Food activists are inviting Montrealers to take part in a world-wide event today: The March Against Monsanto. Marchers in 400 cities will protest Monsanto's genetically modified crop seeds and the pesticide they're designed to resist.

The spokeswoman for Montreal's anti-Monsanto march is an artist known as Legal Tender.  She says the goal of this afternoon's event is twofold: to protest Monsanto's grip on agriculture and to demand clear labeling of food products containing genetically modified organisms so consumers can avoid them.

She says GMO crops are more common on Quebec farms than you might think: 52-percent of the soy is genetically modified, 74 percent of the corn and 85 percent of the canola.

Legal Tender says science has only begun cataloguing the health effects of GMOs, with some studies pointing to problems ranging from allergies to infertility.

Today's march gets underway at two o'clock from Dorchester Square and wraps up ...

Good news for users of the Champlain bridge this weekend.

Day work on the span has been cancelled because of the weather.

Forecasters are calling for wet weather.

The work has been delayed until the end of June.

However, Transport Quebec does say there's overnight work that can still be carried out during those conditions.

As the federal ethics commissioner readies for a third look at Stephen Harper's former right-hand man, Mary Dawson is reminding Canadians her office can only look so far.

The commissioner is examining whether Harper's chief of staff Nigel Wright violated the Conflict of Interest Act when he gave Tory Sen. Mike Duffy more than $90,000 to repay his housing expenses.

Wright has since quit his job and Duffy has left the Conservative caucus over the issue.

Their dual resignations and Dawson's investigation have been repeatedly cited as steps the government has taken to deal with an issue presenting the Tories its most serious challenge since winning a majority in 2011.

In an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday, Dawson couldn't talk specifically about her probe into the matter as investigations are confidential.

But she stressed that in all cases, her office must examine whether someone broke specific conflict-of-interest rules, ...

Luka Magnotta's lawyer wants more money.

Luc Leclair says the trial is extremely important and more complicated than usual and, therefore, legal aid should pay him more.

He says legal aid pays $500 to prepare for the case and nothing for a research assistant.

As well, he says legal aid only pays at the end of the trial.

Magnotta is charged with killing and dismembering Concordia student Jun Lin.

His trial is set for September, 2014.

A 62-year-old Lachine man accused of preying on children was denied bail today.

Michael Belanger was arrested on May 10. Police say he lured his victims online, either through Facebook, Skype, or MSN Messenger.

Montreal police spokesperson Raphael Bergeron says the suspect created false Facebook profiles, and went by different names.

"Such as Michael Adam Jones, Jake Williams, Jonathan Cruise, and Ben Donaldson," says Bergeron, "so anyone who believes they were a victim of this person is asked to contact police."

Charges against the suspect include sexual touching and possession of juvenile pornography.

So far police have identified four victims between 14 and 17 years old.

Officials add the crimes were committed between July 2005 and November of last year.

He had been a leader with Scouts Canada for 30 years.

Photo credit: Montreal police

The Marois government's banner project for kick-starting the economy is on the National Assembly's version of death row.

Both the CAQ and Liberals says they'll vote against legislation to create an Economic Development Bank of Canada.

The PQ has been heralding the new government structure as a simplified one-stop shop for businesses looking for help from the state.

The Bank would combine Investment Quebec and the SGF, along with other government groups.

But the opposition says the PQ is trying to create an unmanageable mega-structure.

"There are two boards of directors, the mission isn't clear, the strategic planning is not yet done. It's like we're giving a blank cheque to the potential president," says the CAQ's Stéphane La Boyonnec.

He says the disorganized and poorly planned structure is more likely to hurt the economy.

"They are creating a labyrinth," says Liberal MNA Sam Hamad. But, he says he also disagrees ...

TORONTO — Mayor Rob Ford broke his week-long silence Friday to deny he smokes crack cocaine and to lambaste the media for judging him without evidence.

In a statement at city hall, the embattled mayor fought back against reports that he was caught on cellphone video appearing to smoking crack.

"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine,'' Ford said in a three-and-a-half-minute statement.

"I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.''

Saying the past week had taken a toll on his family and friends, the mayor said he had stayed silent about "this nonsense'' on the advice of his lawyer.

"It is most unfortunate, very unfortunate, that my colleagues and the great people of this city have been exposed to the fact that I have been judged by the media without any evidence,'' he said.

Ford, ...

The City of Montreal is reminding residents that users of smart phones can now sign up for civil security alerts — to find out about things like the massive boil water advisory that was lifted last night.

The city says residents, businesses, and anyone who works or goes to school in Montreal to register with the city for things like boil water advisories, flood warnings and advisories to stay indoors.

Register at the city's civil security page here.

Yet another road work blitz is happening this weekend on the Montreal side to the Champlain bridge.

And the federal bridge authority is saying it might be the last weekend work blitz for a while.

The bridge authority says this weekend's blitz will take place on some of the access ramps leading to the Ile-des-Soeurs Bridge — the one connecting the island of Montreal to Nun's Island. Between Friday at 10 p.m. and Monday at 5 a.m., there'll be one lane open in each direction on those ramps.

Authorities are suggesting the Bonaventure Expressway should be considered as an alternate route if you want to avoid the worksites when accessing or exiting the Champlain Bridge.

While the bridge authority says the major work to repave the bridge and fix the expansion joints is done, there will be more work done over the next few months under the bridge and on ...

Montreal police are asking the public's help in trying to locate a 14-year-old girl who vanished last Saturday.

Gracia Younes lives at a youth centre in Pierrefonds, and appears to have run away while visiting her father in the Cote-des-Neiges/NDG borough.

She's five feet, five inches tall, weighs 110 pounds, has long black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is being asked to call police.

Photo: SPVM