Unnamed shack village (formerly Rothesay) — While some continue to propose Rothesay amalgamation as a solution to Saint John’s financial woes, a small group of fishing shacks on the Kennebecasis River is leaving town — and forming their own.
On Sunday, the approximately 80 shacks — give or take depending on what you count as a “shack” — voted to formally separate from the Kennebecasis Valley community. Citing irreconcilable cultural differences, the shacks have now declared themselves an independent municipality.
“We really don’t fit in with the hoity-toity crowd in the town,” said new village mayor Tony Lowglacy. “So instead of having them look down on us as an eyesore, we are going to form our own independent suburb of the suburb based on our own unique values.
“We don’t use any of the town services anyways…unless you count the wharf I suppose,” he said.
In the past few years, residents of this yet-to-be-named village have come under fire from the well-heeled Town of Rothesay. The fishermen were criticized by the town for leaving hazardous debris behind on the river ice at the end of the fishing season. Rothesay had to eventually free up two bylaw enforcement officers from its hearse parking enforcement division to police the area.
When asked what makes the ice fishermen so different from the rest of Rothesay, Lowglacy didn’t hesitate. “Well, we like to sit out in the god-awful cold all day drinking beer and using the bathroom in a bucket. We don’t really fit in with the rest of the town, or most folks for that matter. We’re an acquired taste.”
As for future plans, Lowglacy gave The Manatee an exclusive scoop. “We don’t plan to leave at all this year. We are going to outfit the shacks with pontoons and anchor the entire community to the bottom of the river so we can do this year-round.
“Honestly, our wives have gotten used to us being gone fishing and started to like it. So, we need a place to go.”