We’ve been hearing a lot about the rules of international business lately—much of it from a career politician who has never worked in the private sector. Do you know what’s big in the world of international business since Enron? Madoff? The 2008 financial crisis? Governance. I’ll let those anti-development, bleedingRead More

Harbor Port Development Partners (HPDP), the firm established by Barry Sheehy and Albert Barbusci to market the Port of Sydney, has become Sydney Harbour Investment Partners Inc. (SHIP). The name change was registered with Corporations Canada on 19 October 2016. Mayor Cecil Clarke wants CBRM council to extend HPDP’s existingRead More

This week I checked the Nova Scotia Tender Notices website and discovered the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is in the market for a number of things, including external auditors. The lucky winners will get to audit the CBRM, the CBRM Water Utility and — what fun! — the PortRead More

What were you doing when the CBRM election results were announced? I was reading an article about assisted death and ruminating on Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). Note to self: do not contemplate serious philosophical, moral, or ethical issues while reviewing municipal election results.Read More

“Old age and treachery always overcomes youth and skill.” – Waylon & Willie Dr StrangeJob is no loser, but he does concede he will not win the CBRM mayoralty race. Yes, he is statistically the most favored candidate, not to mention the only mayoralty candidate actually liked by goCapebreton.com. No,Read More

I was going to start this introduction to my interviews with all 10 women running in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality elections this fall by asking the rhetorical question: “Why do we need women on council?” I was then going to answer (I know, I know, you’re not supposed toRead More

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality has been doing a much better job of submitting audited financial statements to the province on deadline each year. I know this because CBRM CFO Marie Walsh answered my queries — as did the spokesperson for the Nova Scotia department of municipal affairs — andRead More

Given my love of resource materials, it’s a wonder I haven’t discovered the Nova Scotia Tender Notices website before now — it’s where, “as defined in the Nova Scotia Public Procurement Act, all public sector entities in Nova Scotia are required to post their tender notices.” So what is theRead 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