Portage la Prairie city council is exploring ways to offer financial breaks to residents that are facing hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council has tasked administration to investigate options for such things as property tax deferrals, waiving of penalties and for the temporary elimination of interest on utility bills.

“These recommendations will be coming to council for consideration at our next council meeting, Tuesday evening,” says Portage la Prairie Mayor, Irvine Ferris. “We know that in Portage, up to 30 per cent of our residents could be impacted - mostly in retail, trade, accommodation, or food services. So that’s a lot of people that are going through financial hardship.”

Council will have more information to share regarding financial assistance following Tuesday evening’s meeting, which can be seen at the City’s YouTube page.