New Brunswick — After Carleton County went public with claims of its own Magnetic Hill, other New Brunswick towns are jumping on the bandwagon too. Magnetic Hill is a road in Moncton that gives the optical illusion of a car rolling uphill on its own. Until now, it was thought to be one of a kind in Canada.
But with Carleton County’s Magnetic Hill now in the spotlight, Saint John, a city notorious for desperately wanting to be special in some way, was quick to assert that its King Street is, in fact, also a Magnetic Hill.
“This weekend I was trying to drive home after a few drinks uptown, and I coulda swore my car backed up the hill on its own,” said Saint John Mayor Don Darling. “There was also an interesting optical illusion where the road was all wobbly and waving around — I think tourists will love it!”
Saint John Tourism has since launched marketing campaigns about their Magnetic Hill, suggesting that tourists consume some local drinks before trying it out.
Meanwhile, Bathurst, Edmundston and Oromocto are each making the same claims. Each area suddenly discovered that one of its roads had the same magnetic effect as the Moncton tourist attraction. Not everyone buys into the hype, though.
Visitors to Oromocto say the town is making a mountain out of a molehill.
“Oromocto is totally flat — there’s no hill, magnetic or otherwise,” scoffed Frederictonian Jeff Arkell. “Maybe it’s supposed to be metaphorical? Like the magnetic pull towards Fredericton to get out of Oromocto once and for all? I know I feel it!”
Up in Bathurst, local seniors discovered that if you steal electric shopping carts from the Superstore and ride them down St. Peter Avenue, the carts are programmed to back up the hill to return to the store.
“I was just trying to keep the cart for myself when it started rolling back on its own, damn near gave me my fourth heart attack!” said Remy Joyard. “Now everyone is stealing the Superstore carts and having a fun time. I suggest anyone coming to Bathurst this summer try it out for themselves.”
In Edmundston, the Magnetic Hill is simply a group of local high school boys who are so desperate for entertainment this summer, they will push your car up the main roadway backwards while you eat some St. Hubert.