Via email from Nova Scotia

I've heard about the blog site but haven't a clue how to post anything; this is written to show support for Joyce Case Harlow and her attempts to bring about honesty in realty in Shelburne County. As I understand it, she and a reporter friend are fighting a fellow by the name of Kevin Blinn who apparently tried to sell wetland property in Barrington Municipality. She tried to get officials in the county and the province to step in to help stop this activity but no one was willing to step up to the plate.

The land continued to be sold on eBay. Ms. Harlow didn't give in: she continued to use an incredible amount of her own time and resources to search out the truth. She pursued this case along with the equally tenacious reporter. Last week, the reporter apparently discovered that the Blinn fellow may not be a Blinn afterall but rather another person; and this person may be involved in other lawsuits. The bottom line is that these two have accomplished what, perhaps, the officials should have done: seek out the truth
in order to preserve honestly in realty transactions in Shelburne County -- and Nova Scotia. Let's support her and those like her in their efforts to keep our province credible.

Roseway Red via email

CanWest News Service Regarding Kevin J. Layes

Former Royal Bank CEO ordered to appear in lawsuit
CHARLES MANDEL CanWest News Service

The former CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada will appear in Halifax court in October to testify in a lawsuit. A judgment in Nova Scotia Supreme Court last week orders John Cleghorn to act as a witness in a lawsuit a Nova Scotia spring water entrepreneur has been waging since 1996 over a business deal gone sour.

The judgment compelling Cleghorn - the current chairman of Canadian Pacific Railway Limited and an officer of the Order of Canada - to testify is a small victory of sorts for Annapolis Valley businessman, Kevin Layes, who is now representing himself after having gone through three lawyers.

Layes is fighting at least four lawsuits all related to the company he founded in 1994, Sugarloaf Spring Rain Limited.In a pre-trial brief, Layes contends that Cleghorn was present via speaker-phone from Toronto when a $500,000 mortgage and a $190,000 loan for Sugarloaf was approved. Layes alleges that he ultimately became responsible for that money after he was removed from control of his company.

Judge Walter Goodfellow noted that Layes tried once before unsuccessfully to have Cleghorn subpoenaed in 2006, but that the previous judge turned down the request, pointing out a local Royal Bank account manager had more direct knowledge of the case. But Goodfellow said he is persuaded that witnesses are necessary to help resolve the suit. Neither Layes nor Cleghorn could not be reached for comment.

In his amended statement of claim - filed in 2006, 10 years after his first statement of claim - Layes alleges that three Halifax lawyers were in a conflict of interest when they provided him with legal advice during a rancour-filled investment in and subsequent takeover of the firm. He also alleges two of the lawyers were negligent in not removing themselves from the transaction. Layes is seeking general damages, special damages, prejudgment interest, punitive damages and costs from Joseph MacDonald, Peter Bryson and Marcia Brennan.In their statement of defence, the lawyers deny any negligence or misconduct and the trio dispute that they caused Layes any loss in any way. Bruce Outhouse, the defendants' lawyer in Halifax, said he would reserve what he had to say for the upcoming trial in October. "Our view of the allegations is contained in the defence."

In the pre-trial brief, Layes states that within a four-week period he was "completely usurped" of his ownership in the company he began. "I have single-handedly fought this lawsuit for 10 long years, facing every possible hurdle along the way. "I have sacrificed my entire life to have what is mine returned. I have sold my house, my cars, my properties, even my personal belongings. In 2000, I separated and then my wife and I divorced because of my dogged determination to bring MacDonald, Bryson and Brennan to court."None of the allegations from Layes have been proven in court.

Layes' brief outlines how Sugarloaf made a name for itself in August 1994 when coliform bacteria was found in Dartmouth's water supply. A competitor ran into production problems, enabling Sugarloaf to become the main supplier of water to the city during the crisis.Hospitals, hotels and even Tim Hortons used the water. But from that successful beginning, Layes and the company ran into a tangle of troubles, according to the brief.

Layes details how over the next couple of years he became involved with a number of individuals interested in buying into the firm. But once the investors gained control of the company, things fell apart, Layes alleges.According to the brief, Layes alleges that the investors replaced him as company president, that they contacted employees and customers and instructed them to route information to them, and that he was locked out of the business. During that time, Layes was also informed he was solely accountable for the money RBC had approved. Ultimately, Layes underwent bank foreclosure.

The trial begins in early October and is scheduled to last approximately five weeks.

"Would The Real Kevin Please Stand Up" by MadJack via email

"WOULD THE REAL KEVIN PLEASE STAND UP"

One doesn't expect to walk into a soap opera in Shelburne County, at least not this kind; not an every day occurrence around there ; but there they are, smack dab in the middle of land scams, fraud convictions, lies, deceit's, numerous law suits, and dope smoking hippies chasing extra terrestrials as COMMANDER CHI with Chi Media on "you tube" , unbelievable you say !! , stay with me, it gets better.

Someday this will make a great book.

So here we have the Blinns ,a couple of swampland developers scavenging unsuspecting buyers on eBay ( and now have been kicked off ) using false advertising of supposed "Family Lands" left to them (when in actual fact their mostly tax sales) to entice other persons into signing very questionable land contracts for money. Now why would you do that? Well , let's see...... What if you weren't Kevin Blinn let's say.... someone else ; like this guy Kevin Layes who's all over the news, and lets say he was currently in Halifax court suing a large corporation for 200 million plus, and other persons for 5 billion plus, and lets say he started those law suit's in 95/96 but he don't have no money and he don't have a job (nor does the little woman) because he lost the job he had working for a pharmaceutical company , why you ask , well maybe because during the 9 months he was employed with the company he defrauded them of 75k plus and was convicted of that and had to pay it back, no job, big lawsuit looming with a potential pot of gold even a normal man couldn't resist, now what would you do?

Well most people would call it a day because most people can see the light at the end of a tunnel , but not these two, no way, he and the girl friend need money to pull this one off, a lot of money. I wonder where and what the easiest way would be to do that, well ; one way is to sell worthless Nova Scotia land any where from large to small lots, on eBay , a LOT of worthless lots, say 250 plus or so , cheap lots because pretty well everybody can afford cheap, right? $500 us down $250 a month for five years, A court case could take that long ; mightn't it ?

BUT ; and here's the kicker, you can't defraud people while on probation for fraud now can you ? don't think so, not in Nova Scotia !, so what do you do ? I know, you could use another name, and defraud people , who would know ? Daaa.

Very easy to do, just not that smart, but if you were pathological about some things might not matter. If your stupid enough to think you won't get caught, why not? The next curtain goes up at the Supreme Court here in Halifax.

MadJack

As sent to me via email- swampthing.

To Continue this venue seems important

My intention was to let others continue this venue and discuss what is happening with real estate and Internet sales.

It has become clear to me that when "new" buyers purchase land and then feel as if they have been mislead, many resort to doing searches on the Internet to put the missing pieces together.

And herein lies(no pun) the value of a venue like this and the sole reason for keeping it going and updated.

Recently I have been made aware of another buyer of property from Kevin and Carmen Blinn of Nova Scotia who feel that they have purchased land vastly different from the description in the sales literature. (Night and Day is not to far fetched!)

Certainly there are others out there who have not come to realize the situation in which they are involved- and they have land in Nova Scotia, the U.S and likely elsewhere- and have been the victim of land fraud too.

So I hope this blog is useful to others when they start their searches to right injustices.

Post your view, Complain, Disclose the identity of the fraudsters, Explain what you are doing and what you are up against. I know it's helping others.