PRESS DIGEST- Canada - Nov 14

Nov 14 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

* Canada boasts world-class destinations such as the Rockies and Niagara Falls, but it's missing out on a global tourism boom, costing the economy billions of dollars a year. The number of international visitors to Canada has plunged 20 percent since 2000 even as global travel soars, according to a sobering report being released Thursday by Deloitte Canada. ()

* Former staffers in the office of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford have alleged a series of abusive behavior by their boss, with one staffer telling police detectives the mayor drove while intoxicated, and another describing a lurid night in 2012 when there were allegations of cocaine use and a "professional escort." ()

Reports in the business section:

* Mounting competition from giant U.S. chains is forcing supermarkets to lower their prices, a trend that hit grocers Loblaw Companies Ltd and Metro Inc in their latest financial quarter. Basic commodities such as corn and sugar have also fallen this year, meaning there is virtually no inflation pressure in food to help the bottom line. ()

* Governments in Ontario and Quebec have thrown political hurdles in front of Alberta's efforts to expand markets for its crude, launching public hearings into controversial pipeline proposals the industry regards as necessary to enable its fast-growing oil production. ()

NATIONAL POST

* With the dust barely settled on a day of tense face-offs, interrogations and intervention-like pleas to a defiant Toronto mayor, Rob Ford learned on Wednesday that he is facing a new attempt to curtail his power, as city councillors try to strip him of his ability to deal with city emergencies. ()

* Canada and Sri Lanka traded shots on Wednesday in the build-up to the Commonwealth meeting in Colombo, which Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is boycotting over Sri Lanka's human rights record. ()

FINANCIAL POST

* It's a relatively small upscale mall in Toronto's north end but the $500 million price being paid for Bayview Village is sending a strong message about the property market in Canada. Real estate prices in the right markets are still strong. ()

* Quebec is asking companies involved in public contract bid-rigging years ago to repay the sums they overcharged or risk a civil suit. ()