The Canadian Press

Officials at McGill University are awaiting word from Montreal police, following a request to help clear a pro-Palestinian encampment on the school grounds.

The call for assistance comes after efforts to persuade the protesters to end what the school has called an illegal action failed.

The demonstrators say they have no intention of dismantling their tents until McGill, as well as nearby Concordia University, divests from all companies that are "profiting from genocide."

London Drugs has temporarily closed all of its stores in Western Canada as it grapples with a "cybersecurity incident."

In a statement Monday, the retailer and pharmacy chain said it learned it was the victim of a cybersecurity incident on Sunday, when it first closed its stores "out of an abundance of caution."

McGill University says the camp set up by pro-Palestinian student activists on the institution's grounds in Montreal violates both school policies and the law.

More than two dozen tents had been pitched at the school's downtown campus as of Sunday afternoon, with a steady stream of visitors stopping by to drop off donations and supplies.

McGill said Monday morning that the number of people who have set up tents on campus has tripled since Saturday, and many of them, if not the majority, are not members of the school community.

Jury selection is set to start today for the trial of a Winnipeg man accused of killing four women. 

Jeremy Skibicki has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder.

The partial remains of Rebecca Contois were found in a garbage bin and at a city-run landfill in the spring of 2022.

Police have said they believe the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are at a different, privately owned landfill outside the city.

Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman weren't expecting a "pivotal moment" in their sons' lives when they visited Scotland's Loch Ness earlier this month, but that's exactly what happened.

"Our youngest is turning three next week," said Wiseman from the family's home in London, England. "And he tells everyone there have been two pivotal moments in his life: Seeing the world's largest dinosaur, which he did at the Natural History Museum in January, and seeing Nessie.

"He tells everyone he encounters. He tells the postman, he tells the guys in the shops and the cafés."

Travellers would be able to use facial recognition technology to identify themselves through their smartphones when crossing the border under a planned federal project.

The Canada Border Services Agency says the initiative would allow for a faster and more seamless travel experience.

The federal government recently issued a notice seeking technical solutions from possible vendors, an opportunity worth up to US$25 million.

The system would match a photo from a traveller's passport with a selfie taken via a mobile device.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland introduced the 2024 federal budget on Tuesday. Some key highlights:

Housing

In hopes of building nearly 3.9 million new homes across Canada by 2031, the government plans to:

— increase the capital cost allowance rate for apartments from four to 10 per cent, allowing builders larger tax writeoffs;

— extend the mortgage amortization period to 30 years for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds;

The first instalment of the 2024 Canada carbon rebate will be delivered to some Canadians today as long as they filed their taxes by the middle of March.

Canadians living in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and all four Atlantic provinces will receive the first of four instalments today if they filed their 2023 taxes by March 15.

Those who filed their taxes since March 15 will see their first instalment on May 15, while those who file after today will wait until June or July.

Canadians are wishing the Princess of Wales a speedy recovery after she announced she has cancer.

Kate says in a video that she has been diagnosed with an unspecified type of cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

She asks for “time, space and privacy.” 

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre posted on social media that he joins all Canadians in wishing her a "speedy recovery, and her family support in a difficult time."

Prince William and Kate first toured Canada as a couple in 2011 a few months after they were married.

A solemn parade of dignitaries and VIPs is offering condolences to the family of Brian Mulroney as the former prime minister lies in state near Parliament Hill. 

A guard of honour gingerly delivered Mulroney's flag-shrouded casket before Governor General Mary Simon entered to pay her respects. 

Simon was followed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who walked in alone before greeting family members and bowing his head at the casket.