To: Watershed News Media
Date: June 2, 2008
Toronto, June 2, 2008 — The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), in partnership with Conservation Authorities across the province, invites the public to participate in Gates Open – a day of free admission on Sunday, June 8, at many of Ontario’s Conservation Areas*.
“We are very excited about our Gates Open partnership and believe that this a great way to say thank you to our customers and communities, while encouraging all Ontarians to learn more about the significance of water and water conservation,” said Rod Schaaf, RBC Royal Bank, Regional President.
There are close to 400 Conservation Areas located throughout the province with a wide array of unique natural landscapes and features including important water resources that we rely on every day. Over 250 of these locations also offer a variety of family-friendly activities for all ages of outdoor and nature enthusiasts.
“Stepping into nature by visiting one of our many Conservation Areas is a great way for people to experience our environment and have some fun,” said Dick Hibma, Chair of Conservation Ontario, the provincial organization that represents the province’s 36 Conservation Authorities.
The Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority (CRCA) has seven conservation areas in its watershed which are open for people to explore. These include:
The CRCA will be participating in Gates Open at Gould Lake Conservation Area near Sydenham on Sunday, June 8.
Gates Open is a signature event in Ontario for Community Week and builds on RBC’s Blue Water Project that was announced in late 2007.
RBC’s Community Week is taking place across the country from June 6 – 13. To learn more about Community Week activities, please visit www.rbc.com/communityweek. RBC is helping to build prosperity in Ontario by supporting numerous community projects and investing more than $16 million in 2007 through charitable organizations.
The RBC Blue Water Project is a wide-ranging, multi-year program to help ensure that people have clean fresh water today and tomorrow. The first phase of the RBC Blue Water Project is a grant program of $50 million over ten years to support initiatives related to watershed protection and access to clean drinking water.
To learn more about Conservation Authorities, and the great work they do in managing and protecting our watersheds, please visit www.ontarioconservationareas.ca.
Conservation Ontario represents the province’s 36 Conservation Authorities, leaders in watershed management throughout Ontario.
* Free Admission includes fees for parking and gate admission. Does not include water parks and pioneer villages entrance fees. Fees for extra services such as camping and rentals still apply.
For further information, please contact:
Karla Maki-Esdon
Communications Coordinator
Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority
(613) 546-4228 ext. 226
kmakiesd@cataraquiregion.on.ca
Greg Skinner Jane Lewington
Communications Manager Communications & Marketing Specialist
RBC Royal Bank Conservation Ontario
(416) 974-5904 (905) 895-0716 ext. 222
greg.skinner@rbc.com jlewington@conservationontario.ca