Swimming is one of the most important life skills a child can learn, and starting early sets the foundation for confidence, awareness, and lifelong safety in and around the water. At Making Waves Swim School, every swimmer’s journey begins with safety-first instruction that builds comfort and trust before advancing skills.

Our programs are designed to grow with your swimmer, starting with essential water safety fundamentals and progressing through skill development, endurance, and technique. Experienced coaches guide swimmers at every stage, reinforcing safe habits while encouraging confidence and independence.

📌 Parent & Tot (2–30 months)
📌 Little Waves (2–5 years old)
📌 Big Waves (6+ years)

With warm pools, small class sizes, and a structured curriculum, swimmers receive the consistency and support they need to thrive from their very first lesson onward.

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Toronto Premium Outlets in Halton Hills is eyeing a major upgrade, proposing a 116,000-square-foot expansion that would add 25 new retail units and a four-storey parking garage. If approved, this would boost the mall’s total retail space by 14.5 per cent and increase its parking capacity to 3,551 spaces. Town staff are currently reviewing the site plan, which was officially submitted in May 2025.

There’s no word yet on which stores might move into the new units, but the outlets remain a go-to destination for shoppers across Halton, including many from Oakville, looking for deals on brand-name items. The proposal suggests construction could begin in late 2026 if approvals go smoothly.

Sunday dumped a historic 46 cm of snow at Pearson Airport, officially making it the snowiest day Toronto’s ever seen since records began in 1937. Add some lake-effect magic and certain downtown spots ended up under more than half a metre of powder, all thanks to a rare combo of arctic chill and tropical moisture. The storm hit so hard, it even outdid the previous 1966 record by nearly 10 cm.

And yes, Oakville got snow too. Shovels were working overtime from Bronte to Joshua Creek, and at this point, the piles surrounding the driveway are so high there's nowhere left to toss any more snow.

At first glance, the name Oakville sounds almost painfully literal. Trees. Oaks. A village. Done.

But the real reason Oakville is called Oakville has far less to do with scenery and far more to do with trade, industry, and one of the most valuable resources in early Canada.

In the early 1800s, the land around present-day Oakville was covered in massive old-growth white oak forests. These were not decorative trees. White oak was essential for making barrel staves, the curved wooden slats used to build barrels.

And barrels were how almost everything moved in the 19th century. Food, alcohol, dry goods, military supplies. If you controlled oak staves, you controlled trade.

Before Oakville had streets or neighbourhoods, Sixteen Mile Creek was already busy. Trees were cut inland, shaped by hand, floated down the creek, and stacked along the shoreline. From there, oak staves were loaded onto schooners and shipped across Lake Ontario.

In the 1820s, William Chisholm, a merchant, shipowner, and veteran of the War of 1812, recognized the commercial potential of this location. He purchased land at the mouth of Sixteen Mile Creek and deliberately planned a harbour and settlement around it.

He was not naming a picturesque lakeside town. He was building a working port centred on oak.

The name Oakville was practical. It described what the town produced.

The oak trade eventually faded. Timber exports declined, wheat took over, and Oakville slowly shifted away from its industrial roots. But the name remained.

Today, Oakville is known for its waterfront, neighbourhoods, and quality of life. Yet the name still carries a reminder of what this place was built on.

Oakville was not named for beauty. It was named because oak was valuable, and this was one of the best places to move it to market.

Historical source: Oakville and the Sixteen, Hazel C. Mathews.

Wednesday, January 28
☁️ Cloudy
High: -11°C | Low: -15°C

Thursday, January 29
☀️ Sunny
High: -12°C | Low: -23°C

Friday, January 30
⛅ Mix of sun and clouds
High: -14°C | Low: -17°C