The Bet That Started It All
When CJAY92 morning host Tyler Middleton floated the idea of a joint shower PSA to promote water conservation, most politicians would have laughed it off. Farkas shook on it with a condition.
Seven straight days of Calgary's total water use hitting at or below 500 million litres. Do that, and the mayor would step in.
Calgary did it. So Farkas had to.
Rubber Duck Tie and All
On Tuesday, April 14, Farkas showed up to Bell Media's southwest Calgary building home of both CJAY92 and CTV News wearing a suit and a tie covered in yellow rubber ducks. A shirtless Middleton was already in the shower waiting for him.
Farkas hopped in, gave Middleton a hug, and immediately lost it.
"What the f**k am I doing?" he said.
"It's so tight in here," Middleton laughed.
Once the laughter settled, Farkas got the message out: "Thank you, Calgary, for being such amazing water heroes. Save water, shower with a friend."
He later admitted the whole thing felt like a "future me problem" when he agreed to it five weeks earlier. Future him arrived on Tuesday.
"A highlight of being the mayor is doing fun and unusual things," Farkas said. "You can't take yourself too seriously. This is definitely a highlight of my job so far."
Why Calgary Was Counting Every Drop
The shower gag had a serious reason behind it. On March 9, Calgary entered Stage 4 Outdoor Water Restrictions as the Bearspaw South Feeder Main one of the city's two main water supply pipes was taken offline for critical reinforcement work. The shutdown was expected to last four weeks, and during that stretch the city couldn't supply normal water volumes to Calgary or the surrounding region.
Residents were asked to trim indoor use by 25 to 30 litres a day shorter showers, fewer loads of laundry, no running taps. Meanwhile, crews worked around the clock on six segments of pipe along 16 Avenue N.W. near Sarcee Trail.
They held. Households, businesses, schools and organizations across Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and Tsuut'ina Nation all adjusted their routines, and by April 2 the work was done and restrictions were lifted.
The Fight for Calgary's Water Isn't Over
Don't put the short-shower habits away just yet. The city was clear that even with the reinforcement complete, the risk of failure remains until a new parallel pipe is in place and another planned shutdown is coming this fall when that replacement pipe comes online.
Farkas, at least, is ready for whatever Middleton dreams up next time.
"Next time, the bet is on my terms," he said.
Sources: City of Calgary Newsroom; calgary.ca
