Celebrating Toronto's Urban Forests

Forest Recovery Canada and Corby Spirit & Wine Ltd. join forces to restore one of Toronto's Tommy Thompson Park priority areas

TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2016 /CNW/ - Forest Recovery Canada (FRC), Corby Spirit & Wine Ltd., and the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) joined together today for a special tree planting event in Tommy Thompson Park. Volunteers from Corby's financial team planted 60 trees on a site within the park identified as a priority for restoration and to celebrate a new nation-wide tree planting partnership between FRC and Corby.

"Tommy Thompson is a unique space in the city," says Rob Keen, CEO of Forests Ontario. "At the same time it is part of a greater urban forest that contributes to the health and well being of all residents and an even greater forest that includes the 70 million hectares of forested area across the province. Together, each of these spaces contributes to a healthier population, strong economy, and a resilient urban forest ecosystem."

Tommy Thompson Park is the largest continuous habitat on Toronto's Waterfront and one that is entirely manmade. The park stretches five kilometers from the bottom of Leslie Street into Lake Ontario with millions of cubic meters of concrete, earth fill and dredged sand added since 1959 (see tommythompsonpark.ca for more info).

Restoration projects within the park are carried out to preserve significant species and create aquatic and terrestrial habitat, following the principle of "conservation by design."

"Respect for our environment is one of our core values at Corby," said Antonio Sánchez Villarreal, Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer, Corby Spirit and Wine. "Planting trees is one way that we are creating a greener tomorrow and making a positive impact for our employees, our customers and our community."

"In the city, opportunities to explore natural habitat and biodiversity can be rare, but we're fortunate in Toronto to have an abundance of beautiful green spaces," Keen adds. "Today, we're not just enhancing one of those spaces, but celebrating all of Toronto's urban forest and the city's commitment to enhancing and expanding those spaces."

FRC is the national planting program of Forests Ontario and together with partners plants nearly three million trees nation-wide every year.

About Corby Spirit and Wine
Corby Spirit and Wine Limited is a leading Canadian marketer and distributor of spirits and imported wines. Corby's portfolio of owned-brands includes some of the most renowned brands in Canada, including J.P. Wiser's®, Lot No. 40®, Pike Creek® and Gooderham & Worts® Canadian whiskies as well as Lamb's® rum, Polar Ice® vodka and McGuinness® and Criollo® liqueurs, produced by its sister company, Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., based in Windsor, Ontario. Through its affiliation with Pernod Ricard S.A., a global leader in the spirits and wine industry, Corby also represents leading international brands such as ABSOLUT® vodka, Chivas Regal®, The Glenlivet® and Ballantine's® Scotch whiskies, Jameson® Irish whiskey, Beefeater® gin, Malibu® rum, Kahlúa® liqueur, Mumm® champagne, and Jacob's Creek®, Wyndham Estate®, Stoneleigh®, Campo Viejo®, Graffigna® and Kenwood® wines. In 2016, Corby was named one of the 50 Best Workplaces in Canada by The Great Place to Work® Institute Canada for the fifth consecutive year, and was also listed for the second time among Greater Toronto's Top 100 Employers. Corby is a publicly traded company based in Toronto, Ontario, and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbols CSW.A and CSW.B. For further information, please visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter (@CorbySW), and Instagram (@CorbySW).

About Forest Recovery Canada
Forest Recovery Canada (FRC) is a national tree planting program of Forests Ontario. FRC provides support and assistance to partners across the country delivering planting projects to offset forest fragmentation. FRC's network of partners includes local conservation and stewardship groups, tree planting agencies, forestry consultants, nurseries, First Nations communities, government, and volunteer groups. FRC's goals include:

• Delivering large-scale tree planting initiatives in an effort to increase forested landscape in ecologically significant areas
• Building partnerships with local organizations to enhance tree planting capacity
• Maintaining and preserving our national biodiversity and safeguarding our ecosystems

SOURCE Forests Ontario

Image with caption: "Forests Ontario CEO Rob Keen (left) with Corby’s Patrick O’Driscoll (centre) and Antonio Sanchez (right), celebrating the launch of a new partnership in support of greater forest cover across Canada. (CNW Group/Forests Ontario)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160927_C5678_PHOTO_EN_783041.jpg

photos or to arrange an interview please contact: Shelley McKay, Director of Communications & Development, Forests Ontario, 416.646.1193 ext. 232, Cell: 416.619.0783, [email protected]; Amandine Robin, Director, Communications, Public Relations and CSR, Corby Spirit and Wine, Telephone: [phone], Email: [email protected]