The Canadian Press

Federal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis.

"People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society ... they have experienced a history of human rights violations and are at heightened risk of further violations," her office wrote in an interim report on encampments published this month.

A 99-year-old Hamilton man climbed 1,776 steps to the top of the CN Tower over the weekend, his third time pulling off the accomplishment in support of charity.

Walter Decker was joined by his son, grandson and two great-grandsons at the United Way ClimbUP on Saturday, where he raised more than $3,000 for people struggling to meet basic needs from housing and food to mental health supports.

Decker, who turned 99 last week, said he first began stair climbing more than 10 years ago as a distraction from his grief after his wife passed away, which he said made him "lost."

Ottawa will end evacuation flights from Israel next week, citing decreasing demand and increasingly available commercial options now that a number of Canadians have successfully left the country since the latest Israel-Hamas war began.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says in a statement that the last scheduled assisted departure flight from Tel Aviv will leave on Monday.

Joly says Canadian Armed Forces aircraft will remain on stand-by in the region in case conditions change and the demand for evacuation flights ramps up again.

The parliamentary budget officer says the implementation of a digital services tax would raise $7.2 billion over five years.

The Liberals' spring budget confirmed their intention to implement the tax, which is designed to ensure that tech giants pay their fair share of taxes in countries where they earn revenue without having a physical presence.

The tax would apply to businesses with annual worldwide revenues of 750 million euros and more, as well as annual Canadian digital services revenue of more than $20 million.

A police liaison officer who communicated directly with "Freedom Convoy" protesters during the winter 2022 demonstrations is expected to testify today in the criminal trial of two of its organizers.

Const. Isabelle Cyr had been expected to address the court on Tuesday, but defence lawyers said they needed time to review notes and emails between Cyr and her colleagues during the protests.

The court wrapped up the testimony of five Ottawa residents on Tuesday.

Manitoba's new premier, Wab Kinew, is scheduled to be sworn in today and appoint his cabinet.

You can watch the ceremony live on this page at 10 a.m. CDT.

A group from a British Columbia church that had been touring historical sites in Israel when Hamas fighters began killing civilians is struggling to find a way home with the confusion of the war and a lack of support from the Canadian government. 

Paul Olson, an executive pastor at the SouthRidge Fellowship Church in Langley, said he woke Saturday to a ton of messages from church members on the tour saying they were safe. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed Tuesday that Ottawa is planning to airlift Canadians out of Tel Aviv in "the coming days," as conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates. 

Joly said the government aims to conduct the evacuation using aircraft from the Canadian Armed Forces, and it is working on additional options for people who are unable to reach the airport in Tel Aviv.

A man from Montreal is believed to be among the victims of an attack by Hamas militants on Israel over the weekend, according to his family.

Alain Haim Look said in a social media post that his son Alexandre Look was killed in Israel on Saturday while trying to save those around them.

"Like a real warrior, he left like a hero in wanting to protect the people he was with," the father wrote on Facebook. 

"Alex was a force of nature, endowed with a unique charisma and unparalleled generosity. The world will never be the same without you."

Some Canadians said they were stuck in Israel amid deadly fighting Sunday, as airlines cancelled flights out of the country and reaching the Canadian Embassy on a holiday weekend proved difficult.

Global Affairs Canada, meanwhile, said in a statement Sunday afternoon that it was aware of reports of one Canadian who has died amid the fighting and two others who are missing.

No further information about the identity of the Canadian who reportedly died, or the others who were missing, was included in the statement.