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Artist is giving back to IAH Health Sledge hockey is a reason to smile Sports www.insidehalton.com 916 Winston Churchill Blvd. dentistoakville.com 905-842-6030 t k ill www.carstaroakville.com Collision & Glass Service 905-845-7579 905-847-2595 2212 Wyecroft Rd. Stay Connected! Thursday, December 5, 2013 | 40 pages A Publication of Metroland Media Group Connected to your community - $1.00 incl. tax Weather for Oakville, ON Fri Sat Sun Mon It will soon be time to take the Dip by Dennis Smith Special to the Beaver 0° -2° -2° -4° -2° -6° 3° -3° The corner of Trafalgar Road and Cross Avenue is one of the busiest in town. A big reason for that is its access to not only the major Trafalgar Road corridor, but also the Oakville GO Station where parking has consistently been increased, most recently with the addition of a new parking garage, seen in the background. Congestion takes its toll on the bottom line by Catherine O'Hara and David Lea Metroland West Media Group | photo by Eric Riehl­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) A sea of brake lights twinkles during evening rush hour . You've been on the road for 20 minutes, but have only inched your way to the next off ramp. The highway resembles a parking lot. There's no way you're going to make it home to catch the six o'clock news, let alone the arena to see your son score his rst goal of the season. Frustration mounts. Similar scenarios play out in communities across Halton, Hamilton and the GTA. Highways and arterial roads are gridlocked. Commuters are in a jam. Apart from being a headache for motorists, congestion can have serious implications for businesses. Oakville Chamber of Commerce President John Sawyer said each year, gridlock damages the economy in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to the tune of about $6 billion. see Moving on p.6 From Polar Beer (the human six-pack) to the large man dubbed Baby New Year, the Courage Polar Dip has inspired many. "I see more costumes that day than I do around Halloween," said co-founder Todd Courage. "With that and the music playing, there's a carnival feeling in the air. It's a great atmosphere." The local dip into Lake Ontario is a New Year's Day tradition in Oakville -- and beyond -- and the 29th annual swim is fast approaching. Several hundred are expected to take the plunge from Coronation Park on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. Past dippers have included costume contest-winner Baby New Year and Polar Beer, a half-dozen guys who walk in dressed as a six-pack. Organizers say dippers have included guys doing karate moves to brides and grooms renewing their vows. see Polar on p.3 OAKVILLE FOR OVER PROUDLY SERVING SPECIAL OF THE WEEK No Payments for 90 days 25 1.9 Financing as low as %* $ 13,995 $134 + HST & LICENSE FINANCE FOR + LICENSE TAXES INCLUDED $0 Down 60 months BI-WEEKLY Automatic, 105,465 kms, Stk # U7769 YEARS! 2500 South Service Rd. W. Tel. 905.845.7791 www.hyundaiofoakville.ca See Hyundai of Oakville for details Presidents Award of Merit for 12 years