Portage

A fast-moving grass fire south of the Trans-Canada Highway near Road 72W kept fire crews from Austin and Carberry busy from Saturday afternoon into the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to a social media post by the Austin Fire Department, the call came in around 3 p.m. on Saturday. Smoke was already visible while crews were en route to the scene.

Firefighters arrived to find an open pasture surrounded by brush burning out of control.

SUNDAY, JUNE 29TH

Manitoba Junior Baseball League
Pembina Valley 6 St. Boniface 1
Pembina Valley 13 St. Boniface 0

American Association Baseball
Winnipeg Goldeyes 9 Milwaukee Milkmen 3

MLB
Toronto 5 Boston 3

Canada is rescinding its digital services tax and will resume trade negotiations with the United States, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement issued late Sunday night.

The announcement came following a phone call between Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump, and just hours before the first payment under the tax was going to come due for major tech companies like Amazon and Google. 

On Friday Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social he was terminating all trade discussions with Canada because of the tax.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser says the federal government plans to take a "fresh" look at its online harms legislation over the summer but it's not clear yet exactly what the bill will look like when it is reintroduced.

It would be the Liberals' third attempt to pass legislation to address harmful behaviour online.

Fraser told The Canadian Press in an interview that the government hasn't decided whether to rewrite or simply reintroduce the Online Harms Act, which was introduced in 2024 but did not pass.

Portage la Prairie residents will see a major change in how their garbage is collected starting August 1st, 2025.

The City is launching a new automated curbside garbage system designed to improve efficiency, enhance worker safety, and reduce litter, marking a significant shift from the current manual pickup method.

Binning the previous system

Under the new system, every eligible household will receive a large, City-provided 360-litre black garbage cart delivered approximately one week before their scheduled August collection.

Berry lovers will be happy to hear that the U-pick season has now started. 

Across the Prairies, strawberry U-pick seasons typically start in early July. Raspberries and Saskatoons are then often available from late July through August. 

Andy Loewen is the owner of Friedensfeld Honey and Berry Farm, located east of Friedensfeld in Manitoba. He says their strawberry U-pick season officially got underway on Friday. An opening day of June 27th is a little bit earlier than normal for their farm.

It was an evening filled with pride and plenty of applause as the Community Foundation of Portage and District (CFPD) celebrated the next generation of local leaders at its 31st Annual Celebration.

Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) is reporting that more and more young people are ending up in emergency departments following a crash with an off-road vehicle (ORV).

School’s out for the summer, and for Grade 8 classes, the final bell marked more than just the start of holidays. It signalled the beginning of an exciting new chapter as they look ahead to high school in the fall. Last week, the Oakville School community came together for a farewell BBQ, honouring the students who are heading to high school this fall. Approximately 150 students, faculty, and family members gathered to recognize the students’ achievements and share in their send-off.

Portage la Prairie has received its third consecutive clean audit opinion for its annual financial statements, marking a significant achievement under the current City Council and administration.

The approval of the 2024 audited financial statements by Council on Monday solidifies this streak, underscoring strong financial management within the Manitoba municipality.

Money well managed

City Councillor and Finance Chair Joe Masi confirmed the results, emphasizing the rigorous process behind the audits.