In the news today: Canadians anxious in Mexico, Conservative probe, tax season begins

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Canadians in Mexican state of Jalisco taking cover following outbreak of violence

Canadians in Mexico continue to shelter in place as violence grips parts of the country.

Government officials in western Mexico warn that Jalisco State, which includes the popular resort city of Puerto Vallarta, is currently unsafe for travel after the leader of a major drug cartel was reportedly killed in a government operation to capture him.

Cartel members responded with violence across the country, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles, including throughout Jalisco state.

Global Affairs Canada issued a warning to Canadians in the region to stay indoors, keep a low profile and follow the instructions from local authorities.

The situation has led multiple Canadian airlines to cancel flights, with Air Canada and WestJet suspending service in and out of Puerto Vallarta.

Conservatives calling for probe into asylum seekers’ access to health care

The Conservatives plan to put a motion before the House of Commons on Tuesday aimed at reviewing how health benefits are provided to asylum seekers and restricting who has access to those services.

The planned text of the motion, which has been shared with The Canadian Press, says the cost of the Interim Federal Health Program has more than quadrupled since the 2020 fiscal year, growing from $211 million to $896 million in 2024-25.

That data was pulled from a report by the parliamentary budget officer published earlier this month.

In that report, which was requested by the House of Commons health committee, the PBO projects the program’s cost will reach $1.5 billion annually in 2028-29.

The federal government provides a host of medical services to asylum seekers, refugees and other protected persons through the Interim Federal Health Program.

Tax-filing season begins as CRA accepts returns

Gather your tax slips and receipts because it’s tax time.

The 2025 tax-filing season officially kicks off on Monday. It will last a little over nine weeks, ending with the April 30 deadline for most taxpayers.

Most employers send T4 slips by the end of February via mail, email or employee portals. Financial institutions will also send investment slips, while more sophisticated investment firms send their clients an annual summary of all investments and gains around the same time, said Ryan Minor, director of tax at CPA Canada.

Taxpayers have until March 2 to contribute to their RRSP for the 2025 tax year.

More snow, wind and shovelling for Atlantic Canada

Atlantic Canada’s utilities and municipalities are bracing for another day of snow and strong winds, while weary residents get set for more shovelling.

Environment Canada has issued winter storm and blowing snow warnings for much of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and eastern New Brunswick, while gusts are predicted to reach up to 100 kilometres per hour in the Wreckhouse area of southwestern Newfoundland.

Nova Scotia Power says it will activate its Emergency Operations Centre at 8 a.m. today, and has crews positioned across the province to respond to any outages.

Some residents of Newfoundland’s capital were posting to social media on the weekend, looking for help getting out of their homes as massive drifts from last week’s storm covered doors to homes and basement apartments.

Some parts of St. John’s were buried under 56 centimetres of snow, while the nearby communities of Mount Pearl and Paradise saw 65 cm and 74 cm, respectively.

Nova Scotia set to deliver budget today, which could include deep cuts

Nova Scotia Finance Minister John Lohr is set to deliver the provincial budget today for the new fiscal year.

Residents can expect to see spending cuts, which will likely result in service cuts as well.

Some cuts have already started as the government announced last week it was closing three provincial museums and several tourist information centres.

Lohr asked all government departments in December to recommend ways to reach a 10 per cent rollback of programs and grants, though said it was unlikely all suggestions would be implemented.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.

The Canadian Press