Ontario government reaches deal with some public workers

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ontario's government said on Wednesday it reached a deal with public employees to freeze wages for two years as part of a broader and contentious push to rein in the budget deficit. The tentative deal with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union covers more than 35,000 workers, including government staff, a relatively small group of workers compared to some of Ontario's larger...

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Canadian housing starts slow in December

10, 2010. REUTERS/Shaun BestTORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian housing starts slowed in December but more gradually than expected as an increase in single-family starts in urban areas softened the sting of a slowdown in multiple-unit and rural ground-breakings, a report on Wednesday said.Figures published by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp provided further evidence that Canada's long housing boom had...

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Canadian hopes to make fantasy sports TV channel a reality

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's fantasy sports geeks may soon have a cable channel to call their own, thanks to Leonard Asper, former head of a newspaper dynasty that fell victim to the rise of online media."The League - Fantasy Sports TV" will not feature real sporting events. Instead Asper's proposed channel will air call-in programs and talk shows that cater to the millions of North American sports...

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Golson hopes Notre Dame's season ends on good note

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Everett Golson's first love is basketball. Music would seem to be second on the Notre Dame quarterback's list.He's not too bad at football, either.A season that started in Ireland and had plenty of tests along the way ends in Miami on Monday night, when Golson and the top-ranked Fighting Irish take on No. 2 Alabama in the BCS title game.He's made 10 starts this season...

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Golson hopes Notre Dame's season ends on BCS note

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — When Everett Golson sees a piano, he usually sits down and starts entertaining. He plays several instruments, keeps a keyboard in his room and loves to sing.Music is a huge part of his life, perhaps only topped by basketball.And in Golson's spare time, he plays quarterback for Notre Dame."He's pretty good at his hobby," Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin said....

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Will coming playoff finally take down the SEC?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Roy Kramer remembers all the fretting when the Southeastern Conference launched its own championship game two decades ago."Especially from the coaches," the former SEC commissioner said Friday, chuckling a bit at those long-ago discussions. "They were convinced that would be the end of everything and we would never win another national championship."It sure didn't work...

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BCS Championship: Tale of the tape

Everything about the BCS championship between No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama seems larger than life.Not only do these schools stand among the best ever in college football, they also lead the pack in celebrating that success and in investing for the future.If ever college football presented a heavyweight event it's the Fighting Irish against the Crimson Tide.So here, then, is a tale of the tape...

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Conn. lawmaker apologizes over Facebook post

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut lawmaker has apologized after saying in a Facebook post that shooting victim and former Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords should "stay out of my towns."Giffords last week visited Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 young children and six adults at an elementary school last month. The Democrat, who met with families of the victims, was critically wounded...

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Why Ford's New Car Apps Include China's Twitter

LAS VEGAS — New car apps will allow Ford owners to call up their favorite music playlist or search for last-minute date suggestions by using voice alone. But the voice-activated car apps announced at CES 2013 included one "hidden dragon" surprise aimed at Chinese drivers rather than Americans.Many Americans won't recognize the name of Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, among the latest car app...

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Tide QB's beauty queen girlfriend in spotlight after title game; her Twitter account swells

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - A day after ESPN cameras lingered on her, announcers piled on compliments and at least one pro athlete made an online pass at her, Twitter was still abuzz Tuesday about former Miss Alabama Katherine Webb, who is dating Crimson Tide championship quarterback AJ McCarron.Webb gained tens of thousands of Twitter followers during and after Alabama's 42-14 win over Notre Dame on Monday...

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