Polar Bear Challenge | A cold snap

In an atmosphere as festive as polar, more than 200 people – including several public figures – launched themselves into the icy water of the Lachine Canal in Montreal on Saturday as part of the 15^e edition of the Polar Bear Challenge, in support of athletes living with an intellectual disability.

For the 15^e consecutive year, dozens of police officers, politicians, athletes and citizens have raised funds for the Polar Bear Challenge. Saturday, they found themselves in Lachine, in the west of Montreal, where a hole in the ice was drilled to make way for the black waters of the St. Lawrence River. The goal: jump all at once, catch your breath, come out again, and raise funds for Special Olympics Quebec – which supports athletes with intellectual disabilities.

After two years of pandemic, where the Challenge was taken up virtually, the reunion took place in a festive atmosphere.

“Let’s say we’re not afraid to get wet,” laughed Ian Lafrenière, CAQ Minister of Relations with First Nations and Inuit, just before the event. This is not his first jump into the cold water of the Lachine Canal for the former officer of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).

This time, he also convinced the Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, to join him for the first time, as did the MP for Huntingdon, Carole Mallette.

“It was a shock, I didn’t think I had water over my head! “, was surprised Mr. Roberge at the end of his dive, at the beginning of the afternoon. Dressed in a soaked suit, still in shock, he grabbed a glass of steaming soup and headed for the heated cabin. Did he enjoy the experience? “I would do it again next year! “, he assured.

“We are here for our champions”

The Liberal MP for Marquette — the riding where Lachine is located — Enrico Ciccone, was also back for the event. “We are here for our champions! “, he argued in his speech, at the edge of the water.

Fady Dagher, who has just started as director general of the SPVM, made a point of specifying the importance for the police officers to be present for “all the communities”. “It’s a pleasure to do it,” said the man who made the leap for the first time when he was chief of the Longueuil agglomeration police department. ” Young people [avec une déficience intellectuelle] are a wealth for all,” he said.

Among the dozens of participants in the Challenge, five young athletes from the Special Olympics are also at the rendezvous. “I feel feverish! “said Jessica Larivée, medalist in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and athletics. She was selected to participate in the Special Olympics Winter Games in Saguenay in March. She also recently learned that she will be going to the Special Worlds in Berlin in the summer of 2023.

If M^me Larivée is participating for the first time, other athletes present are used to these dives. This is the case of Peter Yong, 33, snowshoer and hockey player, who has been diving in icy water every year for 10 years. “I do it to be brave and to have fun. It is pTorty-time ! “, he enthuses.

The actor Guy Jodoin was also on site for his very first ice bath, in support of his son Léandre, who works for the Sûreté du Québec, in Saint-Sauveur, in the Laurentians.

“I think a lot about my father right now,” said Mr. Jodoin just before taking to the ice, explaining that volunteering is a value that is passed down from father to son in his family. “I’m glad to see that now my boy is in there. »

Too thin ice this year

The Mayor of the Borough of Lachine, Maja Vodanovic, reported that the Challenge was almost canceled for this edition due to too thin ice at the usual place, located near Saint-Joseph Boulevard, in the Old China.

Sufficient thickness was finally found in the new Lachine waterfront park, located on chemin des Iroquois.

A record amount of $91,500 was raised in Montreal for this edition of the Challenge. In addition, 220 participants took to the water in 57 different jump waves.