Portage

In a challenging game on Wednesday, October 9, The PCI Trojans football team faced a tough defeat by the Fort Frances Muskies 23 – 18. Despite a shaky start, the team displayed a remarkable turnaround, scoring 12 unanswered points after halftime.  

Coach Brendon Brydges noted a significant mentality shift at the end of the first half.  

“We realized we could compete that second half.”  

With minor hockey teams around the area settling in for another the season, major changes will be happening behind the scenes at the board level of Portage Minor Hockey.

Friday, the president, vice-president and a newly elected board member this season all resigned their posts and will be leaving the board immediately. 

The move came as a surprise to the rest of the directors and an emergency board only meeting has now been planned this weekend so they can decide how to proceed and what the best course of action is for the remainder of the 2024/2025 season.

The leaves have changed colour, the wind has become fiercer, and the McCain Interactive Fountain has closed for the season, indicating that fall is here and winter is approaching.

According to the city's director of operations, Jocelyn Lequier-Jobin, there isn't an exact day on the calendar to shut off the fountain, but the city usually turns it off near the end of September.

"This year, we had it on a little longer than other years, with our beautiful September weather, it was getting used right until the end," she laughed 

Former public safety minister Bill Blair told a federal inquiry Friday he had no knowledge about delays in approving a spy service warrant in 2021 that may have included references to people in his own government.

A commission of inquiry into foreign interference has heard that it took 54 days for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warrant application to be approved by Blair.

The average turnaround time for such applications is four to 10 days.

Here's a look at some of this week's top news photos as selected by editors.

This drone image provided by Kairat Kassymbekov shows flooding from Hurricane Milton in Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Kairat Kassymbekov via AP)

A former public safety minister says he is very worried the unfolding conversation about some parliamentarians being complicit in foreign interference is becoming a "kangaroo court." 

Marco Mendicino told a commission of inquiry into foreign meddling Thursday it is important to follow due process under the law before jumping to conclusions about the conduct of parliamentarians. 

Manitobans could be paying more for natural gas, beginning next month.

Centra Gas Manitoba Inc. has filed a general rate application with the Public Utilities Board (PUB). The application seeks approval, on an interim basis, of an average natural gas general revenue increase of 4.5 per cent. If approved, the increase will take effect November 1st of this year.

Manitoba Hydro states that for a typical residential household, the new rates would result in an average increase of approximately 3.9 per cent, or $2 per month. 

Another outstanding offensive performance led the Terriers to a 6-0 victory over the Swan Valley Stampeders. Offence came from throughout the lineup with four players scoring their first goal as a Terrier.

The senior population in Portage la Prairie has a supporter in their quest for an MRI unit in the new hospital. Kathy Bryce, Executive Director of the Herman Prior Activity Centre, believes including an MRI in the Portage hospital is extremely important.

"I am of the age where things are bound to start happening, and I’m going to need, hopefully not, some more medical care down the road," Bryce said. "Having an MRI machine right in Portage la Prairie would make the most sense, especially when everything is available for it. It’s the right time to do it."

While there are many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving, many people will have enjoyed sitting down to a nice juicy turkey.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two biggest seasons for turkey consumption,  but over the last few years, the industry has launched a campaign to broaden that reach.

Chair of the Turkey Farmers of Canada  Darren Ference says more and more people are now eating whole turkeys or turkey parts throughout the year.