After laughing about this, I got bummed out. I can't believe that in this day and age, in Canada nonetheless, we are still pumping raw sewage into the ocean. I just took up surfing and I have a greater respect for the ocean, and an increased interest in keeping it clean, since every time I get smoked I drink loads of seawater. I don't need someone's turdmatter in my belly!



Oct. 31, 2005. 06:42 AM

Sewage activist wiped off B.C. ballot
But anti-pollution protest left its mark

DANIEL GIRARD
WESTERN CANADA BUREAU

VICTORIA—When you're a two-metre tall human turd, who talks with a falsetto voice and wears a slightly tilted sailor's cap, you're used to turning heads, as well as stomachs.

So James Skwarok, better known by the name of his character, Mr. Floatie, was certainly expecting to draw attention when he threw that cap into the ring in a bid to be mayor of Victoria. In fact, as leader of the campaign to get sewage treatment here, he counts on it to tell all who will listen that the City of Gardens uses the Pacific Ocean as its toilet.

But when earlier this month a stink was raised about Mr. Floatie's candidacy, it proved too much. City officials, correctly noting he's "a costume character," not a real person, and thereby ineligible, took him to court to get him off the ballot for the Nov. 19 election.

It worked. Neither Skwarok, 35, a university student trying to become a teacher, nor Mr. Floatie, a character with no pockets, let alone deep ones, could afford the legal fees.

While he admits to being "really bummed out" over abandoning the bid to run City Hall, Mr. Floatie vows to continue to fight it, pushing for sewage treatment by 2010.

"What the city's trying to do by keeping me off the ballot is avoid talking about the sewage problem," says Mr. Floatie, who represents People Opposed to Outfall Pollution, or POOP. "But you know what? I'm not going away until they build us a plant. So, let's get off the pot and do it."

Here's a link to Mr. Floatie's gallery..
http://www.poopvictoria.ca/photo-gallery

Where do they think all those fish and whales have been crapping for millions of years? I'm a lot more concerned about chemical pollution than about good old biodegradeable part-of-the-foodchain shit.

Whales and fish take considerably fewer medications, such as oral contraceptives, than people do. And so their crap is somewhat safer and less likely to cause feminization of male embryos.

Also, human shit tends to be dumped (sorry) in unnatural concentration close to the shoreline.

Halifax still does this, too, I believe.

O'fer crap sake. The ocean's a big place, and there's no where to surf close around Victoria. The amount of tidal flow through the straights is huge. If anything, the outflows need to be made longer, is all. More likely the problem is not "human sewage", but golf course, street drains and park run-off.

Indeed, I believe sewage should be treated due mainly to the content other than ordinary human waste (although Pauline has a point about concentrations). Of course, it's easier to get people's attention by dressing up as a turd than by talking about household solvents or something.

I thought Arkan was out and about again.

Don't forget the 100+ cruise ships a year (plus other traffic) full of over-eating tourists that go through those straits.

Yup, nice suit!

Needs buns.

Then again, maybe not...

Eeeek.