Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority Honoured for Outstanding Sustainable Commuting Achievements

Newmarket, ON (November 16, 2011)  – On November 15, Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) received the 2011 Smart Commute Central York Employer of the Year Award at the fifth annual Awards reception, hosted at St. Lawrence Hall, Toronto. This award acknowledges organizations for outstanding achievement in the areas of commitment, leadership, innovation and results in the Smart Commute program.

LSRCA is committed to providing sustainable transportation solutions for their employees. The organization works closely with Smart Commute Central York (Smart Commute CY) to promote environmental awareness and help reduce the organization’s carbon footprint. The program complements their mission to provide leadership in the restoration and protection of the environmental health and quality of Lake Simcoe and its watershed.

“We’re absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been chosen for this award. As a conservation agency we know it’s critical for us to be a leader in programs like Smart Commute and to set an example for others to follow. At LSRCA we work hard to walk-the-talk and we’re truly thankful for the recognition.” says Gayle Wood, LSRCA Chief Administrative Officer.  

LSRCA participates in Smart Commute’s annual campaigns, including Carpool Week, Bike to Work Day and Clean Air Commute Week, during which they had a 40 per cent participation rate and were able to reduce more than 8,400 vehicle kilometres traveled. Currently, 25 per cent LSRCA’s employees are registered on Smart Commute’s ride-matching website, Carpool Zone, and their carpool parking spots are fully utilized.

Smart Commute CY is a membership-based, non-profit organization that works with organizations in northern York Region to promote more sustainable modes of commuting. This program of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce receives funding and support from Metrolinx (an agency of the Government of Ontario), the Regional Municipality of York, the Town of Newmarket, and the Town of Aurora. To learn more, visit: www.smartcommutecy.ca.

Smart Commute is a program of Metrolinx and the municipalities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). To date, 177 employers with more than 430,000 employees have signed on to the Smart Commute program. For information, go to www.smartcommute.ca. Services such as the Carpool Zone ride-matching service are also available on this site. Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For more information visit: www.metrolinx.com.

Kristen Yemm
Manager, Corporate Communications
Phone: 905 895.1281, ext 315
Email: k.yemm@lsrca.on.ca