Portage

After a summer of rodeos, dinosaurs and door-knocking, Pierre Poilievre is now officially heading back to Ottawa as a Conservative member of Parliament for Alberta.

The Tory leader will represent the sprawling rural riding of Battle River—Crowfoot, in the province's eastern region, after winning a byelection on Monday. 

"Getting to know the people in this region has been the privilege of my life," Poilievre told a crowd at a victory party in Camrose, Alta., on Monday night. "In fact, I've had a hell of a lot of fun."

Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that began on Saturday morning.

The airline said it will gradually begin operations Tuesday.

The two sides met through the night with a federal mediator before reaching a tentative agreement that will be brought to members of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

"Your right to vote on your wages was preserved," the union said in a post on its website announcement the end of the strike.

After a challenging summer that saw Crescent Lake hit concerningly low levels and develop a noticeable odour, the City of Portage la Prairie is taking new action to restore the water body.

Portage la Prairie’s free summer graffiti removal program is wrapping up with just a few days left for residents to report vandalism.

The initiative, run by the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC), offers property owners an easy way to have graffiti painted over or removed at no cost.

“This summer we've done 19 properties. Every year kind of varies in terms of size of projects and the number of tags we do," remarks Mari Kozar, executive director of PCRC. "If anybody has any graffiti to report, definitely get those reports into us."

This past weekend, the Sweetland family who live in Oakville, Manitoba turned a simple lemonade stand into a heartfelt community fundraiser in support of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation's Lemonade for Hope campaign.

For Kelly Sweetland, the initiative is deeply personal. "When my mother-in-law passed away eight years ago, we felt the need to fundraise for cancer care in her memory," she explained. Since then, more friends and family members have been affected by cancer, motivating the Sweetland's to continue fundraising.

Today, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the initial list of regions that will qualify for the Livestock Tax Deferral in 2025.

Portage continues to see steady activity in residential and commercial construction, despite a year-to-date decrease in building permits compared with 2024.

Chairperson of the City Planning & Economic Development Committee, Preston Meier, provides an overview of the June Portage la Prairie Planning District building report and what the numbers reveal.

The President of the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) says he's optimistic that they can reach an agreement that will see the Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) remain part of the national organization.

Last week, ABP gave the CCA notice to withdraw from the national organization as of July 1, 2026, citing among its concerns the organization's funding model, board structure, and representation since Alberta producers contribute over 50 percent to the organization.

Tyler Fulton is optimistic they'll be able to agree on a workable solution for everyone.

Just after 11 a.m. on August 15, Portage la Prairie RCMP got a call about a man walking around Dakota Tipi First Nation with what looked like a gun, reportedly pointing it at passing drivers.

Officers headed straight to the scene and began searching the area. A man matching the description was spotted not long after and taken into custody without any trouble.

A few funnel clouds were spotted east of Portage la Prairie early this afternoon, sparking concern among residents, though no weather warnings have been issued at this time.

Shortly after noon, witnesses reported seeing a pair of funnel clouds north of the Oakville junction along the Trans-Canada Highway. Around the same time, another funnel was observed along Highway 26 near Poplar Point.

Although Environment Canada has not issued any advisories or tornado warnings for the area, residents are encouraged to remain alert and monitor changing weather conditions.