The Hub of the Maritimes

Sunday afternoon, I meet Phil and Chris -- friends from home -- for lunch at the market on Grandville Island. We're joined by Chris's girlfriend and her brother and, as so often happens when hometown pals meet up elsewhere, the conversation turns to miscellaneous trivia about the old burg.
One of the guys brings out this tidbit: Moncton, New Brunswick had recently been ranked as the world's 7th smartest city by an international publication, though he couldn't recall which one [I know what you're thinking: highly suspicious. Bear with me.] The three of us speculate briefly on how that is at all possible and then change the topic to more inclusive themes of current events.

At some point, the subject turns to metal salvage and Phil asks if we had heard about the two brothers from Moncton. Apparently, while attempting to steal copper wire (which fetches a fair price) out of an electrical box, one of the guys gets electrocuted, his brother standing behind him. One week after witnessing his brother's death, the guy returns to finish the job, only to suffer the same fate. [The details were fuzzy as this was clearly a third-hand retelling, so if anyone from home can offer clarification, I will edit the post. For the sake of accuracy, right?]
Giddy about the full-circle our conversation had come, we continued onto the garbage dump on the riverbank in the middle of the city that was only closed in the late 80s/early 90s, covered with a little soil and made into baseball diamonds and "nature" trails.
Which in turn brought us to the Causeway and the damming of a world-famous tidal river in a time when developers definitely would have known better.

And so on.

Even Devin Retsin, Legendary King of the Bangers and Champion of the Bottle Exchange, got some billing. Of course, with that walk, that hair, that epic reputation, how could he not?

Moncton, New Brunswick: 7th smartest city, indeed.