Poker players in Ontario may be able to play in online poker rooms run by the provincial government in 2012. (Katoly Arva/Reuters)

By CBC News

The Ontario government is getting into the online gambling business.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) will oversee and implement an online gaming program by 2012, the Crown agency said in a release.

The OLG estimates that Ontarians spend approximately $400 million each year in unregulated online gambling -- with none of that money entering government coffers through taxation or fees.

Other provinces are also getting into the online gaming market. The Maritimes has online gambling and the B.C. Lottery Corporation launched its online gambling website in July. Loto-Québec is expected to offer an online gambling service in September.

Read more.

Should provincial governments run online gambling sites? Why or why not? Do you have concerns about online gambling? Let us know.

(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Protesters against the closure of prison farms bring a donkey outside the Correctional Service Canada building in Kingston, Ont., on July 23, 2010. (Lars Hagberg).

By CBC News

An auction of cattle raised on a Kingston, Ont., prison farm that many people have been trying to prevent is scheduled to take place in Waterloo on Tuesday despite major protests over the last two days.

Three hundred dairy cows are up for sale at the Ontario Livestock Exchange. They're from a prison farm that for more than 100 years was part of Frontenac Institution.

The government plans to replace the farm with other programs that it says are more relevant in today's world.

Read more.

Do you believe prison farms should remain in operation? Why or why not.
(This poll is not scientific. It based on readers' responses.)

It's happened to nearly everyone at some point: You forget to take your cellphone charger when you go on vacation or your battery dies unexpectedly. Your friend's charger is incompatible, so you're stuck buying a new one or living with a dead phone until you can get home. However, Europeans will soon be able to share one battery booster among friends, as the European Commission recently announced the development of a one-size-fits-all phone charger for the continent. Cellphone companies like Apple, Samsung and Waterloo, Ont.-based RIM are already onboard.

Unfortunately, no plans are in place for something similar in North America, though there are hints the universal plug-in could make its away overseas.

Would you like to see a universal phone charger in North America? Take our poll.

(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Bus riders board a Greyhound bus. (John Woods/Canadian Press)

Is the customer always right? Well, a couple of incidents in the U.S. have sparked discussion about that old business adage.

A JetBlue flight attendant was arrested after getting into an altercation with a passenger after landing at John F. Kennedy Airport on Monday. According to the New York Times, the passenger was retrieving his baggage and ignoring requests to remain in his seat until the plane reached a complete stop.

The passenger struck flight attendant Steven Slater in the head as he pulled his baggage down but refused to apologize, the paper reported. Slater unleashed a string of expletives via the public-address system, deployed the inflatable evacuation chute, grabbed a beer from the beverage cart, yelled "It's been great!" and slid down and went to his car.

He was arrested later at his home in Queens.

Meanwhile, police in Toledo, Ohio, have just released security video of a 25-year-old woman smashing the drive-thru window of a McDonald's after being told she couldn't get Chicken McNuggets at 6:30 in the morning.

The woman was charged with vandalism.

Have you ever quit a job while dealing with the public? Is the customer always right? Let us know.
(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

By CBC News

(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' votes.)

A Canada Border Services Agency officer who had to give up her full-time position after the birth of her first child has won a six-year battle with her employer over its failure to accommodate her.

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Her employer denied her requests for schedule changes, saying the Canadian Border Services Agency had an unwritten policy not to provide full-time hours to those requesting accommodation on the basis of child-rearing responsibilities.

In a decision handed down on Friday, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal said the federal agency discriminated against Fiona Johnstone and employees like her who seek accommodation based on family status.

Does your workplace make accommodations for parents? What services does your employer offer? What would you like to see them offer?

(This poll is not scientific. It based on readers' responses.)

From breakfast to dinner: The Pop-Tart is attempting to make a mealtime transition with a new café in New York City's Times Square. Serving everything from Pop-Tart sandwiches to sushi, it's an attempt to change the way consumers see the sugary toaster pastry.

Recent food gimmicks have proven to be successful in the U.S, with word of KFC's Double Down sandwich going viral weeks before it was available to customers.

What do you think of the dining trend? Would you eat at a Pop-Tart restaurant? 

(This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Users of the travel website hotels.com have voted taxi drivers in London, England, as the best in the world. Their first-place ranking is attributed to their friendliness and knowledge of the city.

New York City's cabbies came in at No. 2, but also received the badge of rudest in the world, tied with Paris. Tokyo, Berlin and Bangkok rounded out the top five.

Which Canadian city do you think has the best cab drivers?

Children who have only a month-long summer break from school perform better in math and remember more of their lessons, according to the results of a study obtained by the Globe and Mail.

The pilot study compared the Roberta Bondar Public School in Brampton, Ont., which offers year-round education, with a school where students had the more traditional two-month summer vacation. Both schools had similar student demographics.

The children in the year-round program had higher math scores and remembered significantly more information following the summer holiday. That helped teachers move forward with new lessons instead of having to spend time going over material students would normally forget over a two-month break, the Globe reported.

Both traditional and year-round schools offer a similar number of instruction days, but the latter spreads out vacation days over the school year.

Should year-round schooling be Canada-wide? How do you keep your kids intellectually stimulated during summer holidays? Let us know.  (This poll is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)