PortsToronto Releases Second Annual Sustainability Report

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TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2017 /CNW/ - PortsToronto is proud to present its second annual Sustainability Report which details progress in three priority areas that define sustainability for the organization — environmental stewardship, community engagement and economic performance. This annual report aims to consolidate all of the work PortsToronto is doing to employ best environmental practices throughout its operations as the organization continues to measure the impact of its efforts and determine where more can be done.

The report details PortsToronto's focus on sustainable practices, investments and initiatives that protect the environment, support the community and grow Toronto's economy. Some of these initiatives include:

• Updating all runway and taxiway lighting at the airport to LED to be more energy efficient;
• Continuing to choose green electricity from Bullfrog Power across all PortsToronto's businesses – port, airport, marina and real estate operations – and utilizing hybrid-electric vehicles for maintenance operations where feasible;
• Creating new green spaces and natural habitats to increase biodiversity; and,
• Investing more than $9 million in community and environmental initiatives since 2009, supporting such organizations as Evergreen Brickworks, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper and Ireland Park Foundation.

"In this second annual report we continue to highlight initiatives, both large and small, that demonstrate our commitment to operating sustainably — whether it be discouraging the use of plastic water bottles, implementing a no-idling policy, or replacing all runway and taxiway lighting at the airport to be more energy efficient, every little bit counts as we look around our business to determine what we can do better or differently to maximize our efforts and improve our sustainability," said Geoffrey Wilson, CEO, PortsToronto. "Going forward, key areas of focus include GHG emission and waste reduction, noise mitigation and continued investment in Toronto's waterfront community. In 2017 and beyond, we will continue to provide regular updates on PortsToronto's achievements and progress related to each of the next steps identified in the report."

These three areas of focus are in keeping with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) that has developed a comprehensive Sustainability Reporting Framework that is widely used around the world to measure sustainability performance and is considered a best practice in public disclosure.

The environmental portion of PortsToronto's sustainability report was prepared in consultation with the Delphi Group, a pioneer in sustainability and environmental risk management with more than 25 years of experience helping some of Canada's best-known companies improve the sustainability of their organizations.

The report is available here along with a short video on what sustainability means to PortsToronto.

About PortsToronto (http://www.portstoronto.com/)
For more than 100 years PortsToronto has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomed more than 2.7 million passengers in 2016; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada's largest freshwater marinas; and, Terminals 51 and 52, which provide transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $9 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto's waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a nine-member board with representation from all three levels of government.

About The Delphi Group
The environmental priority areas detailed in PortsToronto's sustainability report were assessed by The Delphi Group. As a pioneer in sustainability and environmental risk management, the Delphi Group has more than 25 years of experience helping some of Canada's best-known companies improve the sustainability of their organizations — as well as the local and global communities in which they operate. For more information visit www.delphi.ca.

SOURCE PortsToronto

For further information: Media Contact: Sarah Sutton, Senior Manager, Communications & Media Relations, PortsToronto, Tel: [phone], Cell: [phone], E-mail: [e-mail]

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