Local leaders take part in annual dunk tank fundraiser

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall gets dunked in a dunk tank in Barrie, Ont on July 20, 2024 (CTV News/ Mike Lang).

Local municipal leaders attended the annual dunk your local leader's event on Saturday.

The event was held at the Barrie Farmers Market, where Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall and Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson participated in the dunk tank for a good cause.

The event raises money and food donations for Youth Haven, a shelter for young people experiencing homelessness.

"Raising dollars for food for our youth and making sure they have a place to stay and stability and strength in times that can be very troubling for them is a beautiful thing; our deputy Mayor is taking the lion's share, but it was nice to get a free shower this morning," said Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall after taking part in the dunk tank event.

Youth Haven has raised $500,000 toward its $ 2 million goal towards renovating and expanding the space.

"“We’re excited about the new build, we currently have rooms for 19 youth and the new shelter will have room for 31." said Louise Jones, Director of Development at Youth Haven.

The shelter operators say they will begin renovating the Wellington Street shelter before the end of 2024.