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Contact: Rod Jerred Phone: 905-845-3824 (ext. 5559) Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: rjerred@haltonsearch.com BUSINESS Ice Magic offers new en tertaining ideas like the wine bottle holder above. MORTGAGE SHOPPING? Start saxinj' with a Photos by Chantal Ayotte · Special to the Oakville Beaver Jo h n Thistlew aite, president, of Ice M agic has opened its only C anadian home in Oakville. Ten other production facil ities are located in cities across the U.S. Ice M agic can create every thing from sta n d a rd design punch bowls, shaped fru it (below ) to a b a r m ade entirely out of ice. FREE APPRAISAL! Mortgage Loans The Lowest Rate The Best Terms Unbeatable Service 4 Year Term Company breaks the ice in Oakville By Liz Campbell SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The w eather may be warming up, but business is cooling dow n for a new Oakville company. Ice Magic has opened its only Canadian home in Oakville. Ten other produc tion facilities are located in cities across the U.S. The unusual business can create everything from standard design punch bowls to company logos or the names of a bridal couple in glistening, crystal clear ice. For example, photos of the happy couple as chil Their Fire and Ice is an ice ball with a live flame within it. "The only limit is your own im agination," says John Thistlewaite, president o f Ice Magic. "We do lots o f custom work, any size or shape. And because our ice is so clear, the appearance can be very spectacular." N othing adds more drama to a buffet table than a magnificent ice sculpture. And at one tim e, these would have been too costly for most people to afford. But thanks to a special patented moulding process, beautiful ice centerpieces can cost about the same as, or even less than, a floral arrangement. A favourite creation is an ice centerpiece on an acrylic table with light shining up through the glistening core. The effect is striking and very dramatic. One o f Ice M agic's sig nature items is a bar made entirely o f ice into which a logo can be carved. They have set these up on a sum mer day under the hot sun. Another is the drink luge - a 40-in ch high ice tower, shaped like a martini glass, down whose spiraled stem the drink flows, cooling as it goes. G uests sim ply help them selves by placing a glass under the tap. It's all illuminated by a fibre optic light. Ice Magic has been cen tral to the ddcor for enter taining presidents, prime ·SUBJECT TO CHANCE W ITHOUT NOTICE 5.1% nz> o F I N A N C I A L rx /i i ?s C O R P O R A T I O N 9 0 5 -8 4 7 -0 0 6 0 dren, special mementos and other treasures can be frozen into the ice for a unique centerpiece. Fresh flow ers or even sports memorabilia can be incor porated into sculptures. A Fifth Consecutive Balanced Budget On M arch 27,2003, Finance M inister Janet Ecker delivered Ontario's fifth consecutive balanced b u d g e t-th e first such accom plishm ent in almost 100 years. The Ontario Government is continuing its tax reduction plan and introducing new tax cuts to increase competitiveness and create jobs. Ontario's plan has helped create one million new jobs since 1995. During pre-Budget consultations, the M inister of Finance, Janet Ecker, met w ith more than 1,300 people from all w alks of life across the province to help determine their priorities and the Budget w as presented directly to the people of Ontario. Investment priorities are: · $27.6 billion in health care funding in 2003-04, $1.7 billion more than last year; · Almost $2 billion increase for public education, phased in over the next three years; · $1 billion for cancer research over the next ten years; · $900 million in new tax relief, w hich affects almost every taxpayer in the province; and · $450 million in annual residential education tax relief for 945,000 seniors' households. These and many other investments in this year's Budget are about making the right choices based on the priorities of the people of Ontario. The Budget plan recognizes that restoring opportunity and prosperity to Ontario is the key to making this province the best place in the w orld to live, work, invest and raise a family. ministers and royalty, both in the U.S. and here in Canada. Most recently, the Oakville office created spe cial lighted tables with ice centerpiece for a dinner for U.S. President Bill Clinton. But stresses Thistlewaite, they do backyard parties, office events and weddings with equal ease. Ice Magic recently held an open house with spon sors like Molson, Baccardi and Kettle Creek Winery on hand to display their prod ucts. Guests were treated to an ice carver working outside to create some special pieces. And in a twist on the usual ribbon cutting cere mony, Mayor Ann Mulvale took a chain saw to a block o f ice. "It's not a term we usually like to associate with our products," laughs Thistlew aite, "but w e're breaking the ice in Oakville." * O P ltS r iO For more information in English or French about the 2003 Ontario Budget, please call toll-free 1-800-337-7222. For Teletypewriter (TTY) call 1-800-263-7776. The 2003 Ontario Budget is available on the Internet at this address: HTTP://www.gov.on.ca/fin/hmpage.html Ross N avaro sculpts a bear at Ice M agic's open house.