The mayor of Portage la Prairie is reflecting back on 2016 as a challenging year.  Irvine Ferris says the city had to deal with a number of problems over the past twelve months, including the building deficiencies in the Shindleman Aquatic Centre and having to play both offence and defence on jobs for Portagers.  Ferris notes he's often spoken about how important it is to keep the five hundred jobs at the Manitoba Developmental Centre, for instance, while also looking at ways to bring new employment to the area.

Ferris says as for the issues with the roof over the pool, council has been told they have a very good legal case and they’re pursuing that through the courts.  He notes the tender for the job will go out early in the new year so it can be awarded by the end of March, adding they’d like to see construction begin in the spring so the Shindleman Centre can reopen by the end of August.   

Ferris says he’s cautiously optimistic about the future of the MDC, noting while the focus is often on bringing new jobs to Portage it’s also crucial to play defence and keep the good jobs we already have here.

He adds 2016 was the year the city saw its very first Pride parade.  Ferris says Portage is a tolerant, caring and inclusive community and ninety nine percent of the comments he heard---from folks in Portage and beyond its borders---were extremely positive.  Ferris notes Portage is a welcoming community and the success of its first Pride parade says a lot about us.