Insurance industry renews commitment to community papers

TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2014 /CNW/ - Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) will once again sponsor the Ontario Community Newspapers Association's (OCNA's) Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles.

The award was created in memory of Mary Knowles, a dedicated newspaper employee and active community member who died from breast cancer in 1996. This award recognizes the contributions of individual newspaper employees and the intimate connection community newspapers have with their communities.

"Local newspapers are the lifeblood of a community," said Ralph Palumbo, Vice-President, Ontario, IBC. "IBC and its members are proud to support those who go above and beyond to make their communities even better." Last year's winner was Linda Plumridge, Comptroller of the Fort Frances Times.

"We are pleased to welcome back IBC and appreciate its ongoing commitment to recognizing local heroes with this important community service award," said Anne Lannan, OCNA's Executive Director. "Community newspapers create strong communities across this province because of their intimate connection with local groups, businesses and governments. Dedicated newspaper employees make it happen."

The recipient of the 2014 Insurance Bureau of Canada Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles will be announced in February 2015 and will be recognized at the awards gala in May.

For more information about OCNA and the Mary Knowles Award, visit:
http://www.ocna.org/

For more information about IBC's community outreach initiatives, visit:
http://www.ibc.ca/en/In_the_Community/

About Ontario Community Newspapers Association

The OCNA is a non-profit industry association comprising more than 300 member newspapers located throughout the province. OCNA is dedicated to helping community newspapers prosper by connecting them with the public to promote issues of local interest.

About Insurance Bureau of Canada

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is pleased to celebrate 50 years as a valuable resource for insurance information. Since 1964, IBC has been working with governments across Canada to make our communities safer, championing issues that directly affect Canadians and the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. IBC is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, car and business insurers. Its member companies represent 90% of the private P&C insurance market in Canada. The P&C insurance industry employs over 118,600 Canadians, pays more than $7 billion in taxes and levies to the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and has a total premium base of $48 billion.

To view media releases and other information, visit the media section of IBC's website at www.ibc.ca. Follow IBC on Twitter @InsuranceBureau or like us on Facebook.

If you require more information, IBC spokespeople are available to discuss the details in this media release.

SOURCE: Insurance Bureau of Canada

To schedule an interview, please contact: Celyeste Power, Manager, Media Relations, Insurance Bureau of Canada, Office: 416-362-2031 ext. 4312, Cell: 647-384-9872, [email protected]