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Weather for Oakville, ON Fri Sat Sun Mon -14° -20° -1° -11° 0° -5° -6° -13° Hello to the first baby Page 3 Sharing the spotlight Sports www.insidehalton.com www. oakvillebeaver .com dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 Stay Connected! Friday, January 3, 2014 | 20 pages A Publication of Metroland Media Group Connected to your community - $1.00 incl. tax Polar Bear Dip `simply electric': Todd Courage by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff A New Year's Day tradition, which began 29 years ago, continued without a hitch off the icy shores of Coronation Park, Wednesday. Approximately 700 brave dippers dressed in fun hats, costumes and colourful bathing suits plunged into the frigid waters of Lake Ontario in support of international relief agency World Vision Canada. This year's annual Courage Polar Bear Dip for World Vision was one of the coldest, said co-organizer Todd Courage, who started the tradition with his brother Trent Courage. Temperatures were at a freezing -9 C when the rst wave of swimmers jumped into the lake at 2 p.m., but the wind chill made it feel like -16 C. Still, Courage, who has participated every year in a T-shirt and swim trunks, said the cold temperatures didn't deter people from coming out and helping raise $140,000 to help fund World Vision's water projects in Rwanda. Last year's polar dip raised $120,000. Courage, 50, said the atmosphere this time around was simply electric, with some dippers dressed as vampires, Gene Simmons from KISS and even Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. "There's an aura in the air," he said, describing how he may have hesitated brie y because of the extreme cold weather, but when he lined up with his family and others during the third and nal wave, he felt exhilarated. The shock to the system and pins and needles makes you feel alive, he said. "It really does refresh you," said Courage, adding how it's see Recent on p.3 | photos by Michael Ivanin ­ special to the Beaver The 29th annual Courage Polar Bear Dip was held Jan. 1 at Coronation Park. Approximately 700 participants braved the -9 C (-16 C with the wind chill) temperatures of the day in support of World Vision Canada. Some dressed up in costumes for the dip, including (at far left) Joan Marek, and Leevie Hart and Tara Walton (seen above in penguin suits). While others (at left) braved the frigid waters in just their swimwear. For more photos, visit www.insidehalton. com, under Photo Galleries. · HOME · AUTO · LIFE · BUSINESS · AV I AT I O N T H E M A G N E S G RO U P I N C . 1540 Cornwall Rd., Suite #100, Oakville, ON L6J 7W5 Tel: 905-845-9793 Fax: 905-845-9149 www.magnesgroup.com END INSURANCE CONFUSION. For informed decisions that you can feel good about, contact us!