Maintenance work now underway on Neepawa’s water tower marks the first known time workers have entered the structure since it was built in 1982.

Residents may notice a slight reduction in water pressure while the project is completed over the next two weeks. The Town of Neepawa announced the work earlier this month, describing it as routine maintenance on one of the community’s key pieces of infrastructure.

According to Denis Saquet, Neepawa’s Manager of Operations, the tower has undergone inspections in the past, but this is the first time in its 44-year history that crews have physically entered the tank.

“This will be the first time in 44 years, to our knowledge, that someone has been in the tower,” Saquet said.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — Long Plain First Nation has completed a multi-million-dollar expansion of its water treatment plant, marking a significant milestone in a broader federal initiative to improve safe drinking water access across Manitoba First Nations.

The community, approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Portage la Prairie, celebrated the completion of the upgrades Tuesday, June 23 alongside regional leaders and federal representatives, including Minister Rebecca Chartrand, on behalf of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The project is part of a combined $122.2-million federal investment spanning five Manitoba First Nations, including Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Berens River First Nation, Misipawistik Cree Nation, and Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve.

Long Plain First Nation Chief David Meeches estimates the water treatment plant upgrades cost between $20 million and $30 million. The milestone follows years of community patience under persistent boil water advisories.

“It’s nice not to worry about that anymore,” Meeches said. “We’re very grateful for Canada and Indigenous Services Canada for stepping in and helping us out. I know how frustrating it is for other First Nations who encounter similar issues with their water and sewer.”

NEEPAWA — A group of area residents has sent thousands of letters to offices in Manitoba objecting to a wind turbine project that was proposed near Polonia this spring.

A total of 20,498 letters had been sent to local and provincial government offices as of last week, RM of Rosedale resident Trevor Bennett told the Sun. The letters follow after Bennett and a group of locals organized a letter-signing event in Neepawa in June.

“I never thought I’d be in this position,” Bennett, an agriculture equipment salesman, said. “I would much rather have someone else do it than me.”

Bennett and roughly a dozen other local citizens have banded together to lead opposition against the wind turbine proposal that seeks to install between 28 to 36 turbines in his community. The group is using personal printers, as well as donations and spare time in efforts to protest the windmill project — Bennett drove to Winnipeg to deliver six boxes of physical letters in June.

Summertime in Westman region might be the time to heed the call of the great outdoors, but it’s also a good time for readers of all ages to step into the cool of the library and grab a book or get in on some fun programming through the Western Manitoba Regional Library.

Alex Rogowsky, manager of programming and community services at the Brandon Library, says daily programming for kids is underway with morning sessions for ages six to nine years and afternoons for ages nine and up. The sessions are drop-in, no registration required, and the library will supply all materials.

The ‘Learn’ program delves into science, math and engineering. ‘Create’ gets kids into painting, drawing and crafting. The ‘Build’‘ program lets them get “three-dimensional.”

“They might get a pile of Lego or a pile of cardboard pieces, or popsicle sticks, and then they are guided through building something with them,” Rogowsky said. “It’ll be both open-ended and guided. There are some kids who really like to just follow along and there are others who have something in mind that they want to build and they can do either.”

The first of July in Canada means it’s time to take out the red, white, and … ‘cue.’ Canada Day is the perfect day for a family barbecue and an economical way to feed the crowd is with locally produced pork.

Economical and nutritious, pork is a delicious and versatile option for the grill, lending itself to flavour profiles that can be sweet and spicy or savoury and slightly salty. And Manitobans love pork. Statistics Canada says we consume roughly 16.5 to 16.7 kilograms (36 to 37 pounds) of pork per person, or about 51 million pounds of pork, across the province each year.

Joey Dearborn, communications and website co-ordinator at Manitoba Pork, shared information from their online resource, which covers everything from industry support to recipes and nutrition and sources for educators.

Manitoba is big on pork, with 175 registered producers in Manitoba in an industry that provides 22,000 jobs and contributes $2.3 billion to Manitoba’s GDP.

The Manitoba Historical Society has identified characteristic Westman sites in its list of top 10 endangered historical resources in the province.

The society released its 2026 list on last week, naming a building in Brandon alongside four buildings in Westman rural areas as some of the most endangered. A church, community centre, an old school, a fairgrounds building and grain elevators made up the local resources at risk.

Lawrence Prout, chair of the historical society said the goal is to drive solutions for historical sites.

“These things — large and small, urban and rural — tell the story of who we are,” Prout said in a press release. “We hope to encourage thoughtful discussion and collaborative action before they are lost.”

A popular downtown gardening initiative is returning this season to provide Portage la Prairie residents with free, fresh produce directly from the sidewalk.

The Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) has planted six “Garden Goodie Boxes” at high-traffic locations across the downtown core. The communal gardens are designed to foster environmental stewardship and ease the burden of rising grocery costs by making healthy food accessible to everyone.

“Each garden goodie box is planted with a combination of different vegetables,” said Hope Faschoway, community facilitator for the PCRC. “They can be picked and utilized by anyone here in the city of Portage.”

This year’s boxes are heavily stocked with tomatoes and cucumbers. They are located in front of A&V Electronics, Subway, the BDO Centre and near Portage Collegiate Institute (PCI) and the MCC Thrift Shop.

A new regional transit service is moving closer to reality for Long Plain First Nation following the arrival of a fleet of passenger buses.

The community recently took delivery of three transit buses, an acquisition that marks the culmination of a collaborative planning process that began four years ago.

Long Plain Chief David Meeches credited the community’s former leadership and the City of Portage la Prairie for originally developing the concept in 2022. Meeches said current council members and staff have worked diligently to push the project across the finish line.

“All we simply did is notify our people that this is now becoming a reality,” Meeches said of a recent update posted to the community’s social media page. “It’s not a formal announcement.”

University College of the North has been selected to lead a new international network focused on improving solid waste management across Arctic communities.

The institution announced it will serve as the lead organization for the newly established Thematic Network on Solid Waste Management in the Arctic under the umbrella of the University of the Arctic.

The network was officially approved by the UArctic General Assembly on May 29 during meetings in Tórshavn, following a proposal review process and presentation by Anderson Assuah, an associate professor in UCN’s Aboriginal and Northern Studies department.

Assuah will lead the international initiative, which aims to strengthen collaboration, research and knowledge-sharing around solid waste management challenges facing Arctic communities.

CB Aspire Salon and Spa of Rivers has expanded its service offerings and operational space within the past six months.

The expansion added new staff, expanded treatment rooms, and introduced a Japanese head spa service, broadening the salon’s beauty and wellness offerings.

Owner Carina Blankenspoor said she has grown the business at 546 Second Ave. from a single-chair startup in 2019 into a thriving full-service wellness destination.

“Being in a small town, there are no other salons that have multiple services in one building,” she told the Sun. “Not only does it draw people from our town, but also from areas far around us to come and have a full day of pampering.”

Babatunde Adewole opened up Instagram recently and saw a message that he had been tagged in a post. When he opened it, there was his picture alongside news that he had been nominated for Afrobeats Artist of the Year at the 2026 Western Canadian Music Awards.

“I was in my vehicle,” he recalled. “I was kind of shouting out loud, screaming. I was like, ‘Wow, this has actually come to pass.’”

For Adewole, who performs under the name SCUD, the nomination is a milestone in a seven-year effort to build an Afrobeats career from Thompson, a city of about 13,000 people 740 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

The Nigerian-born artist is one of two Manitoba nominees in the category, which was introduced in 2025 as the Western Canadian Music Awards moved to recognize the growing influence of Afrobeats.

The City of Portage la Prairie has recently moved its community safety officers (CSOs) into a new, larger headquarters, a development local officials say signals a long-term commitment to community security.

The new facility is currently undergoing renovations, including fresh paint, during the official move. The building is now open to the public and offers significantly more space than the previous office, allowing for better operational security and employee amenities.

“This is a great move for the community safety officers to move over there because the building is substantially larger,” said Councillor Colin Doyle. “It just gives them all a little bit more space for, one, for confidentiality reasons, and because it is a secure facility now, as opposed to just an office you can walk into.”

The new location is at 14 Tupper Street South. Doyle added that the building will also provide functional upgrades for staff, including proper locker space and shower facilities.

A donation from the Kiwanis Club of Neepawa & Area will help create a new sensory-friendly space aimed at making local day camp programming more inclusive for children of all abilities.

The club recently contributed $750 toward the development of a Sensory-Friendly Quiet Zone at Neepawa’s day camp facility. The space is designed to provide children with a calm environment where they can take a break, regulate emotions, recharge and return to activities when they feel ready.

Neepawa CAO Colleen Synchyshyn said the room will include a variety of resources tailored to different sensory and self-regulation needs.

“The Sensory Friendly-Quiet Zone is designed to be a welcoming space where children can take a break, regulate, recharge and enjoy a calmer environment whenever they need it,” Synchyshyn said.