Boaters fuel up to support local hospitals

A boat in the Wye Heritage Marina in Midland, Ont. on Sat., August 3, 2024. (CTV News/Steve Mann)

Maple Leaf Marinas is running its fourth 'Fuel Your Hospital' fundraiser over the Civic Holiday weekend, where a portion of fuel used by boaters will be donated to six local hospitals.

20 cents will be donated for every litre of fuel used by boaters at any of the 20 Maple Leaf Marinas locations.

The donated funds will support the Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation, Huntsville Hospital Foundation, West Parry Sound Heath Centre Foundation, South Muskoka Hospital Foundation, RVH Foundation, and Brightshores Health System Owen Sound Foundation.

"As the boaters are spending more time up here working from their boats, and unfortunately sometimes they have to use the hospital for various reasons," said Mike McKeown, the general manager of Wye Heritage Marina.

With Maple Leaf Marinas expanding from three to 20 marinas in recent years, McKeown hopes to raise $100,000 through 'Fuel Your Hospital' this year.

The fundraiser runs through Civic Holiday Monday.