Toronto and Region Conservation and Coca-Cola Canada Announce $500,000 Toward Restoration Project to Clean GTA waters

Torontonians will enjoy a newly replenished Tommy Thompson Park, where they can fish, trail walk and experience the City's best place to bird watch

TORONTO, June 18, 2013 /CNW/ - Toronto and Region Conservation and Coca-Cola Canada announced today plans to turn waste into water.  Coca-Cola Canada will contribute $100,000 per year over five years, to restore an area once used for industrial waste disposal into a healthy nine-hectare coastal wetland at Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit.

"We are excited to have Coca-Cola on board to help with our shoreline and wetland restoration work," said Brian Denney, CEO, Toronto and Region Conservation. "Their support will go a long way in ensuring that fish and wildlife on Toronto's waterfront continue to flourish."

The project will help reduce contamination to approximately 1.4 million cubic metres of water, an amount equivalent to 18,000 average-sized swimming pools. Once restored, the wetlands will attract more fish, beavers, waterbirds and other wildlife and help them thrive in a clean, natural habitat. Restoration is scheduled to start in 2014.

"Thanks to Toronto and Region Conservation and Coca-Cola Canada, visitors here will soon have the chance to see a flourishing coastal wetland on what was until recently a construction waste disposal site," said Environment Minister Jim Bradley.

"We've found a great partner in Toronto and Region Conservation on an important project that will provide Torontonians with a greater opportunity to enjoy nature in our own city," said Nicola Kettlitz, President, Coca-Cola Ltd.

What the project will do
Coca-Cola Canada will contribute to the project in two major areas:

• Establish a robust wetland habitat - cap the existing contaminated sediments to allow water to flow through the park and back into the lake. This will help create a natural habitat for more than 35 different ecological communities existing at the park;
• Create and improve recreational opportunities - improve local fishing spaces; add three new trails for walking and running; and further develop the best location in Toronto for bird watching.

"In a few years, a contaminated site will be transformed, allowing future generations to fish, walk in nature, see beautiful wildlife and enjoy some of the best bird watching in North America," said John Guarino, President, Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada.

A look back at history
The Leslie Street Spit was originally built by the Toronto Port Authority for industrial and shipping activities, including disposal of rubble and fill from the construction industry and dredged lakebed sediments. When it was determined that the site was not needed for future port-related facilities, a comprehensive Master Plan was developed by TRCA to protect and enhance water and land habitats.

About The Coca-Cola Company's Water Commitments
Water is key to our sustainability. At Coca-Cola, we are working to establish a truly water-sustainable business on a global scale with a goal to 'give back' an amount of water equivalent to what we use in all of our products and their production by 2020. Water is critical to the health and economic prosperity of the communities we serve.

Key highlights of our global progress:

• Replenished an estimated 52 per cent of the water used in Coca-Cola's finished beverages (81.1 billion liters) through 468 community water projects across more than 100 countries, improving safe water access and sanitation for more than 1.82 million people.
• Coca-Cola Canada is on track to achieve 35% of its water replenish targets by 2015.

• System water use efficiency of 2.12 liters of water per liter of product produced, a 21.4 per cent improvement since 2004 as production volumes continue to increase.
• Coca-Cola Canada's water use efficiency is 1.86.

• Achieved 98 per cent alignment with the company's stringent wastewater treatment standards around the world.
• Coca-Cola Canada expects to achieve 100% alignment by the end of 2013.

To access the Coca-Cola Company's 2013 Water Stewardship and Replenish Report, please visit Coca-Cola Journey: http://www.coca-colacompany.com/2013-water-stewardship-replenish-report/.

Toronto and Region Conservation
With over 55 years of experience, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) helps people understand, enjoy and look-after the natural environment. Our vision is for The Living City®, where human settlement can flourish forever as part of nature's beauty and diversity.  For more information, call 416-661-6600 or visit us at www.trca.on.ca.

About Coca-Cola Canada
Coca-Cola in Canada operates in all ten provinces, and employs 6,300 people in more than 50 facilities, including seven production facilities across Canada. We offer a wide variety of beverage brands, many of which come in no-calorie and low-calorie options. These beverages include sparkling soft drinks, still waters, juices and fruit beverages, sports drinks, energy drinks and ready-to-drink teas. We're proud to offer some of the most popular brands in Canada including Coca-Cola®, Diet Coke®, Coca-Cola Zero®, Sprite®, Fanta®, Nestea®, PowerAde®, Minute Maid®, Dasani® and vitaminwater®. Coca-Cola in Canada is represented by Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada and Coca-Cola Ltd. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.livepositively.ca or www.cocacola.ca.

Image with caption: "Brian Denney, CEO of Toronto and Region Conservation, Nicola Kettlitz, President, Coca-Cola Ltd., Rick Portiss, Manager, Restoration and Environmental Monitoring, Toronto and Region Conservation, Hon. Jim Bradley, Minister of the Environment, Government of Ontario and John Guarino, President, Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada with their big catch at Tommy Thompson Park on the Leslie Street Spit. Toronto and Region Conservation and Coca-Cola Canada have partnered to restore nine hectares of the Park into a flourishing coastal wetland. (CNW Group/Coca-Cola Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130618_C9003_PHOTO_EN_28150.jpg

SOURCE: Coca-Cola Canada

For more information and to schedule an interview: 

Rowena Calpito, Toronto and Region Conservation, 416-661-6600 ext 5632, [email protected]

Kristen Marano, Environics Communications, 416-969-2730, kmarano@@environicspr.com