It's hard to be unaware of Mr. Floatie these days. Not just because you read about him on this site -- no, the crusade of this gigantic piece of anthropomorphic poop championing the cause of modern sewage treatment in Victoria, BC, has made the mainstream press across the country and the world.
The latest installment of Mr. Floatie's poop opera revealed that he had been
denied an application to run for Mayor of Victoria due to the fact that he “was not a real person."
The last time poop made so much news was when the leader of the free world asked for a bathroom break. Mr. Bush denied our repeated requests for interviews; Mr. Floatie, naturally, was not so elitist. We caught up with Mr. Floatie -- a.k.a. Canadian student James Skwarok -- and posed a few questions regarding the politics of poop, the lump sum of his ambitions, and the other aspects of the emerging movement he represents.
PR: How did you come up with the Mr. Floatie character?
He was created early in 2004 by my friend, Terry (who doesn't want his last name revealed). I helped, but Terry did most of the work. I saw an episode of South Park where they have a similar character. Matt and Trey have a wicked sense of humor.
PR: What's your attitude towards potty humor in general, a staple on PoopReport?
I think most people can laugh at it because most people did so as kids. I know I did. I am not entirely Shameless. I am ashamed of what my city is doing to the ocean, and I think it's time to stop treating the ocean like a great big toilet!
PR: We know that your organization, POOP, was founded in 2004 to focus attention on Victoria's lack of sewage treatment facilities. What does the acronym POOP represent?
People Opposed to Outfall Pollution. The outfall refers to the two outfalls or pipes that extend into the ocean that Victoria uses to pump out 120 million litres {31 million gallons} of raw sewage into the strait of Juan de Poopa -- I mean, Juan de Fuca.
PR: What reasons were given to force your withdrawal as a mayoral candidate of Victoria?
The City of Victoria was suing me for the costs of hiring lawyers to take me to court over the fact that I wanted the name Mr. Floatie to be on the ballot, and
that I had signed the nomination papers as Mr. Floatie. They stated that Mr. Floatie was not a real person. Well, of course, he's not a real person! He's a big piece of poop! I wasn't running as James Skwarok, which is why I signed the papers as Mr. Floatie and put (his name) on the ballot.
It's Mr. Floatie who wanted a shot at the throne of power to raise the issue of Victoria's sewage problem. (Number Two for Number One!) Unfortunately, Mr. Floatie had no assets to hire a lawyer to fight the city's lawsuit, so he was forced to drop out of the race. It's not like he has money, or pockets to put it in!
PR: Give us some sense of the overall reaction to your character. Was Mr. Floatie considered in poor taste (no pun intended!) and therefore unfit for public consumption?
The overall reaction has been positive. The campaign itself was pretty short. We did two media conferences. One to announce Mr. Floatie's nomination, and one to announce the fact that he was being sued. Both were pretty well attended.
We had great radio, TV and newspaper coverage. The character is considered in poor taste by a small group of people. Most people in Victoria love Mr. Floatie. They like to laugh and think our practice of dumping crap in the ocean stinks! And it's the household and industrial chemicals in the sewage which are the greatest threat to ocean life. The only stumbling block was the fact that the City of Victoria did not want me to run as Mr. Floatie because they wanted to avoid talking about sewage treatment.
PR: What kind of success has POOP had so far with donations?
We've had some success, but we could use more to help us prepare for
next year's Toilet Regatta. The Regatta is a toilet boat race to raise awareness and money to build a sewage treatment system for Victoria. Check out last year's event
on our website. Fifty-percent of each donation is put in a trust fund to build a sewage treatment system and fifty-percent goes towards funding the operations of POOP.
PR: Given the fact that Victoria is a beautiful and historic tourist city, how has it allowed a no-sewage treatment situation to arise?
It has been well-publicized that we pump our sewage into the ocean. Some people were aware of it before POOP came along, but now it's on the front burner of people's behinds -- I mean, minds.
PR: Was your mayoral competition as concerned with the issue as you were? Or did he or she simply make it all about you dressing up as a turd?
They didn't appear to be worried. The current mayor, Alan Lowe, said he was going to beat the crap out of me in the election, but I retorted that he would only get his hands dirty by doing that. I think my presence as Mr. Floatie was one of the reasons Mayor Lowe came out in favor of sewage treatment a few days after I announced my nomination. Sewage treatment is now definitely an election issue.
PR: What is your projection for this issue?
It will be resolved. Most people I've talked to are behind POOP on this issue and the major players are getting off the pot one by one. The Federal Government announced that national sewage treatment regulations will apply across the country within the next few years.
PR: How can PoopReporters help out, if they are so inclined?
Go to our website, click on "Get Involved," and then click on Victoria Sewage Letter Campaign to send a pre-written letter to our mayor. The more people from around the world who send in letters, the more (our mayor) will feel the need to get sewage treatment in place. We need our tourist dollars to survive.
