Portage

Smoke drifting in from wildfires burning in northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan is causing pockets of poor air quality and reduced visibility across the region.

As a result, a special air quality statement has been issued.

According to Environment Canada and Manitoba Health, conditions can change quickly, even from hour to hour, depending on wind and smoke levels.

There's no rain in the forecast for Flin Flon, Manitoba, over the next week as crews there fight a wildfire that's raging nearby.

Temperatures throughout the weekend are expected to range from the low to high 20s, before cooling off.

Thousands have evacuated the northwestern Manitoba city, including municipal government officials and health-care professionals.

Flin Flon mayor George Fontaine said on Friday that unless things changed, the fire was projected to take chunks out of the town.

Ottawa probably can't help overhaul how municipalities raise funds in the near future, because the federal government is now focused on major, nation-building projects, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday

"We're building on what has worked. We're learning lessons from what hasn't," Carney said at an event held by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The group represents cities and towns that have lobbied Ottawa for years to give them more independent means of financing their operations.

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says she doesn't blame First Nations leaders who are voicing frustration with governments promising to fast-track development in their territories in the name of national unity.

"I don't blame them. They're frustrated and they're being disrespected," National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said Wednesday morning.

"If we're not at the table making these decisions right off the bat, this is what happens and it causes the Canadian government more problems later."

After being voted out of the Southeast Manitoba Hockey League, the Ste. Anne Sr. Aces filed a complaint with Hockey Manitoba in hopes of overturning the decision and be allowed to play in the 2025-26 season.

Back on May the 4th, Aces President and Head Coach Kevin Lansard was informed while at a league meeting that the original six teams of the SEMHL held a vote and ousted the Aces on the heels of St. Anne claiming their third straight league championship.

A Portage la Prairie resident is celebrating an incredible series of victories after bringing home four medals from her first-ever bodybuilding competition.

Jayda Yakielashek shone on stage at the recent VDC Natural competition in Winnipeg, a testament to her dedication and months of rigorous training.

Portage la Prairie city councillor Joe Masi says this week’s throne speech offers a promising roadmap for Canada’s future, but the real progress will depend on how well all levels of government work together.

Speaking from Ottawa at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual conference, Masi, who also chairs FCM’s Election Readiness Working Group, says the federal government’s plans for housing, infrastructure, and public safety are in step with the needs of local communities.

Evacuees that have come to Portage will be able to get new washed clothes through the work of MCC in Portage.

Donors are asked to bring pre-washed, labelled clothes to be donated to those who have been relocated Portage la Prairie in order to facilitate easy distribution.

Donations can be dropped off at MCC between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31. 

Adult and childrens clothing are needed, along with bathing suits that are in good condition.

See the full post by the Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation below.

As wildfires rage across Northern Manitoba, the city of Portage la Prairie is pulling together as a community to help those in need.

On Thursday evening, approximately 260 evacuees arrived in the city after being forced from their homes in communities such as Flin Flon, Cross Lake, and Pukatawagan due to the advancing fires. What began as a temporary setup at the CanadInns Portage Curling Rink has since transitioned into more long-term accommodations at local hotels, offering evacuees more comfort during this difficult time.

Prairie farmers may have to contend with rust this year, a disease that can significantly impact crop yields.

Dr. Kelly Turkington, a research scientist in plant pathology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Lacombe, explains that rust spores typically originate from the Pacific Northwest and the Texas-to-Nebraska corridor in the U.S. These spores, which include stripe rust, leaf rust, stem rust, and crown rust in oats, are carried by the wind and usually start appearing in the prairies in June.