Richard Starr had already got me thinking about how centralized power is in Nova Scotia before Auditor General Kim Adair drove the point home for me on Tuesday. Starr has been tracking this province’s anti-democratic tendencies for some time now via his Starr’s Point blog, and back in early November,Read More

Respect to District 2 Councilor Earlene MacMullin for trying to get some accountability and transparency on the Port of Sydney file during last night’s general committee meeting. On one level, she succeeded: I’ve been puzzled as to when, exactly, council tapped Mayor Cecil Clarke to head that file and lastRead More

It’s a facet of a healthy democracy that never fails to impress me: the final handshake. Two candidates who have fought a long, hard campaign shake hands — one graciously accepting defeat, the other graciously acknowledging victory. And then there’s what happened in the CBRM on Saturday night. As reportedRead More

Newly re-elected CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke has promised “100 More Positive Changes for CBRM” and I, for one, am willing to trust that he will deliver — trust, but verify. I’m a little concerned that his immediate, post-election description of his plans included no reference to these positive changes. HeRead More

Last March, a CBRM citizen decided he (or she, I’m not sure, so I’m just going to refer to him/her as “The Citizen”) wanted to know more about the expenses of Mayor Cecil Clarke, Port CEO Marlene Usher, CBRM Chief Administrative Officer Michael Merritt, the mayor’s executive assistant Mark BettensRead More

Cecil Clarke, incumbent mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, kicked off his campaign for re-election at the Cambridge Suites Hotel last Friday with two CBRM employees at his side (see Tom Ayers’ account in the LocalXpress). In what may be a Nova Scotian first, there were more promises inRead More

Dr. StrangeJob declared his candidacy for mayor of the CBRM on 1 April 2016—that’s right, April Fools’ Day. The Doctor is compelled to speak because of his frustration with the existing council’s apparent lack of transparency, potential misuse of municipal tax dollars, overuse of confidentiality agreements, excessive in-camera meetings, andRead More

My quest to determine what exactly is up with Business Cape Breton (BCB, formerly the Cape Breton Small Business Centre, formerly the Cape Breton County Economic Development Authority) began in June when CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke surprised his council with the news that the municipality was leaving the Cape BretonRead More

What to make of that? I just attended Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) Mayor Cecil Clarke’s special pre-budget meeting with the business community. I would estimate attendance at 40, including press, council members and “facilitators”—Mistress of Ceremonies Eileen Lannon Oldford of Business Cape Breton (BCB) and keeper-of-the-microphone Christina Lamey. TheRead More

  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