Don’t confuse passion for anger or polish for competence. I watched the big political debate everyone was talking about. The first candidate came across a bit smug, self-centered and more than a tad arrogant. Reminded me of a brazen Stephen Harper. The alternative candidate was more personable but left meRead More

It just isn’t funny anymore Dr StrangeJob is angry! Every level of government—federal, provincial and municipal—is currently under scrutiny for questionable spending of taxpayer dollars: the recent federal staff relocation reimbursements, the latest provincial MLA frivolous self-promotional kitsch, the Guysborough County expense scandal and the ombudsman’s Richmond County expense claimRead More

I am not a gambling man, but I bet the good citizens of CBRM will find it in their hearts to forgive me. As you may be aware, Dr StrangeJob is an active member of Incompetents Anonymous (IA), the world’s first 12+1 step self-help group. IA does for the incompetentRead More

Joe Ward, author of The Councillors’ Pledge, is running for Councillor in District 7. That’s right, the guy who wrote the councilor rule book and coerced incumbent and wannabe councilors to play by his rules has entered the political game. Is that fair? Isn’t that like the developer of PokémonRead More

Sadly, I had a bit of a slip and my final pledge went down the crapper, so I am changing strategy to tackle my 1000 More Implausible Elect-Me Promises. In retrospect, 1000 promises may be a bit ambitious. Rather than publish a rambling list of irrelevant promises, I will critiqueRead More

Thousands upon thousands of taxpayer dollars are spent annually promoting Cape Breton Island as a tourist haven with varying success. Yet it only took a few hours for a local DJ to create a website that resulted in an overwhelming number of tourist inquiries, a major spike in tourism, andRead More

What in God’s name enticed Joe Citizen to list 15 separate items in his CBRM Councillors’ Pledge? I was only required to follow 12 steps for the cure and a measly 10 to maintain my Catholic status. Speaking of God, he seems to be playing an outsized role in thisRead More

Dr. StrangeJob has not fallen off the wagon since starting the pledge last week, so he is still hoping to catch the CBRM gravy-train. Since Joe Citizen’s CBRM Councillors’ Pledge continues to raise a stink with CBRM taxpayers, there is now talk about a new rank in council. Hence, theRead More

Raised a good Catholic boy, my initial point of reference to taking the pledge involves refraining from alcohol and going to meetings. So, imagine my confusion when I saw the invitation from Joe Citizen to take The CBRM Councillors’ Pledge. Granted, some of the gibberish spewing from local politicians isRead More