PRESS DIGEST - Canada - June 29

June 29 (Reuters) - The following are top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: - Angry striking municipal workers say the city reneged on a deal to not hire private contractors for the Pride parade cleanup, which they delayed for hours last night by forming a human blockade around the company's heavy machinery.

- A judge rejected Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien's bid to have influence-peddling charges against him thrown out, releasing a strongly worded decision challenging the view that patronage is an accepted part of Canadian politics. Report on Business Section:

- Canada's energy giants could be allowed to consult each other on new oil sands projects, a key change that would give them greater purchasing power to help prevent cost overruns and speed construction timelines. Under a draft proposal distributed by the Competition Bureau, firms would no longer face criminal conspiracy charges for co-operating on the construction of new megaprojects.

- Workers at Bombardier (BBDb.TO) Aerospace ratified a new three-year collective agreement Sunday. Members of the Canadian Auto Workers union voted 84 per cent in favour of the deal, which covers nearly 3,000 people in the company's Downsview airplane plant.

NATIONAL POST

- After his third-ballot victory on Saturday, the newly anointed leader of the provincial Progressive Conservative party is taking little time in preparing for his shift to power. Tim Hudak, who is promising to steer the Conservatives back to the political right, will meet with interim party leader Bob Runciman on Monday to go over the transition process.

- Despite optimism in recent weeks that the business jet market may have bottomed, Bombardier Inc.' s executive jet division is expected to take at least two years to recover from the drop in demand and the unprecedented level of cancellations and deferrals it has faced during the current downturn.

Financial Post section:

- Cameco Corp (CCO.TO), the world's biggest uranium producer, will press ahead with investments in Kazakhstan despite a probe into the uranium sector in the Central Asian state, the head of the Canadian uranium miner said.

- Unionized workers at The Globe and Mail overwhelmingly rejected what the Canadian newspaper said was its final contract offer, the union said Saturday, but the two sides will meet again Tuesday.