Thursday, September 28, 2006
I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR 6 YEARS!!!
I took these pictures a few months ago. She's 555 and a prostitute in Saint John. Ed Doherty was suppose to help the poor woman but she's still on the streets.
We need more money in Methadone clinics. New Brunswick has a huge problem in prescription drug!!!
Judge says drug addicts belong in treatment, not court
Last Updated: Thursday, September 28, 2006 | 12:08 PM AT
CBC News
A provincial court judge in Moncton is calling on the new Liberal government to provide more treatment for drug addiction and mental illnesses.
Judge Irwin Lampert told CBC News on Thursday that the provincial justice system is increasingly clogged with drug addicts and the mentally ill who get into trouble because they aren't getting the help they need.
Lampert says the situation is much worse than when he became a judge almost two decades ago.
"You know at one time, it was fairly rare to send someone for a psychiatric assessment. Now I find we're doing it on a very regular basis."
Lampert has just been named the president of the Canadian Association of Provincial court judges. He says it's important to speak out on behalf of people who need help, while as a judge, he has to be careful speaking.
"I appreciate that governments have tremendous competition for every dollar that's available," he said. "We're asking governments to look at the situation again. We're trying to bring it to their attention again so they'll understand just how critical this situation is, in the hope that they'll take steps to alleviate it."
New Brunswick's incoming Liberal government promises to address at least some of some of Lampert's concerns.
The province already has one mental health court. The Liberals pledge to create two drug treatment courts that would deal with crimes committed as a result of addiction.
We need more money in Methadone clinics. New Brunswick has a huge problem in prescription drug!!!
Judge says drug addicts belong in treatment, not court
Last Updated: Thursday, September 28, 2006 | 12:08 PM AT
CBC News
A provincial court judge in Moncton is calling on the new Liberal government to provide more treatment for drug addiction and mental illnesses.
Judge Irwin Lampert told CBC News on Thursday that the provincial justice system is increasingly clogged with drug addicts and the mentally ill who get into trouble because they aren't getting the help they need.
Lampert says the situation is much worse than when he became a judge almost two decades ago.
"You know at one time, it was fairly rare to send someone for a psychiatric assessment. Now I find we're doing it on a very regular basis."
Lampert has just been named the president of the Canadian Association of Provincial court judges. He says it's important to speak out on behalf of people who need help, while as a judge, he has to be careful speaking.
"I appreciate that governments have tremendous competition for every dollar that's available," he said. "We're asking governments to look at the situation again. We're trying to bring it to their attention again so they'll understand just how critical this situation is, in the hope that they'll take steps to alleviate it."
New Brunswick's incoming Liberal government promises to address at least some of some of Lampert's concerns.
The province already has one mental health court. The Liberals pledge to create two drug treatment courts that would deal with crimes committed as a result of addiction.
Charles to be on CKTP today at 4:00pm!! It's on 95.7FM!!
I believe this would be my 4th or 5 time on the show. It's fun!!
Judge in Fredericton to decide what is free speech!!!!
TOM MANN AND DAVID BROWN FROM THE NEW BRUNSWICK UNION BETTER SAVE THEIR MONEY!!!
There's nothing that I like more than a good battle. This Union should be eliminated because they don't believe in rights.
I can't wait to find out how many Union employees went on stress leave for the summer months because of me?
What a waste of taxpayers money!!!
I can't wait to find out how many Union employees went on stress leave for the summer months because of me?
What a waste of taxpayers money!!!
I'm glad for Chisholm Pothier.
Lord's press aide didn't need to quit: ombudsman
Last Updated: Thursday, September 28, 2006 | 5:27 PM AT
I was allowed in the Legislature when this happens and speaking to some reporters?
I could get the feeling that they believed that Chisholm resign too quickly but that's the way he is and this is the reason that I truly respect the guy!!
CBC News
An assistant to Premier Bernard Lord didn't need to resign after inadvertently violating privacy rules, New Brunswick's ombudsman said in a report.
Bernard Richard released his report Thursday into the actions of Chisholm Pothier, a former press aide to Lord.
Richard says it was a mistake for Pothier to quit after giving reporters a letter containing personal information about a man in the Neguac area last spring.
Richard says Pothier made an honest mistake. "I know it's convenient in a sense, convenient for him to resign, take responsibility and resign. It took the pressure off his masters and that may be noble for him to do that. In my view it's really not required by my interpretation of how this act works."
Richard says Pothier's case is different from that of former cabinet minister Brenda Fowlie, who deliberately released personal information about a political opponent a year earlier.
But even if Pothier wanted to go back to work in the premier's office, there's no job to go back to. Lord leaves office Oct. 3, when the new Liberal government is sworn in.
Liberals made initial complaint
It was the Liberals who first complained to the ombudsman about Pothier's actions.
Liberal MLA Kelly Lamrock says his party accepts Richard's conclusions – and bears no ill will towards Pothier. "I'm somewhat glad that Mr. Pothier, to some extent, has had his name vindicated. I think he was a good soldier and I think it's a good thing the record will probably show that that's all he was. I hope he can move on and it's for those of us who ascend to higher positions, and those in our civil service, deputy ministers, to learn from the report."
Richard's report recommends that deputy ministers put in place clear guidelines about handling letters to ministers that contain personal information. He says civil servants understand the rules but it appears political staffers may not.
The ombudsman's investigation began as a result of an incident last May, when Lord referred to a January 2005 letter in the provincial legislature.
The letter was addressed to Transportation Minister Paul Robichaud and written by Liberal MLA Carmel Robichaud, on behalf of a constituent who had been convicted of drunk driving, but wanted a permit to drive to and from work.
Letter referred to by Lord
Lord referred to the letter after the Liberal opposition raised questions about Tory supporters trying to influence the government on a Shediac development project.
Lord offered to table the letter in the house, suggesting Liberal MLAs were using their influence to help drunk drivers get back behind the wheel.
Outside of the chambers, Pothier handed copies of the letter to reporters without blacking the individual's name out. He apologized, saying he regretted that decision and was personally responsible for making the letter public. He then resigned.
In his report, Richard said Lord and Robichaud did not violate the province's privacy law by discussing the letter in the legislature.
Richard said they were protected by the rules of parliamentary privilege when they produced the letter during a heated and partisan debate in the legislature.
IRVING FOREMAN SAW HERONS!!! IS HE TAKING THE FALL FOR J.D. IRVING???
Irving foreman saw herons, documents suggest
Last Updated: Thursday, September 28, 2006 | 10:38 AM AT
CBC News
Court documents obtained by CBC News suggest that a J.D. Irving foreman saw Great Blue Herons nesting where the company later built a logging road near Cambridge Narrows, N.B.
Between 12 and 20 heron nests were destroyed when the company built a wide track through its property this summer. The nests were part of a large colony, and the incident has sparked an investigation by the Canadian Wildlife Service.
The birds, and their nests, are protected under federal legislation.
CBC News has obtained copies of the search warrants and supporting documents executed as part of the CWS investigation.
Ian Langlais, an enforcement officer with the Canadian Wildlife Service, applied for the warrants in Saint John provincial court earlier this month.
In documents filed to the court, Langlais laid out his grounds for believing that J.D. Irving may have violated federal law protecting migratory birds.
Langlais says on Aug. 15, a provincial conservation officer found six heron nests that had been destroyed on Irving-owned land. Officers seized three of the nests as well as feathers and bones.
The court document says a J.D. Irving Woodlands foreman told a conservation officer that he had seen herons in late July when he was laying out the route for a logging road. The foreman says he took note of the location using his global position system.
But according to Langlais, the coordinates the foreman gave to the investigators are located in the middle of a lake.
A judge granted the Wildlife Service warrants to search two J.D. Irving offices in Sussex. Investigators seized approximately 70 documents, computer files, and maps from the offices.
None of the allegations have been proven in court and no one has been charged. J.D. Irving spokeswoman Mary Keith will not comment on the case while the investigation is ongoing, except to say the company is fully cooperating with authorities.
A reader point of view - Secret Cabals in Fredericton are NOT justice
I too am eager to see what happens because on the face of the evidence before the Saint John court, I would say that Charles is innocent of the obstruction charges. There is video evidence from TV that he was not obstructing police as charged. More importantly, had he been able to use the pictures in his digital camera that were deleted by the Saint John Police aka Keystone Kops, he could have easily demonstrated his physical position in the melee that ensued that day, thus absolving him of being in the middle of the kerfuffle and proving that he was documenting it as a blogger.
But there is more to this case than meets the eye - the final paragraph in which the reporter says Charles was banned from the legislature for "Harrasment" : where is the evidence for that? There is no evidence, that's the sticky little problem which keeps raising its ugly head and will come back to bite a few politicians in the proverbial butt I dare say.
The decision to ban Charles from the Legislature was made behind closed doors, by a small group of seven or eight politicians, among them Shawn Graham and Kelly Lamrock whose true democratic colours will soon be on full display when they find themselves firmly esconced in the seats of power.
In a democracy, one of the most fundamental tenets of our justice system is that the accused as the RIGHT TO KNOW what the charges are against him before he can be found guilty. To this day, Charles still doesn't know the SPECIFICS of the "charges" against him. That's because there were no "charges" per se: rather, the decision to boot him out of the legislature was based on an emotional response, a dislike of Charles based on a negative perception and stereotypes about poor people like Charles who get uppity and don't know their place at the bottom of the social dung heap.
Certain high-powered politicians, their supporting bureacrats in government, employees of the legislature and political hacks who make and shape opinion have decided poor people like Charles are a "pain in the butt". Well tough baloney for them. If they can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. As a citizen of a democracy, Charles has the RIGHT to know who complained about him to the committee that had him barred from the Legislature, what the actual substance of the charges were, and the dates and times of the so-called harrasment incidents so he can mount a defense instead of being tried and hung without a jury by a secret cabal in Fredericton!!!
I'm looking forward to Saint John!!! As the judge said "This is going to be interesting...."
But there is more to this case than meets the eye - the final paragraph in which the reporter says Charles was banned from the legislature for "Harrasment" : where is the evidence for that? There is no evidence, that's the sticky little problem which keeps raising its ugly head and will come back to bite a few politicians in the proverbial butt I dare say.
The decision to ban Charles from the Legislature was made behind closed doors, by a small group of seven or eight politicians, among them Shawn Graham and Kelly Lamrock whose true democratic colours will soon be on full display when they find themselves firmly esconced in the seats of power.
In a democracy, one of the most fundamental tenets of our justice system is that the accused as the RIGHT TO KNOW what the charges are against him before he can be found guilty. To this day, Charles still doesn't know the SPECIFICS of the "charges" against him. That's because there were no "charges" per se: rather, the decision to boot him out of the legislature was based on an emotional response, a dislike of Charles based on a negative perception and stereotypes about poor people like Charles who get uppity and don't know their place at the bottom of the social dung heap.
Certain high-powered politicians, their supporting bureacrats in government, employees of the legislature and political hacks who make and shape opinion have decided poor people like Charles are a "pain in the butt". Well tough baloney for them. If they can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. As a citizen of a democracy, Charles has the RIGHT to know who complained about him to the committee that had him barred from the Legislature, what the actual substance of the charges were, and the dates and times of the so-called harrasment incidents so he can mount a defense instead of being tried and hung without a jury by a secret cabal in Fredericton!!!
I'm looking forward to Saint John!!! As the judge said "This is going to be interesting...."
J.D. IRVING COULD LAND IN JAIL FOR THREE YEARS???
I first came across this very sad story in my comment section yesterday.
I didn’t much of it until I saw the story on CBC.
THANK GOD FOR CBC!!!! < Sorry Spinks! >...lol
Guess what? Not one single word in the Irving paper about this issue.
The Senate must come back to New Brunswick and investigate the way the Irvings are brain washing the readers.
Here’s the story wish was on CBC!!!!l
Logging road disrupts colony of protected herons
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 | 11:58 AM AT
CBC News
The Canadian Wildlife Service is investigating the destruction of great blue heron nests on Irving-owned land near Cambridge Narrows, N.B.
The forestry company J.D. Irving built a logging road on the land last summer. It runs through the middle of the nesting colony. Company spokeswoman Mary Keith says the company has no comment on the situation while the investigation is underway.
A heron nest dangles from a tree after it was knocked down by another tree cut by a mechanical harvester on the logged land near Cambridge Narrows.
(CBC)
Jim Brown is a member of the Kennebecasis Naturalists Society, and is among several conservationists who are outraged by the destruction. He estimated that between 12 and 20 nests were destroyed by the logging road, which cuts a wide and muddy track through the centre of the colony.
Intact nests are visible in tree tops on either side of the road, and damaged nests are also mixed up among the tangle of cut logs and brush on the roadside. Another nest dangles from a tree, knocked out of place by a falling tree cut by a harvester.
Brown received an anonymous tip about the wrecked nests, and passed the information along to investigators with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources, who then alerted the Canadian Wildlife Service.
"I was absolutely astonished that this thing could happen," he said. "If you were to ask a senior DNR official, or a forestry company representative, they would tell you that this is virtually impossible to have happen, with all the checks and balances that are in place."
Brown says companies are usually very careful about where they build roads. "The onus is on the forestry company to inventory that area before they go in it," Brown said. "They should know ahead of time what the water courses are, where the deer wintering areas are, if there's any heron colonies or any other sensitive issues. That obviously wasn't done in this case."
The great blue heron is protected under the Migratory Bird Conventions Act. It's against the law to hunt them or destroy their nests.
Ian Langlais of the Canadian Wildlife Service is leading the investigation. He doesn't know yet if charges will be laid, but says the act carries severe penalties including a fine of up to $1 million or three years in prison.
"There's prohibitions against the destruction of the nests, or the killing of the birds and there are also obligations on the part of corporations to ensure compliance with the act and the regulations," Langlais said.
Word of the logging road spread quickly among local conservationists, including Robina Weatherley, a member of the Canaan-Washademoak Watershed Association and a retired forest biologist.
Weatherley can't understand how the road surveyor could have missed the noisy, smelly colony when the road was mapped out during the summer, but can't believe the nests were deliberately destroyed, either.
"When I saw it, there is a sense of violation and a sense of outrage to think that such a thing would happen, because it's so needless. It's hard to see how it could be missed. Certainly the biologist wouldn't have missed it," she said.
"I honestly can't understand how it could have happened. Whether somebody chose to ignore it, I would find that hard to believe, because the repercussions are quite serious."
Bird expert Jim Wilson says the only hope to restore the colony is for activity to cease in the area when the herons return from their trip south in May. He says with intact nests on either side of the road, there is a chance the herons will repopulate the colony.
"If there is a lot of traffic and a lot of disruption, it will undoubtedly have a negative impact. If there wasn't any traffic and no people, it's possible that they may just pick up and carry on. But it's an open question, certainly, a lot of activity in there wouldn't be a good thing."
CHARLES EMAILS A LETTER TO THE EDITOR TO THE IRVING NEWSPAPER!!!
I must send you a letter explaining a little more details of me being banned from the New Brunswick Legislature.
I was told there was a story in your paper of my court appearance in Saint John on Wednesday.
I read the story and everything was ok until I got to the banning of the Legislature.
At the very end of the Story you wrote -
LeBlanc has been banned from entering the provincial legislature or its grounds by a committee of provincial MLAs. The committee said he was banned for showing disrespectful behaviour and harassing legislature and
security staff and members of the general public.
I got one question?
What does this has to do with my court appearance in Saint John?
I just wish to make myself very clear on one issue.
The former Speaker Tanker Malley told the media that I was warned on many occasions to stop harassing the public or the staff.
I got news for you? I was never warned once!!! Not one single instance has the staff approached me asking me to stop harassing people in the People’s House.
As a matter of fact, I never chatted with the staff for over one year but that’s another story. The story is in my blog of the way the Sergeant At Arms Dan Bussieres went out of his way to have me fired from a job that I found working at the New Brunswick Legislature.
It’s a darn shame that your paper had to mention the banning because I believe it’s only one more way to dis-credit this case.
Blogging is the way of the future and this is a very important case in New Brunswick.
The Irvings should concentrate of the way the Police Department deleted all my pictures from my camera and not the banning of the Legislature.
This is Canada and not China!!!
There’s going to be a new Speaker in the House and maybe the sad issue can be settle.
Trust me, I will find out the true reasons that I was banned from the Legislature and then maybe the Irvings can do a story on injustice of New Brunswickers at the Legislature.
Please put aside Charles LeBlanc in your story and concentrate on the issue in hand,
That issue is democracy as we know it!
I was told there was a story in your paper of my court appearance in Saint John on Wednesday.
I read the story and everything was ok until I got to the banning of the Legislature.
At the very end of the Story you wrote -
LeBlanc has been banned from entering the provincial legislature or its grounds by a committee of provincial MLAs. The committee said he was banned for showing disrespectful behaviour and harassing legislature and
security staff and members of the general public.
I got one question?
What does this has to do with my court appearance in Saint John?
I just wish to make myself very clear on one issue.
The former Speaker Tanker Malley told the media that I was warned on many occasions to stop harassing the public or the staff.
I got news for you? I was never warned once!!! Not one single instance has the staff approached me asking me to stop harassing people in the People’s House.
As a matter of fact, I never chatted with the staff for over one year but that’s another story. The story is in my blog of the way the Sergeant At Arms Dan Bussieres went out of his way to have me fired from a job that I found working at the New Brunswick Legislature.
It’s a darn shame that your paper had to mention the banning because I believe it’s only one more way to dis-credit this case.
Blogging is the way of the future and this is a very important case in New Brunswick.
The Irvings should concentrate of the way the Police Department deleted all my pictures from my camera and not the banning of the Legislature.
This is Canada and not China!!!
There’s going to be a new Speaker in the House and maybe the sad issue can be settle.
Trust me, I will find out the true reasons that I was banned from the Legislature and then maybe the Irvings can do a story on injustice of New Brunswickers at the Legislature.
Please put aside Charles LeBlanc in your story and concentrate on the issue in hand,
That issue is democracy as we know it!
THE IRVINGS DID IT AGAIN!!!!
I woke up this morning and noticed a few emails in my account telling me there’s a story about my court appearance yesterday in the Irving paper!
I didn’t even know the Irvings were in the court room?
I said - That’s funny! They never talk to me or my lawyer.
I was certain in some way they would discredit me and I was right on!!!
AGAIN!!!!
The story went ok until the Irvings began to tell the public that I was banned from the Legislature for harassing the public and its staff!
This is a lie and to this day? I still don’t know the reasons that I’m banned but one thing is certain. I will find out who lied to have me banned.
I’m going to send a letter to the editor on this one. How come the Irvings always have to dis-credit people in their papers.
This is the reason we need a talk show in Saint John!!!
NB Telegraph-Journal | News - As published on page B4 on September 28, 2006
Blogger to argue police violated his Charter rights
Khalid Malik
Telegraph-Journal
SAINT JOHN - A lawyer for a blogger charged with obstructing a peace officer at the Atlantica conference earlier this year will use the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to defend his client.
Harold Doherty served notice Wednesday when he appeared in Provincial Court to set a trial date on behalf of Charles Joseph LeBlanc.
"It will be a very interesting trial," Judge William McCarroll said as he set aside a full day for the proceedings to take place on Nov. 2. "I am looking forward to it."
LeBlanc, of Fredericton, and Andrew Morgan Webber of Halifax, were charged with obstructing a peace officer during a protest at the international Atlantica conference held in the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre in late June.
Webber initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea to guilty and apologized. He was granted an absolute discharge because it was his first offence.
Doherty supplied a brief to the court when the judge asked how he planned to use the Charter for the defence.
Doherty said he will seek a stay of proceedings under a section of the Charter because LeBlanc's rights were breached under three different sections. He said his client's rights were violated when LeBlanc was arrested arbitrarily and without justification.
His rights were also breached when a police officer retrieved LeBlanc's digital camera from the floor after his arrest and, without a search warrant or reasonable grounds, viewed the images in the camera and then deleted them, his lawyer contends.
Doherty said the "intentional deletion of images" was in fact a deletion of evidence that might have assisted LeBlanc in the presentation of his evidence for his defence.
He said the photographic images were of the events, people and places that had figured in his arrest.
The lawyer also said in the brief that LeBlanc's arrest, search of his camera and deletion of images, constituted a breach of a section of the Charter that guarantees freedom of thought, belief, opinion and experiences, including freedom of the press and other medium of communication.
In a letter to this newspaper, LeBlanc maintained that he wasn't a protester at the conference. He was covering the Atlantica conference for his blog and happened to be in the area when the protesters ran through the doors at the Trade and Convention Centre.
Bloggers are the journalism style of the future and the trial will determine how bloggers should be treated in New Brunswick, he said in the letter.
LeBlanc has been banned from entering the provincial legislature or its grounds by a committee of provincial MLAs. The committee said he was banned for showing disrespectful behaviour and harassing legislature and security staff and members of the general public.
Good story about New Brunswick Bloggers in the HERE Irving newspaper!!
I must admit that I wasn't certain if I should answer to the reporter questions but he was nice the last time so why not trust the guy again?
He did a good job! Hey? Any way to spread the word!!!
I know in person < Irving reporters > they are starting to respect bloggers and that's a good thing. Maybe the Saint John Police Force can learn a few pointers from the Irving media? < I had to add that line >
We'll see on my court date on November 2nd. Here's the story -
Election bloggers wrap it up By David Gingras
Spinks and PNB chat about their election night chat.
Just minutes before CTV called the recent provincial election, blogger Spinks stated on the bloggers election night chat, "Premier Shawn Graham. I have little doubt. I owe PNB a coke." There you have it folks, the New Brunswick blogosphere was the first to declare the Liberal party victorious. This piece of news didn't quite make it onto the mainstream media (MSM)...until now.
Spinks, along with fellow bloggers PNB and Charles LeBlanc organized another first in this province's political history; they teamed up to form an election night chat for all bloggers along with up-to-date election coverage.
This [here] reporter sat in on the get-together to "see" what everyone was talking about. After a few days passed the three bloggers responsible were asked for their thoughts on the interaction between blogs and the election.
The effect blogs had on the general public during the election is still up for debate, as far as the bloggers are concerned. Both Spinks and PNB saw increased traffic to their sites though, with Spink About It going from 100 unique visitors a day before the election to 300 a day in the last week of the race.
PNB isn't sure whether or not blogs changed any minds, but he adds, "If we made people think a bit about their decision and the issues, then perhaps we made some sort of difference as a collective group." Charles LeBlanc, though also not sure whether he managed to change any minds states, "if I did manage to change one citizen's mind not to vote for Bernard Lord, it was well worth the effort." For the most part, he admits, "people who come to my blog have already decided which party they are going to vote for." PNB adds that there were many good ideas being floated about the blogosphere, and whether a suggestion comes from "a blog or in the opinion pages of the local paper or overheard in a coffee shop," it would be in a party worker's best interest to act upon it.
What do these new developments mean for blogs and elections in the future?
Spinks' view is that all candidates will have running blogs in the next provincial election, that the candidates now know they don't have to fear comment.
PNB agrees, but also cites Taylor and Keir as being "on the leading edge," adding that they "understand what a blog could be to them if employed properly." In fact, PNB believes blogs will be used in the future by aspiring candidates to gauge support and create a profile before even offering for public office.
This reporter kept an eye on the political blogs throughout the New Brunswick election and came to the conclusion that the initial wave of non-partisanship in the blogosphere virtually disappeared in the final week of the campaign. Spinks shares that opinion, naming a number of truly partisan blogs that sprang up to purposefully cover the election, adding he's not entirely sure about their longevity.
PNB found himself caught up in the hardening of political lines. "It's tough for anyone, whether a blogger or Joe Citizen on the street who is engaged in politics, to not pick a side in a political contest." He continues by saying it is simply "the nature of the political beast." Leblanc also doesn't deny picking sides in the final moments of the campaign, stating quite emphatically, "I sure did."
Spinks, PNB and Leblanc took it upon themselves to set up a grand election night finale. Asked how successful the chat was, Spinks explains that he doesn't know how success can be measured but "there were never less than ten people chatting at any one time and they were from all corners of the province: Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Miramichi, Bathurst, Edmundston, and Ottawa at one point; Conservative, Liberal and NDP voices were there." Despite some initial technical problems, PNB was happy with the result of election night, including the chat.
"I'd say it was fairly successful. We had a great time and some thoughtful comment and debate as the night went on." Since this was a New Brunswick first, PNB was pleased with how it went but knows that there is always room for improvement.
"I have some ideas on that, for next time."
LeBlanc wasn't as impressed as his partners. Covering the election took his attention away from watching it. "There's nothing better than shouting at the television for a couple of hours." Perhaps not the kind of answer one would expect from a blogger, but it shows the work that still has to be done to compete with the MSM on election night coverage.
Regardless, bloggers still believe they will have greater influence on future elections. But, as the thread below taken from the election night chat suggests, some people are already benefiting: PNB: And my wife is happy. She didn't have to listen to me all evening! Spinks: Mine too!
By David Gingras
He did a good job! Hey? Any way to spread the word!!!
I know in person < Irving reporters > they are starting to respect bloggers and that's a good thing. Maybe the Saint John Police Force can learn a few pointers from the Irving media? < I had to add that line >
We'll see on my court date on November 2nd. Here's the story -
Election bloggers wrap it up By David Gingras
Spinks and PNB chat about their election night chat.
Just minutes before CTV called the recent provincial election, blogger Spinks stated on the bloggers election night chat, "Premier Shawn Graham. I have little doubt. I owe PNB a coke." There you have it folks, the New Brunswick blogosphere was the first to declare the Liberal party victorious. This piece of news didn't quite make it onto the mainstream media (MSM)...until now.
Spinks, along with fellow bloggers PNB and Charles LeBlanc organized another first in this province's political history; they teamed up to form an election night chat for all bloggers along with up-to-date election coverage.
This [here] reporter sat in on the get-together to "see" what everyone was talking about. After a few days passed the three bloggers responsible were asked for their thoughts on the interaction between blogs and the election.
The effect blogs had on the general public during the election is still up for debate, as far as the bloggers are concerned. Both Spinks and PNB saw increased traffic to their sites though, with Spink About It going from 100 unique visitors a day before the election to 300 a day in the last week of the race.
PNB isn't sure whether or not blogs changed any minds, but he adds, "If we made people think a bit about their decision and the issues, then perhaps we made some sort of difference as a collective group." Charles LeBlanc, though also not sure whether he managed to change any minds states, "if I did manage to change one citizen's mind not to vote for Bernard Lord, it was well worth the effort." For the most part, he admits, "people who come to my blog have already decided which party they are going to vote for." PNB adds that there were many good ideas being floated about the blogosphere, and whether a suggestion comes from "a blog or in the opinion pages of the local paper or overheard in a coffee shop," it would be in a party worker's best interest to act upon it.
What do these new developments mean for blogs and elections in the future?
Spinks' view is that all candidates will have running blogs in the next provincial election, that the candidates now know they don't have to fear comment.
PNB agrees, but also cites Taylor and Keir as being "on the leading edge," adding that they "understand what a blog could be to them if employed properly." In fact, PNB believes blogs will be used in the future by aspiring candidates to gauge support and create a profile before even offering for public office.
This reporter kept an eye on the political blogs throughout the New Brunswick election and came to the conclusion that the initial wave of non-partisanship in the blogosphere virtually disappeared in the final week of the campaign. Spinks shares that opinion, naming a number of truly partisan blogs that sprang up to purposefully cover the election, adding he's not entirely sure about their longevity.
PNB found himself caught up in the hardening of political lines. "It's tough for anyone, whether a blogger or Joe Citizen on the street who is engaged in politics, to not pick a side in a political contest." He continues by saying it is simply "the nature of the political beast." Leblanc also doesn't deny picking sides in the final moments of the campaign, stating quite emphatically, "I sure did."
Spinks, PNB and Leblanc took it upon themselves to set up a grand election night finale. Asked how successful the chat was, Spinks explains that he doesn't know how success can be measured but "there were never less than ten people chatting at any one time and they were from all corners of the province: Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Miramichi, Bathurst, Edmundston, and Ottawa at one point; Conservative, Liberal and NDP voices were there." Despite some initial technical problems, PNB was happy with the result of election night, including the chat.
"I'd say it was fairly successful. We had a great time and some thoughtful comment and debate as the night went on." Since this was a New Brunswick first, PNB was pleased with how it went but knows that there is always room for improvement.
"I have some ideas on that, for next time."
LeBlanc wasn't as impressed as his partners. Covering the election took his attention away from watching it. "There's nothing better than shouting at the television for a couple of hours." Perhaps not the kind of answer one would expect from a blogger, but it shows the work that still has to be done to compete with the MSM on election night coverage.
Regardless, bloggers still believe they will have greater influence on future elections. But, as the thread below taken from the election night chat suggests, some people are already benefiting: PNB: And my wife is happy. She didn't have to listen to me all evening! Spinks: Mine too!
By David Gingras
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