Bicycle Mechanics - Convert from Ultegra shift/brake levers to XT/XTR shift/brake levers?

Hi All,
I have a Specialized cross bike with drop bars, Ultegra groupo with FlightDeck brake/shift levers with 2 speeds up front, 9 in back, and cantilever brakes. I mostly ride in the city and I want to switch to flat/riser bars, so I'm going to need to switch my brake/shift levers. I'd like to keep as many parts as possible, like the Ultegra drivetrain, so I'm seeking a brake/shift lever solution that'll be compatible.

Thus my question: are Shimano XTR ST-M960 or XT ST-M760 shift/brake levers compatible with my 9-speed Ultegra drivetrain and cantilever brakes? If not, what bits would I need to swap out to get the spot-on index shifting and decent braking goodness I desire?

Thanks!

You'd have to switch to V-brakes from cantis for sure, cuase the integrated Xt/XTR stuff is V/mech disk only.
As for shifitng rear should be fine, but the front could be trouble. I think I heard that road derailleurs and mtb shifters dont mix. But then again an LX derailleur is like 20$.

mountain shifters / road FD don't mix. I tried running a 105 tripple fd with a deore trigger shifters and could never get it to go into all three gears cleanly. I ended up putting on an old SRAM grip shift that had a friction mode, and it runs without problem.

you can pick up a set of a v-brakes for like $15 on ebay that would work with the xt shifters/levers, you could get levers that would work with your cantis, but you might as well just upgrade the breaks.

or you could get shifter pods and seperate brake levers which is what I have on my MTB.

Shimano makes an R-440 thumbshifter that is for flat handlebar use that will work with Ultegra.