Five stories in the news for Tuesday, Feb. 28:

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O'LEARY TO SKIP DEBATE TO ATTEND OWN EVENT

Kevin O'Leary's boycott of tonight's Conservative party leadership debate has his competitors crying foul. O'Leary says having all 14 candidates on stage together to answer the same questions — as is planned for the Edmonton event — is unproductive. O'Leary will hold his own event this evening in Edmonton to meet with party members, and hopes the party will reconsider the format for the next debate, scheduled for late April.

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GRAND OPENING SET FOR TRUMP TOWER IN VANCOUVER

Donald Trump's adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are expected to attend the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver today. Hundreds are expected to protest outside the downtown building. Some experts have expressed doubts about the fate of the newest addition to the city's skyline thanks to Trump's polarizing behaviour as U.S. president.

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KELLY ELLARD SECURES TEMPORARY ESCORTED RELEASE

Kelly Ellard will be allowed to leave prison to go to doctor's appointments and parenting programs with her baby. Ellard has spent about 15 years in prison for her part in the beating and drowning death of 14-year-old Reena Virk near Victoria in 1997. She was convicted of second-degree murder in 2005 after three trials. Ellard, now 34, was 15 at the time of the attack.

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MORE BANK RESULTS OUT TODAY

Two more big Canadian banks — Scotiabank and BMO Financial Group will release their latest quarterly results today. RBC said last week that it made $3.03 billion of net income during its last quarter, up 24 per cent from a year ago. CIBC earlier reported that its first-quarter net income came in at $1.41 billion, a gain of $982 million from the same period a year earlier.

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SPRING FORECAST CALLS FOR A TASTE OF WINTER

Despite a recent warm spell in parts of the country, a forecaster says late winter weather is expected for many through March, with more springlike temperatures to arrive by May. Chris Scott says The Weather Network spring forecast calls for more storms before the wintry weather ends. The chief meteorologist says the clash between warm weather from the south and the cold of Northern Canada will cause snow in March and rain in April and May.

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ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:

— Finance Minister Bill Morneau speaks at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in New York.

— Alberta Premier Rachel Notley visits Washington, D.C.

— Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release an updated guide to buying a home in Canada.

— Valeant Pharmaceuticals — Canada's largest publicly traded drug company — releases its fourth-quarter results.

— Statistics Canada will release the industrial product and raw materials prices indexes for January.

— The Senate finance committee will release a report on infrastructure spending, and shares recommendations.

— Public Services Minister Judy Foote and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan make an announcement about shipbuilding.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2017