several calls came in Wednesday (October 30) about the exact same scam.  Take the advice of this fortunate and fast-thinking Portager who realized what was happening.

Oakville school has received a much-needed upgrade of equipment in their gymnasium. With a generous donation from Portage Mutual Insurance, the space now has a state-of-the-art sound system. This upgrade comes in response to the challenges faced by the school with its outdated audio equipment, which was originally a second-hand donation.

Samantha Sabourin and Matthew Boschman of Portage Mutual Insurance were invited to attend an assembly this past Tuesday where they accepted two awards of thanks from the staff and students at the school.

The mother of a 17-year-old victim in a mass slaying in Manitoba is suing a child welfare agency for allegedly failing to protect the girl.

Juliette Hastings claims in the lawsuit that Winnipeg Child and Family Services, the General Child and Family Services Authority and the director of Child and Family Services were "reckless, careless and negligent in their statutory duty" to her daughter, Myah-Lee Gratton.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Court of King's Bench. A statement of defence has not yet been filed and the allegations have not been tested in court.

Portage la Prairie recently completed its transformative overhaul of Saskatchewan Avenue, aimed at revitalizing the the main street of the community while enhancing critical infrastructure to meet the city’s future needs.

According to city manager Nathan Peto, the construction project, a massive undertaking akin to “renovating a house while living in it,” involved replacing infrastructure over 70 years old. This foundational upgrade was essential for ensuring the new roads would have a solid base.

There is a new partnership delivering the Soy Quality Program to Canadian producers.  

Nathan Gerelus is the manager of National Affairs at the Canadian Grain Commission, based in Winnipeg, and he says, 

“We are excited to have recently partnered with Soy Canada to deliver the Soy Quality Program, and that will start with this year's 2024 harvest.” 

The Portage Terriers have been one of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's (MJHL) top dogs over the past few weeks.

The Terriers are enjoying a five-game win streak, and hope to continue trending in the right direction. The run has seen them take the following games:

Vs Niverville Nighthawks (October 16, final score 3-1)
Vs Steinbach Pistons (October 19, final score 4-2)
@ Virden Oil Capitals (October 20, final score 5-2)
@ Virden Oil Capitals (October 25, final score 5-3)
Vs Winnipeg Freeze (October 26, final score 2-1 OT)

The Manitoba Beef and Forage Conference is set to take place Wednesday at the William Glesby Centre in Portage La Prairie, where a full range of Agri business booths will be on hand for producers across the prairies to explore. 

The conference is a popular event to hear from local producers and industry experts across the region discussing the application of research on the farm.  Forage and livestock specialist Shawn Cabak is one of the speakers and notes the venue will be full of agribusiness booths for producers to visit. 

Feeding ducks bread at the park is a classic scene. While it’s always the best intentions that lead people to bring leftover bread to share a meal with the endearing creatures, the practice results in serious health complications that could cost the animals their lives.

Long-term damage

Jordan Ojah, a certified wildlife rehabilitator at Wildlife Haven, outlines the syndrome (called angel wing) that results from feeding bread to waterfowl: