Goderich Mayor Commits To Sleeping Outside To Raise Money For The Coldest Night Of The Year

by Bob Montgomery

Last winter Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet did the Polar Bear Plunge into Lake Huron just to see what that was like.

This year he's committed to sleeping outside the night before the Coldest Night of the Year, which is usually near the end of February. Bazinet says he's been thinking about it for a few years now, and he's been involved in the event every year, and it's a great event that raises a lot of money for people who don't have a home. And businesses around the Square provide hot chocolate and everyone can get together after the event at the Legion. But, he wanted to experience what the homeless people who don't get the hot chocolate go through every night. So, the only way to do that is to sleep outside the night before the Coldest Night of the Year event.

Bazinet says he hopes by doing that he will encourage more people to donate to the cause, and he'll have a better understanding of what it's like to sleep out in the cold every night. He's not sure yet exactly how he's going to train for this. So far none of his fellow councillors or friends have offered to join him but he's invited them and he's hoping some of them will pick up the challenge, or at least support him with a donation. It's still early so there’s still a change some may join him.

Bazinet says he hopes this will help raise awareness of what homelessness is like and also give him a better understanding of the problem.