National News

MONTREAL — A costly program offering free public transportation fares to Montreal seniors is paying off, the city said in a recent report as it documented a spike in transit use among people age 65 and older.

Montreal's port authority says a man has died after an apparent accident at one of its wharves.

LACHUTE, Que. — Quebec provincial police say a 51-year-old woman has died after a head-on collision in the town of Lachute, roughly 50 kilometres west of Montreal, early this morning.

CALGARY — The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.

Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year. But by the time its new system is fully up and running, the Taliban will have been in control of the country for about three years.

MONTREAL — Tens of thousands of visitors flock to Quebec's Îles-de-la-Madeleine every summer to behold its cliff-framed seascapes and sandy beaches. But starting next month, those island sojourns will come with an added cost.

TORONTO — The Globe and Mail was the top winner at the National Newspaper Awards, which were handed out on Friday night. The Globe won nods in seven of the 23 regular categories.

TORONTO — The National Newspaper Awards were handed out in Toronto on Friday night.

ZEBALLOS, B.C.

VANCOUVER — British Columbia is preparing to ban most public drug use, a change to parts of its decriminalization pilot project that the premier says should have been in place all along.