Five stories in the news today, Feb. 7

Five stories in the news for Tuesday, Feb. 7

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BUDGET DAY IN NEW BRUNSWICK

New Brunswick Finance Minister Cathy Rogers will present the provincial budget today, and it is expected to include targeted spending increases. A government source says this includes a 5.4 per cent hike in grants to community colleges, funding for "research and strategic initiatives" and $2.4 million more for pre-school autism intervention programs. Rogers has said her government remains committed to balancing the budget by 2020-21.

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HIGHER RETIREMENT AGE PROPOSED

An economic advisory council is recommending Ottawa raise the age of retirement eligibility to encourage older Canadians to work longer. The council recommends the ages of eligibility for old age security and the __canada Pension Plan be "recalibrated and increased" to address the impacts of the country's aging society and longer life expectancies. It also suggests Ottawa explore a national child-care program to boost much-needed participation in the country's workforce.

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DOUGLAS GARLAND TRIAL CONTINUES

Testimony will continue today at the Calgary trial of Douglas Garland, who is accused of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of a couple and their five-year-old grandson. The Crown contends Garland killed Alvin and Kathy Liknes over a petty grudge he had involving a business dealing, and the boy just happened to be staying with his grandparents that night.

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FEDS APPROVE MONTREAL INJECTION SITES

Health Canada has given its blessing to three supervised injection sites in Montreal. Mayor Denis Coderre, a former Liberal cabinet minister, has been a longtime advocate of supervised injection sites for his city. He says while the sites are controversial, it's also a matter of public safety. Canada currently has two drug injection sites — both in Vancouver.

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JUNO NOMINATIONS TO BE REVEALED TODAY

Some of Canada's rising stars are expected to get an extra boost today as the Juno Award nominations are unveiled. The celebration of homegrown music puts a spotlight on performers who have climbed the global charts, as well as newcomers hoping to capture more listeners. Musicians likely to land nominations include the Strumbellas, whose rock track "Spirits" found success both in Canada and stateside.  The Juno Awards will air live on CTV on April 2.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Statistics Canada will release both the Canadian international merchandise trade and building permits figures for December.

— A Senate committee release a report on the impact of international trade on Canada's economic well-being.

— WestJet will release its fourth-quarter and year-end results.

— The Fraser Institute will release a study examining government finances in Canada.