Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
Encyclopedia

Transportation

Portage la Prairie railway station
Portage la Prairie railway station
The Portage la Prairie Railway Station is on the Canadian National Railway mainline in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba Canada. The station is served by Via Rail's The Canadian three times per week in each direction and the Winnipeg – Churchill train twice per week...

 is served by Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....

 with both The Canadian
The Canadian
The Canadian is a Canadian transcontinental passenger train originally operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway between 1955 and 1978. It is currently operated as an Inter-city rail service by Via Rail Canada with service between Union Station in Toronto, Ontario and Pacific Central Station in...

 and Winnipeg – Churchill trains calling at the station.

The Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station
Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station
The Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station is a former Canadian Pacific Railway station that is being restored as a museum. Passenger rail service in the community is now provided at the Portage la Prairie railway station....

 no longer receives passenger rail service, and is operated as a museum.

The Portage La Prairie/Southport Airport
Portage La Prairie/Southport Airport
Portage la Prairie/Southport Airport, , is located adjacent to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. It is the Southport Aerospace Centre, a commercial-industrial centre.. It is now commercially operated. It was formerly Canadian Forces Base Portage la Prairie....

 is a former air force base and the primary airport in the city. The Portage La Prairie (North) Airport
Portage La Prairie (North) Airport
Portage la Prairie Airport, , is located adjacent to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada....

 is also located near Portage la Prairie and consists of a grass field.

Local media

Newspapers
  • Daily newspaper, The Daily Graphic
  • Weekly newspaper, Herald Leader Press.
  • The Winnipeg Free Press
    Winnipeg Free Press
    The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....

     and Winnipeg Sun
    Winnipeg Sun
    The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid-sized newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism...

     are also available.


Radio
  • CFRY (AM)
    CFRY (AM)
    CFRY are simulcasting radio stations broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, they serve the Central Plains region of Manitoba...

     920 - country music
    Country music
    Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

    , owned by Golden West Broadcasting
    Golden West Broadcasting
    Golden West Broadcasting is a Canadian radio broadcasting company based in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. It currently owns and operates a number of radio stations in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba....

  • CFRY-FM 93.1 - country music
    Country music
    Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

    , owned by Golden West Broadcasting
    Golden West Broadcasting
    Golden West Broadcasting is a Canadian radio broadcasting company based in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. It currently owns and operates a number of radio stations in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba....

  • CJPG-FM
    CJPG-FM
    CJPG-FM is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, it serves the Central Plains region of Manitoba. It's located at 350 River Road, along with CFRY and CFRY-FM....

     96.5 - classic hits
    Classic hits
    Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...

    , owned by Golden West Broadcasting
    Golden West Broadcasting
    Golden West Broadcasting is a Canadian radio broadcasting company based in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. It currently owns and operates a number of radio stations in the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba....

  • Rez Radio 101.7 self request


Television
  • CBWT
    CBWT
    CBWT is the CBC's television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is the only CBC station in Manitoba, since Brandon's CKX-TV closed on October 2, 2009....

    , CBC
    CBC Television
    CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

  • CKY
    CKY-TV
    CKY-DT is a television station based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and owned by Bell Media. It is part of the CTV Television Network....

    , CTV
    CTV television network
    CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

  • CKND, Global
    Global Television Network
    Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...



Cable television is also available through MTS Ultimate TV Shaw Cable Systems.

Parks

In central Portage la Prairie, there is a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 known as Island Park, bounded by an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...

 called Crescent Lake. Every winter, the "island" has a festival of lights consisting of Christmas lights decorating a driving path around the perimeter. In addition, a highly popular winter lights parade is held. The island has an 18 hole golf course, Portage Industrial Exhibition grounds which hosts various agricultural competitions and midway, an outdoor water park, a large pen enclosure for deer, a birdcage area featuring peacocks, playgrounds, walking trails, tennis courts, a duck pond, various monuments, and an extensive arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...

. It is also the site of the new Portage Credit Union Centre; the new home of the Portage Terriers Hockey Club and an indoor water park.
As well, Crescent Lake is home to flocks of migrating and nesting Canada Geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....

. Also not far southwest lies Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Spruce Woods Provincial Park
Spruce Woods Provincial Park is located in south-central Manitoba, Canada. This park has large sand dunes and the Assiniboine River passes through it.-History:The park was established in 1970...

 and not far north lies St. Ambroise Beach Provincial Park
St. Ambroise Beach Provincial Park
St. Ambroise Beach Campground is located on the southern shores of lake Manitoba. This campground offers 122 sites perfect for wilderness adventures. There are several picnic areas and a playground located within the park...

.

Attractions

Other attractions include the world's largest Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 can. It was constructed from an old water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....

 and is now located beside the local Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...

 and Canad Inns
Canad Inns
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company operates nine hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. In 2000, Canad Inns was named one of "Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies". In 2010 Canad Inns was named one...

 hotel; as well as a Potato Festival each summer. It is the world strawberry capital and North American potato processing capital. Many U-pick strawberry and Saskatoon
Saskatoon berry
Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, saskatoon berry, serviceberry, sarvisberry or juneberry is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north central United States. Historically it was also called "pigeon berry"...

 farms are within 15 minute drive by car.

The PCU Centre opened in February 2010 and features two NHL regulation size indoor arenas, one with seating capacity for 1680, as well as an indoor pool and wave pool. Fort La Reine
Fort La Reine
Fort La Reine was built in 1738, one of the forts of the western expansion directed by Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye, first military commander in the west of what is now known as Canada. Located on the Assiniboine River where present day Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, stands, the...

 Museum is a museum located on the east end of Portage. The original Fort la Reine was built in 1738 by the French explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes and served as his headquarters for 15 years. Today the museum is home to an array of buildings from Portage and the surrounding region and covers local prairie history from the 18th century (the period of French Exploration) to the present day. Currently there are 25 buildings open to the public and each has hundreds of artifacts on display. Some of the highlights of the museum are a railway caboose and the 1882 official rail car of Sir William Van Horne, builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

; a fully restored Ukrainian Pioneer Church; a number of houses that are more than 100 years old; a replica of Fort la Reine; a firehall with a fully restored 1931 Seagrave Fire Truck; the Old Officers Mess from the now retired Canadian Forces Base in Southport; and a school house and church built in the 1880s from West Prospect (a pioneer farming community that no longer exists).

The Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame/Museum is dedicated to the history of softball in Manitoba. It has memorabilia from 1930s to the present. It is housed in the Fort la Reine Museum in a former barracks, moved from nearby Canadian Forces Base Southport.

Portage la Prairie's City Hall is a limestone structure that was designed by Thomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his Worthies of England, published after his death...

, who also designed the Parliament Buildings
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...

 in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

. It was opened in 1898 as a Dominion Post Office and became City Hall in 1960. The building was declared a historical site in 1986. On the roof is a bell which tolls for a few seconds daily at 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm.

There are several events held in Portage la Prairie which include the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Island of Lights, The Portage Exhibition is held annually in July, The Portage Potato Festival is held annually in August, and Canadian Forces Day.

Military

Portage la Prairie had a military airbase south of the community known as Canadian Forces Base Portage. It was established as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...

 during Second World War and trained thousands of pilots for military service from around the world.

In 1990, the federal government transferred the assets of the property to Southport Aerospace Centre Inc., a not-for-profit property management and development company whose goal was to successfully manage the site.

The 13th Field Battery of the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
The 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery is a Canadian Forces militia artillery regiment located in Brandon, Manitoba....

 is based out of Portage la Prairie.

During the Second World War an commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

 was named after Portage la Prairie. The Portage
HMCS Portage (J331)
HMCS Portage was an that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.- References :* *...


was active during the war as an escort and afterwards as a training vessel. As part of the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Navy, in 2010, the Navy provided the city with a display on the ship that is currently located in City Hall.

Economy

The local economy is largely dependent on agriculture and supporting industries. Portage la Prairie is also home to the McCain Foods and Simplot
Simplot
The J. R. Simplot Company, commonly referred to as Simplot, was founded in 1923 by 14-year-old J. R. Simplot near the small agricultural community of Declo in south central Idaho. J. R. Simplot led his company to tremendous growth in the period between its founding and World War II...

 potato processing plants, which provide French fries for McDonalds, Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...

, and various other commercialized restaurant chains. Viterra
Viterra
Viterra Inc. is a leading global agri-business with extensive operations in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. With a growing international presence that includes trading and marketing offices on four continents, Viterra delivers high quality nutritious food ingredients to more...

, previously known as Can-oat milling, one of the largest oat mills in the world, is also located in the municipality
Rural municipality
A rural municipality, often abbreviated RM, is a form of municipality in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, perhaps best comparable to counties or townships in the western United States...

. The city has developed into a regional retail service center as large big box style stores have been recently locating on the fringes of the city. Many small towns and Native reserves use this as their primary shopping destination. Portage la Prairie is a farming city, with around 120 to 125 frost free days, and a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
Hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...

 of 3a. Agriculture is the city's main industry.

City issues

Problems that plague the city include auto theft and vandalism. Various programs have been created to deal with these issues with limited success.
The city is also faced with a significant housing problem. Many homes are in poor condition resulting in a negative net effect on the neighbourhoods that they are located in. As well, in-effective by-laws and their enforcement policies have in part, allowed the continuation of activities in residential neighbourhoods that further contribute to negative quality of life factors and property de-valuation. Such issues include derelict or unkempt properties, noise and activities that are inappropriate to residential areas ( autobody work, excessive amplification of music, noise disturbances by animals or people etc.), and absentee landlord
Absentee landlord
Absentee landlord is an economic term for a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. This practice is problematic for that region because absentee landlords drain local wealth into their home country, particularly that...

s. The by-law enforcement system works on a complaint base system which city officials claim is successful but which is anecdotally regarded as a failure by the affected populations. This is evidenced by recurring and on-going un-resolved problems. Housing projects, both government and private in various areas have led to significant devaluation of property in areas they are located in. As well these areas have become recognizable due to the social problems and criminal activities which radiate from them to the rest of the community.

In contrast, various new residential developments and an upsurge in renovating older homes is contributing to the improvement of housing stock in the community. All of these new housing developments are occurring on the south side of the town, on or near Crescent Lake and Garrioch Creek.

Flooding also poses an occasional problem in the rural area of Portage la Prairie, especially during the spring.

In 2010 MoneySense
MoneySense
MoneySense is a Canadian financial magazine owned by Rogers Communications.-External links:*...

 as part of MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...

's news site rated Portage La Prairie in a tie for Canada's worst city to live in, with relation to population decline.

Sports

Portage la Prairie is home to the Portage Terriers
Portage Terriers
The Portage Terriers are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League and Hockey Canada.-History:...

 ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team, who play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Manitoba Junior Hockey League
The Manitoba Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The MJHL is one of eleven Junior 'A' Hockey Leagues in Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League ....

, and the Central Plains Capitals http://www.cpcaps.com/ ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team, who play in the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League. Both teams play in the Portage Credit Union Centre. Portage la Prairie is the home of NHL player Arron Asham
Arron Asham
Arron Asham is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...

, who has played for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Portage Terriers were also the junior home of J.P. Vigier, who played for the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL. The Terriers also played host to Junior Lessard, who was named Canadian Junior 'A' Hockey Player of the Year while he played in Portage. He was the winner of the Hobey Baker Award, which is presented to the best player in NCAA hockey. He currently plays for the American Hockey League's San Antonio Rampage in the farm system of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes. Native Portager Troy Bodie is a recent call-up to the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and was featured in a two-page photo in the "Leading Off" section of the January 25, 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.

Portage's old Centennial Arena also shared hosting duties of the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championships with Winnipeg and Selkirk.

Scenes of the hockey movie "Goon" were filmed in the Portage Credit Union Centre.

The Uniroyal/Goodrich World Junior Curling Championships were held at the Portage Curling Club in 1990. Canadian women skiped by then Cathy Overton, won bronze. The Portage Curling Club has also played host to the National Senior and Mixed Championships in Curling. It was also a longtime stop on the World Curling Tour hosting the McCain Super Spiel West drawing curling celebrities such as Jeff Stoughton, Vic Peters, Kerry Burtnyk, Ron Howard, Wayne Middaugh, Ed Werenich and others.

Portage is represented in the Manitoba Major Soccer League by the Portage Aeros in the MMSL Second Division and by the Portage United in the MMSL Fourth Division. The Portage Blaze Women's Soccer Club plays in the Second Division of the Winnipeg Women's Soccer League. Their home fields are located in the Republic of Manitobah Park in the south-east corner of the city. The park has a dozen different sized soccer pitches, many baseball/softball diamonds and a rugby pitch.

Portage used to be a popular stop on the Great Western Manitoba Harnass Racing circuit, but in 2009 the ½ mile horse race track and stands were removed to make way for the Portage Credit Union Centre, a new community centre with two arenas (one the new home of the Terriers) and a water park. The former horse race stands were known as the Pan-Am Stadium and played host to baseball during the Winnipeg Pan-Am Games in 1967.

Portage la Prairie also has a large amount of youth sports. Hockey, soccer and baseball have youth sports leagues within the city. Football is played in the Winnipeg Youth Football League with many teams of varying ages using the name Portage Pitbulls. Basketball is also played in Winnipeg in both the Rising Stars League and various community clubs. Also there is a healthy competition between the 4 junior high schools in sports such as basketball, volleyball and curling. The local high school, Portage Collegiate Institute, fields boys' and girls' teams in the Manitoba High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) in sports such as curling, hockey, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track & field, cross country running, badminton and others.

Sister cities

Portage la Prairie has formalized sister city agreements with the following cities:
- Plant City
Plant City, Florida
Plant City is a city in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 34,721 at the 2010 census....

, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...


See also

  • 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
    26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
    The 26th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery is a Canadian Forces militia artillery regiment located in Brandon, Manitoba....

  • Murder of Tim McLean
    Murder of Tim McLean
    The murder of Tim McLean occurred on the evening of July 30, 2008. McLean, a 22-year-old Canadian man, was stabbed, beheaded and cannibalized while riding a Greyhound Canada bus about west of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba traveling the Trans Canada Highway...

  • Propagandhi
    Propagandhi
    Propagandhi is a Canadian punk band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba....


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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