Polar swims, dips and plunges went ahead in many places across Canada yesterday, despite the extreme cold warnings.
It’s a New Year’s tradition that has grown over the years. It all began in 1920, with 10 swimmers on the west-coast. 94 years later almost 2,000 swimmers took to the waters of English Bay for Vancouver’s Polar Bear Swim. These hearty souls had only to brave 5 C temperatures while raising money and donations for local food banks.
In eastern Canada, in the Greater Toronto Area, one of the annual swims was cancelled.
In Hamilton, Ontario, the ‘Polar Bear Dip’ could not go ahead due to the build-up of ice and snow that made accessing the water dangerous. But those determined to test themselves were encouraged to travel a few miles east to the neighbouring Courage Polar Bear Dip in Oakville. Hundreds ran into the water at Coronation Beach in the 29th edition of an event that raises money for World Vision Canada.
Further along the shore, the 9th Annual Toronto Polar Bear Swim went ahead as planned, even as hydro workers were still working on the last 100 homes blacked-out by the recent ice-storm that left 250,000 homes without power two days before Christmas. Toronto’s event raised $32,000 for Habitat for Humanity, providers of affordable housing for low-income families.
Authorities are warning people to conserve power as the current draw on systems in eastern Canada in the extreme cold may cause more power outages.
In Prince Edward Island, it was a plunge through a hole in the the ice of Charlottetown Harbour. Organizers had to keep the hole open as temperatures continued to drop into the new year. The -16 C felt like -27 with the wind chill over the water.
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