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Vision To be the most livable town in Canada The 2011 budget process is underway. Oakville residents are invited to take part in the budget process to help Oakville attain its vision of being "the most livable town in Canada." Share Your Comments and Get Involved The 2011 Budget Committee will consider all submissions, whether in person, writing or email as part of their budget deliberations. Residents who wish to appear before the Budget Committee as a delegate should register at townclerk@oakville.ca or call 905-815-6015 Written comments for the Committee can be sent to Town Clerk, Town of Oakville, P.O. Box 310, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON L6J 5A6 Residents can also email their comments to budget2011@oakville.ca or fax to 905-815-2004 Upcoming Budget Committee Meeting Dates January 10, 2011 1 4 p.m. Council Chamber Overview of budget February 3, 2011 1 4 p.m. Council Chamber Staff Presentations February 9, 2011 7 10 p.m. Council Chamber Delegations February 10, 2011 9 a.m. noon Council Chamber Delegations February 17, 2011 1 4 p.m. Council Chamber Deliberations February 24, 2011 1 4 p.m. Council Chamber Deliberations All meetings are held at Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road. Visit www.oakville.ca for updated budget information. Oakville's Budget Committee meetings can be viewed live on Town TV at www.towntv.ca. Proposed rates and fees for town services and programs relating to various departments will be adopted as part of the 2011 Budget process. Further information may be obtained by contacting Nancy Sully, Deputy Treasurer and Director, Finance department, at nsully@oakville.ca. Take part in the 2011 Budget Process! Grinch it up this holiday Go green Holiday green tips Decorate the tree with L D Christmas lights to minimi e the amount of energy consumed Avoid spray snow. Instead, choose more environmentally- friendly homemade paper snowflake cutouts Holiday shopping When shopping, bring your own reusable tote bag rather than accepting a separate bag for each purchase (be sure to get your sales slip so you can verify your purchases) Try to run more than one shopping errand at a time to reduce your gas consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions Zero waste party planning These suggestions can help reduce the amount of waste after a party: Buy baking goods and snack food in bulk or large volumes Rent or borrow dinnerware, cutlery and cups to use at holiday celebrations instead of buying single use disposable ones. Cut up last year's holiday cards and use as place cards Place easily identifiable recycling and composting containers at your celebration so guests can compost organic waste and recycle pop cans, bottles, paper etc. Energy Conservation Save money by switching your incandescent light bulbs for L Ds Close vents and doors in unused rooms to help keep the rest of your home warm Caulk windows and weather-strip around doorframes. Also, replace any broken panes on doors and windows Wear an extra layer of clothing to keep yourself comfort- able, and set the thermostat a few degrees lower Turn down the thermostat every time you leave the house for two or more hours, and every night before you go to bed Reduce your Waste Gift Wrapping inimi e packaging and wrapping waste: Reduce waste by buying unpackaged and minimally packaged gifts and toys. Then find creative ways to decorate and wrap gifts Wrap gifts in fabric gift bags, baskets or reusable tins, which can be used for storage or future gifts for years to come. se leftover fabric, lightweight wallpaper and colorful dishtowels or scarves to wrap presents Decorations se a live, potted tree at Christmas time, and then place in your yard for you to enjoy throughout the year Recycle your tree! Halton Region turns discarded holiday trees into mulch for use in community parks. For information on tree pick-up visit www.halton.ca The greenest holiday decorations are those you make yourself, such as popcorn and cranberry garland w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, D ec em be r 2 9, 2 01 0 8 Mother Nature would appear to be coop- erating with balmy weather on New Years Day for the 26th annual Courage Brothers' Polar Bear Dip for World Vision. The annual New Years Day event will take place this year snow or rain at Coronation Park from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. with the dip at 2 p.m. A post-dip party will be held at the Tin Cup Sports Grill, 1540 North Service Rd. W., Oakville at 3 p.m. The fundraiser, which grew from a lark by Trent and Todd Courage 25 years ago, to one that has raised more than $500,000 to bring fresh, clean water to communities in Africa and Asia, aims to raise $100,000 to complete the final of a three-year project in Tanzania. Last year, the event, which has become one of the best known in Canada, drew more than 600 dippers and 5,000 specta- tors to Oakville on New Years Day. It also culminated a year in which the Courages along with their mother, Gaye, who inspired the challenge, and Breakfast Television host Jennifer Valentyne who has supported the dip for a decade travelled to Rwanda to see the dip funds in action. This year, the Courages are also doing everything they can to keep everyone who participates as warm as possible and it appears that even the weather may fall in with the plan as temperatures are predict- ed to soar to six or eight degrees above zero. The 2011 Polar Bear Dip will see the new arrival of warm-up tents and change room tents. A wristband system will also be imple- mented to arrange dippers in waves as they enter the water. Its all to minimize wait times. Last year, pre-registration at the Courage brothers business at 2380 Speers Rd., also helped to reduce wait times in registration lines. This year, the pre-registration was expanded to Dec. 28, 29 and 30. Some things are remaining the same, however. There will be the popular costume con- test again and it will begin earlier. The event is set to run from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. with the dip at 2 p.m. Registration for dippers is $25, plus the pledged donations they collect. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. with the costume contest at 1:15 p.m. Registration closes at 1:45 p.m. and a grand prize is drawn minutes later. Then the dip begins. A word of advice from those who know (the Courages) water shoes are the only sure way to reduce the pain of the cold water on the feet. For more information visit www.polar- beardip.ca. Cold spell could break for Polar Bear dippers