Beaver THE OAKVILLE Voted Ontario's Top Newspaper Four Years in a Row - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 www.brantflorist.com/ob www.dentistoakville.com 905.639.7001 905-842-6030 www.carstaroakville.com 905-8457579 905-847 -2595 2212 Wyecroft Rd. 547 Trafalgar Rd. Souper Bowl Sunday Page 11 A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 52 No. 128 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2009 24 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) Why was Oakville site picked? Politicians demand answer from OPA By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Rwandan trip left lasting impression on Polar Bear Dip founders By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Why is a 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant coming to Oakville and will there be guarantees that Oakville's air quality will be protected if and when it gets here? These are two of the main questions Town Council is hoping to get answers to through the passing of several motions that request information from the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), TransCanada and the Government of Ontario. The motions were passed during a special Tuesday night council meeting, which was attended by more than 200 residents. Public interest in the power plant issue has been on the rise since the OPA announced that TransCanada had been selected to build the Oakville Generating Station on the Ford-owned lands of 1500 Royal Windsor Dr. Many residents fear the pollution they believe the power plant will add to the area and its close proximity to residential neighbourhoods. The Town is hoping to find out exactly why the Oakville site was chosen and is calling on the OPA to turn over the results of their evaluation of the TransCanada site and the other three sites that were considered. TransCanada is also being asked to provide data related to the possible impact their power plant will have on the surrounding community including information on air quality, human health, ecological health, environment, infrastructure, property values, NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER See Lawyer page 5 SOUVENIR: Todd (left) and Trent Courage with a yellow jug container children in Kahi, Rwanda use to haul water from one of the few clean water sources in the area. The jug reminds them of the importance of their annual Polar Bear Dip New Year's day fundraiser for World Vision clean water projects in Africa. A big yellow jug. A vegetable oil container that could be used as a gas can. Rectangular-sized, usually smeared with dried mud. Carried upon the head or shoulder. The bright yellow plastic jugs are used to collect water in Kahi, Rwanda -- a village of 10,000, in Rwanda's Umutara region. Miles upon miles of people, usually children, carrying these yellow jugs is the image Oakville's Courage brothers, co-owners of Courage Brothers Distributing have indelibly etched on their minds -- what amounts to a human pipe, a very young human pipe, that runs several times a day. Eliminating the miles of children carrying the jugs across vast expanses, several times a day -- a move that will get those kids into school and on a path to hope -- is what will now drive Todd and Trent Courage as they host the annual Polar Bear Dip Jan. 1 at Coronation Park. What began when their mother, Gaye, challenged them to get off the couch and do something, like jump in the lake, on New Year's Day 25 years ago, has taken on a life of its own in the ensuing years. It has become a See Water page 3 DORVAL DRIVE 175 Wyecroft Rd., Oakville Between Kerr & Dorval Chrysler Canada 905.845.6653 Make a fresh start and help the environment WYECROFT RD. SPEERS RD. In partnership with the Retire Your Ride Program CASH FOR CLUNKERS GET UP TO $1,800 IN ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES YOUR FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS! · www.lockwoodchrysler.com Celebrating 25 years in Oakville KERR ST. TRAFALGAR QEW