Environmentalists in Canada have finally won the poop war. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, on Vancouver Island is a tourist destination that boasts beautiful wilderness forests and an amazing marine coast along with prim shops, gardens and tea rooms. But despite the pristine reputation, Victoria is the only Canadian city that has been dumping untreated human waste into the sea. It goes right into the Straight of Juan de Fuca between the island and the North Olympic Peninsula. The city relied on water dilution and tidal currents, but a scientific report confirmed that’s not a long term solution for waste disposal.

Since 2006, the BC government has ordered Victoria to develop a sewage treatment plan. The city dragged its feet spurring a group called People Opposed to Outfall Pollution, that’s right, POOP. Even better than the organization’s name is Mr. Floatie, their 7-foot tall mascot, which resembles, you guessed it, raw sewage. No question, he’s an attention-getter. Ultimately the group wanted to shame the political powers-that-be into making the raw sewage change. Finally, years after Mr. Floatie made his video debut singing his theme song, officials have approved a plan that will build four sewage treatment plants to take care of the islanders’ excrements.

Many environmentalists say sewage treatment will improve the marine environment and human health around Victoria. Though some scientists believe the true impact on marine life will be small and some claim there are no health risks from dumping raw sewage. Either way, Mr. Floatie will be happy the town decided to clean up their act. And how timely with the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on the horizon, an event that has been organized with sustainability in mind and will feature eco-friendly sporting centers.

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