Portage

Protests during the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis, Alta., may be starkly different than demonstrations happening this week against immigration crackdowns in the United States.

A University of Toronto research group that has been monitoring the meetings of world leaders since 1998 says its analysis shows Canadian protests are more peaceful and smaller.

But similar to the recent demonstrations in Los Angeles, they're likely to be against the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Young people in Portage la Prairie who are at risk of homelessness or need mental health and addictions support will soon have a new place to turn, thanks to a $400,000 investment from the Manitoba government.

The province is expanding its Huddle initiative to Portage la Prairie, offering integrated care and services for youth aged 12 to 29.

The Portage la Prairie Regional Library is gearing up for a summer packed with reading, activities, and imagination.

This year’s TD Summer Reading Club kicks off on June 19 with the theme “Around the World,” and there’s something planned for children of all ages.

Community Program Coordinator Leah O’Leary says the team is excited to welcome local families for another season of adventure.

“Get ready for an exciting summer of reading with this year's TD Summer Reading Club,” she notes.

Portage la Prairie Councillor Joe Masi says this year's Association of Manitoba Municipalities meeting had a resolution on improving approval timelines from the provincial Municipal Board.

"This year's resolution was very specific around borrowing bylaw timelines," says Masi. "Last year we asked for a general review, but now we're pushing for concrete changes to speed up approvals."

The Canadian Institute for Health Information says more surgeries are being performed than before the pandemic — but wait times have still grown longer. 

The report released Thursday looked at wait times for hip and knee replacements, cataract procedures, cancer surgeries, MRIs and CT scans in 2019 and in 2024.

Gas prices around Portage la Prairie remain steady, with most stations sitting around 128.9 or 129.9 cents per litre.

That trend is likely to continue through the summer, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com.

“Certainly there’s a lot of headlines right now that are potentially making waves with oil prices,” says De Haan. “Oil prices are close to the higher side they’ve been in the last couple of months now at about $65 a barrel.”

All emergency services were on hand this afternoon (Wednesday, June 11th) at about 2 p.m. near the intersection of the Trans-Canada and Hwy 16. A blue SUV was on fire as black smoke rose into the sky in the back parking area of the local gas station. 

After more than two decades without major improvements, The Woodlands Rec Club has finally begun upgrading its aging ball diamonds. Club president Jeremy Fisher says the transformation is already being felt both on and off the field.

“We started fundraising about 2.5 years ago for them, and we just started making the improvements this year.” 

Jason and Tom Petric, along with unofficial brother Jordan Day, have returned to the Manitoba music scene with a new song titled "Still Love You."

Jason notes that the new music had been in the works for a while, but circumstances never aligned to release it until now.

"We recorded a bunch of music a couple of years ago, and we periodically wanted to release them, and then we kind of just hit a point last year, where we hit a wall and we needed to say, 'Let's just stop.' And that's okay. So, we did, and we had a few of these songs that were still ready to go."

Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza offers a pointed assessment of the NDP government's performance during the first legislative session of 2025, highlighting policy reversals, significant tax concerns, and a perceived lack of new initiatives.

"Same bill, but with less teeth"

Speaking after the session's conclusion, the Progressive Conservative MLA pointed to specific bills and financial revelations as evidence of what he views as reactive governance.