Fredericton — Though not as menacing as last year, 2016’s winter has certainly left New Brunswick residents with a nagging chill. The unpredictable weather has seen temperatures dip as low as -30°C one day before climbing to 5°C the next.
“It’s impossible to plan for,” Drew Matthews told The Manatee. “I never know if I’m wearing a jacket or a T-shirt outside, which in a way is more frustrating than if it was just -20 the whole time.”
Matthews is not the only person frustrated with the weather. “It’s miserable!” Molly Sanders, a third-year sociology major at St. Thomas University told us. “I’m growing impatient for spring; I can’t wait until I can walk outside without donning 4 layers of clothing. Maybe I’m romanticizing it a bit too much, I don’t know. I’m just sick of winter, I know that for sure.”
City morale seems to drop significantly each year during the long winter months. Some of Fredericton’s retired residents migrate south, while others coop themselves in their homes and essentially hibernate until the first thaw, sometimes going no farther from home than their own mailboxes, and even then it’s only to collect their EI cheques.
Arthur Stevens, 31, is the founder and leader of a new radical lifestyle movement that has been gaining popularity in New Brunswick over the last couple of years. His organization is known simply as Nude Brunswick. “We’re a year-round nudist colony,” Arthur said in an exclusive interview.
“We abide by our own doctrine even in the worst of weather. Take today, for example,” he said pointing to an area on his body that The Manatee will not disclose. “I’m out here today, and as you can see it’s clearly quite cold.”
Stevens said his ultimate goal is to attract more members in the capital region. He stressed that even if you only want to join part-time that you would be very welcome. “It’s a fun way to get people excited for the warmer months,” he explained.
He expressed that the biggest hitch in his plan so far has been the weather, stating that the cold months are when university is in session and that the students are the group he’s really looking to attract. “It’s only townies that are around here in the hot months, and honestly, most of them aren’t much to look at.”
Currently the topless Freddy Beach proposal is being reviewed by city council.