Inside the Life of Fredericton’s Mad Blogger
Walking into Fredericton’s courthouse triggers flashbacks for Charles Leblanc. In 2011, he was charged for causing a disturbance in front of Fredericton’s police headquarters.
The blogger, now 60, cannot remember how many times he’s been arrested. But can count being put in handcuffs at least 10 times. He’s gone through three trials, one that took place in Saint John in 2006 for obstructing justice, an assault charge in 2016 and the disturbance charge. After being arrested in 2011, Leblanc was convinced everything would be okay if he pleaded guilty. Four days after pleading, his apartment was raided by police. He feels the authorities took advantage of his lack of knowledge about legal procedures. The injustice he’s experienced has transformed him into an activist, supporting others fighting the justice system.
If you see a white-haired man that’s slowly balding, with a slight beer belly and is shorter than the average, shouting in an Acadian accent, than you’ve found him. Charles Leblanc, the mad blogger living on social assistance.
Despite the flashbacks, late last month, Leblanc returned to the courthouse, this time to protest the arrest and conviction of a man who was merely, as Leblanc puts it, “giving advice to the poor.” Vaughn Barnett was said to have been practicing law without a licence and had been previously ordered by the court to stop providing legal aid. When he continued to give legal advice, he was charged for not adhering to court orders. Leblanc felt Barnett was being treated as unfairly as he had been.
“Supporters and cops brainwashed me to plead guilty and move on,” said Leblanc, referring to when he pleaded guilty in January of 2012. “Cops shouldn’t be allowed to do their dirty work in the courtroom.”
As officers thoroughly search him, Leblanc makes small talk. Heads turn as he scans the room for targets. A man shouts, “There’s Charles, he needs justice”
LeBlanc’s regular attire consist of a worn-out baseball cap, a hoodie with some sort of justice statement or a local company’s logo on it, a blue and white jacket that reads “blogger,” clunky boots and a pair of faded jeans. When asked why on this day he was dressed in head-to-toe camouflage, he responds, “I wanted to piss the cops off.”
His life began in 1959 in Memramcook Valley, a small village just outside of Moncton New Brunswick. Home of the Chiac language, a mixture between the Acadian French and English. When asked by officers what language he prefers, he jokingly replies, “Chiac.”
Growing up for Leblanc was difficult due to his undiagnosed ADHD. “In those days nobody knew what ADHD was, they just called it being a goddamn wingnut.” His best friend was his childhood priest, they would spend days chatting and riding bikes around the village.
He enjoyed riding his bike so much that when he was a teenager he decided to ride his bike around the Maritimes. Leblanc rode across Canada in 1977 and returned home to graduate in 1978. Three days after his graduation he rode across the United States, ending up in San Francisco eight months later.
His parents never thought much of him, so he feels he was never liked by them. “My dad was always saying that I’m too stupid to ever be a journalist.” He had a dream of becoming a journalist ever since he was a little boy. However, ADHD can make people blurt things out without thinking, causing silly questions to be asked. Although his ADHD was undiagnosed as a child that’s what made his father believe that he’d never make it. When asked about his mother, he shook his head and said, “Meh.” He has two brothers and a sister but never had close relationships with them either.
Leblanc has no family of his own.
He was reunited with his child hood priest, Father Brien, when he moved to Fredericton in 2003. “You can’t make this stuff up, I was beyond surprised to see him here.” The two keep in regular contact.
He now enjoys listening to the choir at Brunswick Street Church.
Although he doesn’t always attend church, he still considers himself a Catholic. Proudly wearing a stone cross necklace that he purchased from the Boyce Farmers Market, he explains, “I’m not a freak, I just believe in a purpose.
You’ll find Leblanc accompanied with a Mutt whose part black Labrador and part German Shepard, DEOGY.
The dog belongs to friends of his, who has five kids and busy lifes, so they let Charles walk their dog. Leblanc is constantly walking, “If you don’t walk you’ll die.” His walking-route starts by going up the UNB campus hill, then walking across prospect street and down the Hanwell Road.
Leblanc’s name appeared in the New York Times in 2006, after being found not guilty in Saint John. “A Blogger Who’s a Court-Approved Journalist,” read the headline.
The judge felt that Leblanc was just doing his job as a blogger during his time of arrest and was furious that charges were even made. All of this happened before social media became big and before the term “blogger” became familiar. This prompted a landmark ruling for bloggers rights as journalists. Since then Leblanc’s ego has swelled. He feels important. But to those in power he’s merely annoying.
After a short court hearing, Barnett was sentenced to 100 days in prison and immediately put into handcuffs. Leblanc stood up with rage and ran outside. He had a plan. He felt that the Crown lawyers would try to avoid him, so he hid on the sidewalk behind a tree thinking no one could see him in his camouflage. The Crown prosecutor started walking down the steps of the courthouse and Leblanc came out flying. His arm extended high, recording himself, panting as he tried to explain to viewers the backstory while blocking the high winds.
Once approaching the man, Leblanc did what he does best, annoy people. Leblanc looked like a fool with his face pushed into this man, side-shuffling swiftly to keep up and yelling crazily with his Acadian accent. But, he got his interview, so he was satisfied. That is Charles Joseph Leblanc in his natural habitat.
Leblanc takes no days off, even on holidays you can find him roaming the streets hunting for a good story. With his battered digital camera in hand and DEOGY by his side, he struts with confidence. He feels he brings a certain pizzazz to the field by, “looking like a crazy homeless man, not giving a shit.”
He hates snobs, rich people who look down on those living on social assistance. When the former tries to bar him from events, he whips out his digital camera and shames them on social media. “Because of my Scottish blood I don’t forget anyone who crosses me, and I get wound up easily, I wouldn’t wish this gene on anyone.” If you are not a snob and treat Mr. Leblanc with respect than you will be greeted by a kind man, with good intentions, who will talk your ear off and call you his friend.
“I’ve done a lot in this city.” Leblanc thinks he has been a great contributor to helping with Fredericton’s news since moving here. He started off by living in a tent for six months outside of the legislature building, protesting against the misuse of Ritalin.
As winter hit the nights became cold for him but luckily, he found himself a girlfriend, “She changed everything.” Even after he had a warm place to sleep in, he still insisted on spending most nights in the tent. The two are no longer together.
He ate his meals at the Fredericton Soup Kitchen, which is a place that offers free meals to those in need. “They eat like Kings and Queens there.”
He’s since been banned for life from the legislature property, but he doesn’t let that stop him.
“I’d rather be outside than in.” He does what he does to help the community, in his own crazy way. He doesn’t get paid for what he does and gets very little respect, but he wouldn’t change his life of attacking politicians and locals for anything. “It’s like going hunting.”
“The most beautiful stories are when I talk to politicians and they keep their mouth shut, it’s good when people are afraid of you.” He’s not ashamed of who he is and could care less about what others think. “I know people stare but I don’t care, it’s boring to be respected.”
Leblanc is living on social assistance, in a cozy little one-bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown. He’s been in this apartment for the last 12 years, paying $90 per month on top of other bills. The apartment has a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living room. “It’s nice for me.”
His ADHD makes it hard for him to hold down a proper job. Before moving to Fredericton, he worked in a shipyard for 15 years thanks to his uncle, Al Leblanc.
For years, no one understood why he was jumpy and distracted. Only after the shipyard closed, Al suggested Leblanc go see a doctor. In doing so he was properly diagnosed with ADHD. His next job was with Gulf Operator Ltd, it now chills him to think about working for an Irving ran company. The company never understood his newly discovered disorder and let Leblanc go. He soon after found himself in Fredericton protesting.
His aunt and uncle, Alphonse and Theresa Leblanc, were more like parents to him.
They had lots of patience with Leblanc unlike his parents because two of their four children are handicap. “They were always more supportive then my actual parents.” Although this family lives in Saint John and Leblanc lived in Memramcook, they were the closest to him. With his uncle giving him a job, his aunt would invite him over regularly for home cooked meals. After the shipyard closed he lived with his cousin and her husband in Saint John for a little while.
His career as a blogger began after the six-month-long protest. He loved the city so much because of all the political news that would occur, he decided to stay. Looking back on how his father use to laugh at his dreams, makes Leblanc laugh now. “I think it’s funny now because even Steve Murphy has told me I’m a good journalist,” said Leblanc referring to CTV’s top-rated news anchor.
The Acadian blogger has made close to 50,000 videos. Although he has many haters he also has a strong fan base. One fan even burned his videos onto DVD’s.
People applaud him for standing up for what he believes in.
“Charles Leblanc quails before no one, he pops up at inappropriate times but is committed to telling stories. He’s a great story teller and a feature of Fredericton,” said news anchor for CBC, Harry Forestell.
“You’ll never see journalism like this again,” said Leblanc, who feels he does a better job of telling stories than most news anchors today. “Journalists now are lazy, they’re always in their office while I’m on the streets getting stories.”
