In a close vote that came down to the Mayor deciding, Council voted to go ahead with launching a criminal investigation into recent media leaks from a closed door meeting. The last time a leak happened, this is what the Mayor had to say - “I don’t see any reason to have an investigation. You’re never going to stop it. You people are always going to get your leaks. It’s common nature, around the cabinet table in Fredericton, in Ottawa, all over the place.”

Those voting in favour of the investigation included: Glen Tait, Peter McGuire, Carl White, Jay-Young Chang, and Ivan Court.

There were voices of reason at the table however, councilors voting against it included: Stephen Chase, Chris Titus, Bill Farren, John Ferguson, and Michelle Hooton. These are the names you want to remember on election day this May!

Stephen Chase, who voted against the decision, has been looking for ways to resolve the issue without having to call the police.

But why shouldn’t we call the police you might ask? Well this isn’t the first time this has occurred in Saint John’s history. In a quick lunch hour search, Chase found examples from 1975, 1977, 1979, 1984 and 1994. Former mayor Shirley McAlary, former deputy mayor Derek Chase, and former councillor and mayor Eric Teed all said that leaks are common and that a criminal investigation is overkill.

Chase says the only “cultured” idea he’s heard out of City Hall lately has been a suggestion by Titus and Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton to move the council chambers to the Sydney Street courthouse. “That shows forward thinking and cultural appreciation. Slagging someone you don’t know and trying to drag the cops in as your strong right arm is, to me, the opposite.”

Just ask veteran councillor Mel Vincent, who served more than two decades as a member of common council. He is a strong proponent of discussing the issues out in the open. He has some incredibly good quotes below.

“Surely, there’s a better way to run things and I think it’s by taking everything to open session,” Vincent said. “I’m sure the meetings would be faster and everyone would have to be on their best behaviour if everything was held out in public view.”

“Doing business in open session might even trigger better decision-making and better outcomes for the city than we’ve seen in the past.”

Vincent, who retired from municipal politics in May 2001, conceded there are occasions when issues should be discussed behind closed doors. But he’s not convinced that it has to be every item that falls under the so-called ‘three Ls’ - land, labour and legal.

“There will always be occasions where something of paramount importance might have to go to a true committee of the whole,” he said. “There’s no question that there are situations where that would pop up, everyone understands that. But those should be very few and far between.”

My suggestion for council, or at least the councillors who want to spend more time wasting money then fixing the actual problem - do it in the open. You will never stop people from leaking information as long as all of your discussions are behind closed doors. Listen to the great advice from Mel Vincent and fix the problem at the source. It’s in the best interest of the citizens of Saint John!

If you didn’t believe me before, then this is your wake up call!

Today, the first review of my Facebook Application, Politics in Canada, was published. It was reviewed on the Facebook Applications Review blog.

I am quite happy to see people taking an interest, and I will be taking all of the great feedback and suggestions in to account when I release the next update to the application.

Remember to send me your comments, and keep spreading the word!

Yesterday on CBC, I read one of the most ridiculous stories ever.

A man was out of his ATV (all terrain vehicle) when he hit a rock. The vehicle flipped and pinned him to the ground. He was stuck there for four days and three nights - nearly 96 hours!

You really do have to read the story for yourself, but the long and short is that:

• He had to fight off coyotes (who were fighting each other over who would eat him) with a whistle.
• He covered himself in beaver carcass (which he had been out collecting) to keep warm.
• With no water around him, he was forced to eat dirt to get moisture.
• By the second night, he was so hungry he tried eating the rotting beaver (which made him sick - obviously).
• Finally, a hiker randomly found him and was able to call for help.

How insane is that? Make me not want to go collecting beaver carcases on an ATV.

Last night, I launched my Politics in Canada Facebook application.

My goal is to provide a way for people to show support for political parties. I really want people to see the various choices available and to have the ability to make an informed decision. I believe, by raising awareness, we can get more people involved in the political process.

One main feature of my application is that by entering your postal code, an icon can be placed on a map of the country or province showing the party you support. Eventually, as more people add the application you will be able to see areas of support for a party across the country. The map is integrated with Google Maps, allowing you to zoom in and around.

Oh and speaking of awareness, did you know:

• Canada has a Community Party and a Marijuana Party.
• New Brunswick and the Yukon only have three politics parties.
• Alberta has a Separation Party.

Check out the application here and find out more today! Remember to send me any comments or feedback.

I don’t understand why it keeps happening. I know that I can’t be the only one who has been in this situation.

Once again, tonight around 11pm, I was passed on Loch Lomond Road while driving towards Saint John. Not only did the car fly by me, going at least 100 - 120 km/h; but, soon passed another car after waiting for the oncoming traffic to pass. The main issue is the fact that the road is one lane with a solid yellow - making it illegal to pass. The legality isn’t even my main concern, it’s the fact that the road is so busy and dangerous to start with!

My other issue is directly related to one of my favorite quotes - “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it“. Just look back at the past car accidents and the number of people killed on that road. Keeping that in mind, people who keep up with this behavior are just asking for an accident. Unfortunatly, they are usually the ones causing them and killing someone in the process.

As for this particular car, I wasn’t able to see much of the plates, and it was going too fast to tell what make of car; however, it did look silver, and I think the plates started with GNA. Take that with a grain of salt though.

I just hope people realize how stupid it is to be passing on that road, and I hope that next time someone does it - they actually get caught.

Here is just another reason why I’m proud to call Saint John home - thanks for the find Stephanie!

In light of the terrible accident in Bathurst this weekend, two hotels in Saint John (Fort Howe Hotel and Courtenay Bay Hotel) are allowing school groups free accommodations when the roads are unsafe to travel. This plan will hopefully prevent similar tragedies in the future.

“We were all reeling in this and commenting on just how horrible it is,” said Didi Lombard Lloyd, sales manager for the hotels. Lombard Lloyd said her son often travels on the province’s wintry roads with his hockey team. “I guess we’re all just thinking it could have been us,” she said. “It could have been anyone.”

The idea to open the hotels’ doors to schools that need a place to bed down during a storm was the owner’s idea, Lombard Lloyd said, and it is hoped other hotels will follow suit.

“Whether it’s a public school, middle school, high school even the universities, if they are in town for whatever reason … if in the run of the day it looks like the weather is going to change and it looks like unsafe driving conditions, we just want to offer them a place to stay so that nobody leaves leave the city unless it’s perfectly safe for them to do so,” she said.

I hope that if the situation does comes up, groups will take the hotel up on their offer and stay the night instead of risking the drive home. I also applaud the hotel for their decision. They are going out of their way to make sure that kids arrive home safe and sound. If anyone ever needs a place to say while in Saint John these are the hotels I would recommend.

Finally, to the staff and management of the hotels - thank you! You are another reason why this city is so great.

“Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?” is a children’s book dedicated to “Helping Your Child Understand the Stay-At-Home Server.”

Written by Microsoft, it is an extremely funny PR piece. It does a wonderful job at promoting their Home Server product.

You can’t help but laugh at some of the lines such as “Offices are why big people get grumpy, and say bad words”, “Or your Uncle who smells like bark.”

I would encourage you to read the entire book here.

You can find more funny videos and information at their Stay at Home Server website.

All the talk of Rothesay and Quispamsis these days is around the “A” word - amalgamation. No, this isn’t the provincial government trying to create a super-Saint John again, this time two towns are looking at the possibility of merging into a new city!

The biggest pusher on the issue has been the Telegraph Journal. Just take a look at a few of their recent articles below:

• Amalgamation: It’s been a good thing
• Maloney: Amalgamation plebiscite the way to go
• By the numbers
• Kennebecasis city?
• One populous valley, one political voice
• How a valley merger could save Saint John

Not only has our newspaper taken up the story; but, CBC has even written about it here. The media seems to be in favour; however, what do I think? Let me explain.

I think it will go ahead (after having a vote by the citizens). It only makes sense when you look at how interconnected the two towns are. To quote the CBC story, “Currently, it is very much an invisible barrier that divides the two towns, with many residents having to navigate the other town’s streets just to get into their own subdivisions.” Their big budget items are already shared, everything left is small bits and pieces.

I also don’t think you will find many people who would be against an amalgamation. They stand to gain not only city status; but, they will become the fourth largest city in the province - behind only Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton. The other bonus is that they can start to cut costs in areas where they currently duplicate services, such as the town councils!

From a Saint John perspective, I think that it would be positive. Competition will encourage us to become more efficient in our services, and it will really force city council have to deal with the tax rate to make sure it is closer to the neighbours. There is no reason we can’t reduce the tax rate and improve services - we just need a spark to start the fire - and this might be it.

Bring on the challenge, and we will prove that life is better inside the city of Saint John - fog and all!