Portage

Portage la Prairie's City Council has endorsed a resolution going to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) calling for a third-party review of the Manitoba Municipal Board, which oversees issues like land use planning, borrowing approvals, and bylaw changes. City Councilor Joe Masi explains the proposed review is intended to evaluate the board’s mandate, role, processes and functions to address costly delays and outdated practices affecting municipalities across the province.  

The agriculture sector is bracing for another potential strike ... this time at the Port of Vancouver.

The Grain Workers Union Local 333 issued a 72 hour strike notice over the weekend, meaning we could see job action start as early as today (Tuesday, September 24).

The potential work stoppage would impact all shipments of bulk grain from the port, causing congestion right through the grain supply chain all the way back to the farmgate. 

Portage la Prairie Mayor Sharilyn Knox, along with public safety councillor Colin Doyle, proclaimed this week as Rail Safety Week Monday at 3rd St. NE. Also in attendance were CN Police Constable George Kullman and RCMP media relations officer Larry Neufeld.

Kullman explained that Portage has railways running through the centre of town, which requires residents to always stay alert.

"Cross safely at the crossings or over the bridge. Anywhere else is dangerous, and it's also illegal. Trains can't stop quickly, and they need to be respected."

Canada's grain farmers say a strike at Metro Vancouver terminals would cripple crop exports if it were allowed to take place.

The Grain Growers of Canada say in a statement that it is "deeply concerned" about a potential strike of grain workers in Metro Vancouver, since about 52 per cent of all Canadian-grown grain went to those terminals last year.

Grain farmers say a strike would "halt nearly 100,000 metric tonnes" of commodities arriving each day, potentially costing $35 million daily in lost exports.

The Portage Terriers have traded the MJHL rights for Mitch Vanderwey to the Winkler Flyers along with a player development fee in exchange for Alex Thompson, a 2006-born defenceman from Winnipeg.

Thompson spent the last two seasons in Portland playing with the Winterhawks. He played 40 games in the 2022-23 season and then 19 games during 2023-24.

Vanderwey spent last season U18 AAA hockey with the Thunder Bay Kings and is expected to spend this season in the NAHL, playing with the Minnesota Mallards.

Rail Safety Week in Canada is an annual event to raise awareness about rail safety. 

Operation Lifesaver and its partners are reminding everyone there is no "undo" button. 

This year's theme is there is no "undo" button... taking risks near tracks can change your life forever or cost you life and limb.

CPKC's Assistant Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Bulk Elizabeth Hucker 

Derelict house demolished as part of Portage la Prairie's safety initiative

Last week, a derelict house on 7th St. SW in Portage la Prairie was demolished. It marks the first of, hopefully, no more demolitions following the city's crackdown on properties that drive down the safety and value of neighbourhoods.

Councillor Colin Doyle explained the house had been damaged by fire and remained in poor condition for quite some time.

Fall is a critical period when it comes to managing winter hardiness or winterkill in alfalfa stands.

Range Management Specialist Trevor Lennox says alfalfa is thought of as queen of the forages.

"It's a very important forage, as a result, it's important to keep the stand as productive as possible."

He points out that when an alfalfa plant is cut, the initial regrowth that follows is produced from root reserves, as new leaves are developed, they begin to manufacture their own energy for growth.

CPKC's Assistant Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Bulk Elizabeth Hucker says the rail network has bounced back following last month's work stoppage but it will still take more time for supply chains to fully recover and car cycles to normalize.

She says since that work outage in grain shipping week 3 CPKC has seen a steady increase in demand for rail services to locations like Thunder Bay, Vancouver, Eastern Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The Portage la Prairie chapter of Habitat for Humanity is searching for a youth ambassador. Betty-Jean Checkley, steering committee secretary, says she plans to visit local schools to help with the search.