RANT & RAVE: For questionable business expenses. The Richmond County Council expense scandal, which involves charges for such goodies as airline ticket changes for a spouse, valet parking and liquor store charges, has now made its way to the Nova Scotia Ombudsman’s Office thanks to complaints issues by severalRead More

Guys, I’ve figured out what’s wrong with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality: it’s the Council. There’s one exception: District 6 Councillor Ray Paruch. He tries to bring more transparency to proceedings but it’s like trying to make Lady Gaga wear pants. It all became clear to me at the PortRead More

Governance is the process whereby societies or organizations make important decisions, determine whom they involve and how they render account.—Institute on Governance At the 17 February 2015 meeting of the CBRM Regional Council, Marlene Usher (in her new capacity as CEO of the Port of Sydney Development Corporation) and JimRead More

  I was very interested to read this profile of Abraham Somavarapha, the new business development manager at the Port of Sydney Development Corporation, in the January 22nd edition of the Cape Breton Post. I do not know Somavarapha nor do I have reason to think he is anything otherRead More

Tucked into the F.A.S.T. Furniture flyer in the Saturday, 2 January 2016 edition of the Cape Breton Post was an eight-page update on the Port of Sydney. If you haven’t read it yet, I recommend the graphic on the inside cover page: It shows the silhouettes of a number ofRead More

  And…he’s off! CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke has fired his starter’s pistol and burst from the gates like a lone horse on a winter racetrack, taking a commanding lead in the 2016 mayoral election by beginning his run in 2015. He informed the public of his decision to re-offer byRead More

Port of Sydney Development Corporation CEO Marlene Usher has donned a new cap – that of “maritime historian” – for the first of what she promises will be a series of Cape Breton Post columns sharing “her thoughts” on the Sydney port development project. My first thought, on reading this,Read More

CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke has sneaked off to China without so much as a by-your-leave. It’s odd — most political leaders make hay out of their trips to the People’s Republic (some make operas) but our mayor prefers to steal away under cover of darkness after asking his deputy toRead More

  “[Cecil] Clarke is calling for greater transparency on the port development file by making all reports, documents and other correspondence on port issues, in particular the marketing of the municipally owned greenfield site, public at the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Civic Centre and posted to the CBRM’s website,” CapeRead More

On 3 July 2015, I made a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) application to the clerk of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Deborah Campbell, requesting: Any communications between Mayor Cecil Clarke or his communications staff or CAO Michael Merrit [sic] and Barry Sheehy and/or Albert Barbusci and/or HarborRead More