In his lifetime, Chris Savard has spent time as both an elected official and a hot air balloon pilot. As such, FULL OF HOT AIR seemed to be an appropriate name for this column. Savard will provide his thoughts on a number of topics including sports, politics, local issues and more. His opinion combined with $1.80 will buy you an XL Coffee at Tim's!

Mar. 21, 2013: No doubt, an NFL General Manager can't please everyone as there are a lot of tough decisions to be made. In his short tenure as the GM of the Chicago Bears, Phil Emery has made some good moves and some bad ones. Not finding a way to sign Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher is his most glaring goof up. FULL STORY

Jan. 18, 2013: Dave Nonis has wasted no time making changes since being anointed the new General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. On Wednesday, he dealt veteran forward Matthew Lombardi to Phoenix for a conditional draft pick and yesterday he placed Tim Connolly on waivers. These changes should result in good news for Nazem Kadri. FULL STORY

Jan. 9, 2013: The Toronto Maple Leafs shocked the hockey world today with the surprise firing of President and General Manager Brian Burke. There has been much speculation in NHL circles that the Leafs were in play as a possible destination for Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo. Is it possible that there was an internal disagreement on the direction the team would pursue with the veteran netminder? FULL STORY

Dec. 19, 2012: Today, is a milestone day for OurHometown.ca. Today our site welcomed its one millionth visitor for the calendar year of 2012! As I reflect on this accomplishment, I would like to share some of the history that has brought us to this point. FULL STORY

Nov. 11, 2012: Remembrance Day is a day that we pause to remember the sacrifices of the thousands of men and women who have served, continue to serve and will serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace. It is also a day to say Thank You to our veterans, for all the freedoms that we enjoy living in the greatest country in the world. FULL STORY

Nov. 6, 2012: Today, millions of Americans will head to the polls to pick their President for the next four years. Many pundits are suggesting that the race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will result in the closest election in the history of the United States of America. It is hard to imagine a race any closer than the George Bush - Al Gore race in 2000, an election that took weeks to determine the outcome. FULL STORY

Jul. 23, 2012: Toronto Maple Leafs’ General Manager Brian Burke has been quiet on the Free Agent front so far this season. The three big names heading into July 1st were Zach Parise, Ryan Suter and Alexander Semin. The Minnesota Wild made a big splash by signing both Parise and Suter, but the Washington Capitals’ Winger is still available. FULL STORY

Jul. 22, 2012: For most of the today’s final round, Adam Scott appeared to have the British Open Championship safely in hand. However, Scott bogeyed the last four holes to finish with a -7. At the same time, Ernie Els shot a -4 on the back nine to finish with a -8 and win the coveted Claret Jug. FULL STORY

Jul. 18, 2012: There has been considerable talk show chatter and countless media reports about the Toronto Maple Leafs making a move to acquire Roberto Luongo from the Vancouver Canucks. A less costly alternative, both from a trade and contract perspective, would be Dallas Stars' prospect Jack Campbell. FULL STORY

Jul. 16, 2012: Talk about leaving it to the eleventh hour. Today, the Chicago Bears signed running back Matt Forte to a four year contract through 2015. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement dictated that teams had until 4:00 pm EST today to get a deal done with players with the franchise tag. FULL STORY